saturday in paris

We hit a wall.  It was bound to happen eventually.  One week in Paris felt more like one year.  Naud started a new job, Annabelle enrolled in a new school, we found a new church and even put up a Christmas tree.  I navigated new ways of acquiring groceries, shopping for school supplies and finding all manner of navy attire at various children’s clothing stores.  We walked.  A lot.

On Saturday, we waved the white flag, sat on our rear ends and saved the abundance of art museums, parks and carousels for another day.  It was harder than it sounds.  The sun was shining, Naud was chomping at the bit to get out after a week in the corporate setting and I heard every piece of art in every museum calling my name.

Annabelle, on the other hand, was more than happy to stay in.  She played with her dolls and read like nobody’s business.  She turned an antique cupboard into a boarding school for her dollies.  I wrote.  Naud escaped for a while and picked up new mobile phones with French phone numbers… so official!

 parisian boarding school for dolls

Come evening, we answered the rumbling of our stomachs by heading out for some dinner ingredients.  Fortunately, our neighborhood is brimming with specialty food vendors and bakeries, as well as traditional grocery stores. 

I had a plan.  On my evening run, I spotted a Saturday fish vendor with scads of fresh seafood and eyed the fat prawns on special.  Six Euros (that’s around nine dollars) for 18 prawns.  Such a bargain!  I wanted to make something simple, but market fresh, and not at all fussy.  I recalled a recipe from a cookbook I frequented when Naud and I were newlyweds, a Mediterranean pasta dish of sorts.

dinner for three lazy people

At the Italian deli, I bought whole wheat spaghetti and fancy tomato basil sauce.  At the Spanish deli, I settled on mixed olives and a bottle of rose.  At the grocery store, I picked up sheep’s milk feta, Italian parsley and arugula.  I sent Naud back for the garlic I forgot.  With these ingredients, I threw together a simple dinner:  whole wheat spaghetti with garlic and olive oil sautéed prawns over red sauce, topped with crumbled feta, roughly chopped olives and parsley.  I served this with a simple arugula salad tossed with olive oil, fresh lemon juice and sea salt.  We washed it all down with a glass of rose and called it a good night.