It had to happen...somehow

My third week in France. So far, it has been nothing but a wonderful ride through and through. All these complaints about the French being rude, aloof and unhelpful must be really unfounded, I thought to myself.  Everyone I've met has been more than friendly and gone out of their way to help. I've not had one single bad experience so far! 

And then it had to happen. 

Yesterday. My off day from pastry school.  The skies were clear and the sun was out,a much welcomed change especially after the crappy cold weather we've been experiencing the past week. I was eager to head out and explore the city. I had great plans for the day:

Parisians were out in droves.

Although it was only mid-week, a work week at that, mind you, the Metro (the public subway in Paris) was jam-packed with people late morning. Everyone wants to be out to catch some sun, enjoying un café and people-watch

It was a hot and somewhat humid day, a perfect time to enjoy some good quality ice cream. Just look at the line for, not Berthillon, but Ben and Jerry's!

It was exactly on this street that I met the rudest person I've come across in France so far. A restaurant proprietor; I could've stuck a photo of his storefront right here but it's simply not worth it.Suffice to say that after paying for my food, which was utterly horrid in and of itself, he made me feel as tall as an ant for not being French or let's just say, for not being able to speak French his way.

Nonetheless, I didn't allow that to ruin my day; rue Montorgueil is definitely a great hang-out place and the surrounding neighborhood a haven for culinary equipment, utensils and nice-to-have must-have kitchen gadgets:

After several hours of faire du lèche vitrine and faire les courses (yes, I did both), I started heading back via the Metro and then it happened. Again.

Mais Monsieur, c'est nouveau.....achetè à lundi!! Désolé mais je ne sais pas." "But itz vritten on ze bak of ze kart.....voir! Non photo, payer vingt-cinq Euro! I guess I should've known to pry the cards out of the hard plastic casing, turn them inside out, read and understood the rules in French before using the pass, which a kind soul at the station had helped me get, after guiding me through the arduously painful navigation process -tout en français! What were the odds of actually getting stopped by officials checking for Metro tickets, having a valid Metro pass which is brand new and not even 48 hours old yet still being fined merely for not sticking a photo on the card? Lesson learned. It had to happen, somehow.

That aside, the week has been an exciting one, starting with a rather intensive Monday where we did two bakes in one session, the first dual bake since we started last week.

Monday also marked the official start of summer and you've just got to love the French for knowing how to party!

Fête de la Musique 2010: amateur musicians performing right in front of a Metro exit

another public performance; St. Germain des Pres

2 out of 5 French (or something like that) play a musical instrument; we didn't meet any good ones throughout the evening but it was such a lively night, filled with entertainment and good cheers everywhere.

The weather has warmed up significantly in Paris. Yesterday and today were completely shorts-and-tshirts days, except that we had to be in our Chef Whites for the most part of the day, attending back to back demo and practical sessions. Changing clothes before and after classes is quite traumatic experience - the ladies' locker room - I call it the dungeon - is extremely tiny and way too small to fit the number of us that have to get changed before or after each session. The space planning (or lack thereof) is bad or perhaps it was their way of ensuring we get to know other students intimately? Ventilation is poor, even non-existent and you really don't want to be down in that room a second longer than you need to. The lockers are tight and we can barely fit our stuffs in there, so I no longer even bother to store anything in there and opt to just lug my tools back-forth the apartment. Between a sore shoulder and feeling suffocated, I'd choose the former!

But there's a silver lining in every cloud. Despite today's heat, our puff pastries turned out pas mal, said the Chef. Nevermind that I cut my fingers today - it had to happen, somehow - but I get to cherish the much-coveted "tres bien" from the Chef while I was making the pâte. I was disappointed with the final product once baked and thought they should puff up more, but for now, I'll just take it.

What's in store next? Only great things!