Bill's Pick: Laetitia Casta

T+T has been seriously lacking in sex appeal lately. It's time to bring back the Bill's Pick section. My mom will be really happy to hear that.

To celebrate my time in France, Bill picked a nice French girl named Laetitia Casta, who exemplifies the beauty of French women. Effortless, chic, natural and a little exotic. I'm not jealous or anything...

She is a successful fashion model and also appears in several French films, most recently, Les Ames Fortes.

That band Brand New from a few years ago wrote a song about her called "Magazines":

"Laetitia, you destroy me/So I can see why I feel so lonely/When you and me could be forever/Perfectly perfect together..."

How sweet.

Au Marche (With Accent)

Spices

Chickens, heads intact

Mmm...sausage

Cheese counter, my personal favorite

Ze French butcher

Sometimes, the grocery store just doesn't cut it. When you want your food so fresh that the veggies still have dirt all over them and the chicken is still feathered, you need to hit up the market.

If you're bad at math like me and can't do kilo-to-pound conversions in your head, just say how much money you want of something, like "2.50 euro worth of spinach." That way, you spend however much you want and don't wind up with too much of something.

At most cheese or pastry stands, you can taste (gouter) something if you ask.  Or there are lots of free samples around.

Whatever you do, don't go to the market hungry.  You'll want everything in sight and get it at the first stand you see, which might not have the best prices.

Happy shopping!

Songs, Cell Phone Lingo, Blog

Our lives are full of lists.  Whether a list outlines groceries, Christmas wishes, names for your unborn child or potential boyfriend candidates, lists of every nature are both insightful and concise.  

I recently found three lists in my room when I was cleaning papers off my desk.  Here are their stories:

The first one was from one night when I went to a bar called Le Motel in Bastille, Paris with some friends.  It was full of hipsters and people who claimed they had a friend of a friend who knew Pete Doherty.  Basically people who were way cooler than me.  Anyway, after several drinks, I became curious as to what the DJ's favorite songs of all time were.  I went up to him with a pen and paper and asked him to write down his favorite songs, nervous that he would think I was a huge dork.  I approached him with the cute American girl attitude, because obviously hipster thing wasn't working for me...I guess he liked me because he took the time to get a new pen when he saw the one I gave him didn't work.  Here they are:

1.  Live Forever by Oasis

2.  Starman by Bowie

3.  Eyes of Winova by All Stars

4.  Poison the Chalice by Neimo

5.  Floors and Ceilings by Miggles

6.  Falling Down by Oasis

He signed his name, Nico Prat.

Yes, I've stalked him on Facebook more than once.

The next list was created during a conversation with Boubacar (see previous post).  I asked him to write down some French cell phone lingo because I was curious to see how it compared to American cell phone lingo.  It's the exact same principal: sounds of the regular word are shortened into single letters or numbers with the same sound.  Here are some examples:

Ojod8=aujourd'hui=today

2van=devant=in front

Kan=quand=when

T pe=tu peux=can you

Svp=s'il vous plait=please

The third list is from the end of last summer, when I was sitting out on my patio with my friend.  While sipping gin and tonics, we were thinking of names for our blogs that we were going to create.  For the last several weeks of summer, I had nothing to do and desperately needed a hobby so I thought I would try my hand at blogging, thus Tea and Toast was born.  If it wasn't called Tea and Toast, these were its other name options:

1.  Boats and Britches

2.  Patio Chat

3.  Cool Kids Sit in the Back of the Bus

4.  Burnt Toast

5.  The Junk Drawer

Gettin' My Culture On

When you live in an American dorm in Paris, it's difficult to practice your French because everyone around you speaks English.  If you actually give a merde about learning French in this situation, you can get a conversation buddy which is what some of my friends have done.

A few weeks ago, I decided I wanted one for myself because I wasn't learning French as quickly as I wanted.  So, I went down to the lobby to look at the bulletin board which is plastered with ads for moms with "3 enfants, tout tres agreable!" who need baby sitters, people selling their mini fridges and people who want to practice various languages with someone else.  

One ad in particular stood out...it was hand written, one version in French and one in English.  The person's English was pretty bad, which I took as a good sign:  I would be forced to speak only French with this person and really help them improve their English at the same time.  The add was signed "Boubacar" and included an email address.  

Gee, I thought to myself.  Can't say I've ever had a friend named Boubacar...I bet he'll be...different.

Our meetings take place about 90% in French, and I quickly learned that he was indeed different from the people in my usual little New England world.  He is from Mali and has been living in Paris with his aunts for the past few years to study.  He has eight brothers and sisters, all who still live in Africa, and he was the only one to move out and go to school.  His English is about as good as my French, but he is self-taught.  

Usually, we meet in the lobby of my dorm and sit on the couches and talk for a few hours.  One day, we decided to change it up a little, so we went to a museum he told me about: Musee Quai Branly.  It was a really cool place with both modern and ancient artifacts from all over the world.  It had all kinds of crazy African masks, Native American scalps, beautiful hand-woven blankets and instruments, just to name a few of the items.  

We took a couple pictures in the museum next to the pieces, which was totally dorky, but Boubacar was really excited about using his camera so I just went with it.  

So, what exactly do a white girl from Connecticut and a dude from Mali who can't really speak each others' native tongue talk about, you ask?  Well, everything really.  Our families, cooking, sharks, mosquitos, forms of child punishment, the circus, music, etc.  The point is to practice speaking, so whatever pops into our heads becomes a whole conversation.

After a few more meetings in the lobby, I invited him out to dinner with a couple of my friends and I.  We went to a Moroccan restaurant in Bastille and it was soooo good.  We ordered this chicken and steak dish for all four of us which came with couscous and delish vegetable soup.  After, we ordered a pot of the best tea I've ever had-it was packed with fresh and dried mint leaves and sugar.  

Boubacar wasn't as chatty as normal with my friends, but afterward he told me that it was his first time being out to a restaurant in Paris.  I don't really go out to dinner much either, but it's my last few days here and I wanted to treat myself.

Today during our meeting, his aunt called him because she needed help with something.  She lives right down the street from my dorm, so Boubacar said I could come and meet her.  When we arrived, his cousins greeted us at the door.  Sophie, who is 13, seemed shy upon meeting me but she wanted to practice her English so we got to talking about American music and she was very friendly.  Then his aunt came in and seemed delighted to meet me.  She wore a headscarf and a loose dress with an African print and looked exactly like Sophie.  She needed help packing her suitcases because she was going to Mali soon for two weeks for the holidays.  

My favorite of the cousins was Ibrahim.  He was about four or five and ADORABLE.  He was getting dressed in the living room and put on jeans and a little sweater vest and then needed help with his belt which was way too big for him.  He sat next to me and was showing me his sister's iPod, speaking in cute little kid French that I could understand.  Everyone else spoke at a hundred miles an hour, so I just smiled and nodded most of the time and chilled with my new pal Ibrahim while Boubacar helped with the suitcases.  

Later, another female cousin came over, about Sophie's age.  When Boubacar and I left to go back to the dorm lobby, they were giggling and whispering, probably because they thought Boubacar and I were dating or something.  He told me I would have to forgive them because they were being crazy girls.  I guess being a crazy teenage girl is universal.  

Jewish Love

I only have ten days left in Paris and it's just hit me.  Soon, I won't be able to casually see the beautiful Pantheon building as I stroll to the bar with friends or grab a crepe at the nearest corner just because I want a snack.  

I've been spending these last few days exploring parts of Paris that I didn't get to too often, like the Marais.  It's right in between the 3eme and 4eme arrondissements and very easy to stumble upon without even realizing you're there.  The area is known for it's Jewish culture and quirky shopping.  

The first time I went here, I was dying for a bagel and lox because I heard of the abundance of Jewish delis in the area.  However, I couldn't seem to find any B+L because bagels are literally NOWHERE to be found in Paris.  So instead, my friends and I went into Micky's Deli because it looked cool from the outside.  We didn't look at the menu before hand, which we should have, because all they sold were hamburgers for 17 euro, sandwiches for the same price or salads (but who gets a salad at a Jewish deli?).  We all splurged a little for a designer spicy beef burger, which came with a big blob of baba ganoush, a fried egg on the burger, a pickle and a ton of fries.  

The Marais is also great for vintage shopping.  I came across two stores, both of which were packed with second hand clothes that were very reasonably priced.  One is called Coiffeur (right near Micky's Deli) and has loads of leather boots for 35 euro/pair and all the flannel shirts you could dream of.  Expect to hear James Blunt playing on their stereo.  I got myself a pair of dark red slouchy leather boots which I wore out that night.  The other store is called Frip Irium, which I didn't spend as much time in, but this one has more space to shop and lots of sequins...think figure skating costumes and 80's club tops.

Another store I got a kick out of was Noir Kennedy.  I guess this is the Trash and Vaudville of Paris, where all the toocoolforschool punk-rocker kids shop.  The guy working there was tall, skinny, mohawked, pierced, denim-studded and all around intimidating looking, but he gave me a friendly "Bonjour."  Gotta love a hardcore dude who speaks French.  Great selection of band tees, Cheap Mondays jeans in every style and my personal favorite: pants that were leggings and jeans fused together, with prints like neon yellow with black lightening bolts or pink and black leopard print.

Victoria's Secret Gets A Ruler To The Knuckles

Recently, Victoria's Secret launched a line of casual wear printed with logos from various universities across America.  One of the schools is Boston College, known for its Catholic roots and rigorous Jesuit curriculum.  

I don't know about you, but anything that puts "Victoria's Secret" in the same sentence as "Catholicism" seems like trouble.  Unsurprisingly, the clothing line is now a controversy at the school.

Head of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, BC graduate C.J. Doyle, told the Boston Herald, "This is just one more example of the university's callous contempt for Catholic sensibilities and its complete indifference to what remains of its Catholic identity."

Contempt? That seems a little harsh.  

An article from TheBostonChannel.com describes the clothing as "skimpy boxer shorts and tank tops".  

BC spokesman Jack Dunn said the school was "very selective" in deciding to work with Victoria's Secret, but he did not know the line would include short-shorts.  

After reading these statements, I had to look at the Victoria's Secret website to see these seemingly scandalous clothes for myself.  Check them out here.  

Ok, so where are these "skimpy" shirts and shorts?  All I see are sweat pants, sweat shirts and t-shirts that provide ample coverage.  I would actually say the line is rather conservative.  I hope these people aren't confusing the underwear for boxer shorts or short-shorts.  I don't know what else they would be referring to.  It's obviously underwear.

Now I wouldn't exactly go to mass wearing Victoria's Secret.  Yes, Victoria's Secret sells some extremely skankalicious lingerie and things that are for boyfriends' eyes only, but their collegiate line is completely separate from that.  Stop complaining, BC.  It's free publicity.

I say everyone head down to the VS on Newbury Street and buy some sweats.  They're actually really cute.  I wish they had a line for UConn.

Coughing Is Beautiful

When you cough, germs, spit and breath come spewing out of your mouth.  Sexy.  

At Penn State University, professor of engineering Garry Settles has captured a cough on film and the results are actually not gross, but beautiful.  More importantly, the photographs can be helpful in preventing sicknesses from spreading.

Using some crazy technique involving light, curved mirrors, razor blades and lenses, it is possible to capture changes in the air on film, allowing us to see the invisible.  The method is called schlieren photography.  Schlieren is German for "streaks".  

Usually, this method of photography is used to show shock waves around high speed air crafts, but Settles is applying it everyday activities, like sniffing, coughing, burning a candle or using a hair dryer.

Even though coughs are responsible for spreading a variety of sicknesses, like SARS and tuberculosis, there isn't a good understanding of their airflow.  But Settles' photography can "map" a cough, allowing doctors to see how people infect one another more accurately.  

 If you're not using these pictures to cure diseases, they also make great desktop backgrounds.  

Source: The Mysterious Cough, Caught on Film

Shorts+Tights=Hot

If you think it's time to pack up your shorts because it's getting cold out, you're wrong.  These days, everyone's rockin tights under their shorts and it's totally HAWT.

Why you should do this look:

• It keeps a sista warm
• It's comfy
• Looks great with heels, flats or boots
• Good for day or night
• Allows you to show off your legs while hiding their blinding winter paleness

Death By Nutella

I've never been addicted to anything.  Not cigarettes, not drugs, not alcohol.  But in France, there is a mysteriously addictive substance which has taken control of my mind and I can't get enough of it.  It's Nutella.

They have it in the states (thank God...I was worried I wouldn't have Nutella when I got back home),but  it's not as popular there.

I know my mom is reading this right now thinking, "Oh my God, Nutella? Is that some kind of new drug the kids are doing???"  No, mom.  It's a chocolate/hazelnut sandwich spread.  The only harm it will do is make me fat.

French people put Nutella on frigging everything.  Crepes, sandwiches, fruit, children (kidding)...I guess it's like peanut butter for us Americans.  

According to the official website, Nutella was created during WWII In Italy by Mr. Pietro Ferrero.  Chocolate was in short supply because of rationing, but hazelnuts were plentiful so he used those to fill out the chocolate.  And it's DELICIOUS.  Thank you Pietro.

Anyway, I realized that I had an actual addition to Nutella today.  Usually, I have a jar sitting in my room that I attack with a spoon when I get a craving...which is pretty often.  But for the past couple days, I refused to buy any more Nutella because I needed to stop eating it.  

Today, however, I had an overwhelming desire for it.  I was trying to study for a test but I couldn't concentrate because I needed a fix.  Even though it was raining and cold and I needed to study, I put on my coat and walked all the way to the Franprix grocery store just to buy a jar of Nutella.  When I got back to my room...well, just picture a vulture with a gazelle carcass. 

Basically, I need help.  I think my addiction is going to kill me...or just make me fat.  One is just as bad as the other.

Oh and beware of the Nutella knock-off Pralina.  It's goopy and gross.

Sorry, Everyone...

I just wanted to tell my millions of fans out there that I'm sorry for slacking on the blog lately.  You see, in Paris, the internet is crap.  It's soooo slow and it takes me hours to upload photos.

Don't even get me started on the ordeal that registering for classes is at some of the Paris universities simply because the internet sucks.

They just don't depend on it as much as Americans do.  

Whatever.  I'm over it, for now.

Bill's Pick: Nicky Whelan

There are some first names that are bound to make a girl hot.  Nicky is one of those names.  It's just so...cute.  Have you ever seen an ugly Nicky?  Of course not, because the name Nicky automatically adds 15 hot points to even the ugliest of girls.  

Nicky Whelan lives up to her name.  She's also Australian, which gives her yet another 30 hot points, give or take.

It's not like she needs any hot points because she's already gorgeous, and she still would be even if her first name were Ursula.  

If you're not from Australia, you probably don't know who she is.  But in the Outback, she's a pretty famous TV star.  She's appeared in Neighbors and Melbourne Women, to name a few.  Don't worry, I've never heard of those shows either.  

When Bill discovered her, he said she "changed his life," and that if I didn't put her on Tea and Toast immediately, he would kill himself.  (He's still alive.  I know you were all worried there for a second.)

Currently, she is filming Hollywood and Wine (2009) alongside David Spade.  Apparently, the two are "good friends".  Although I can't figure out why she would go for David Spade...

Anyway, feast your eyes on Nicky Whelan.

Cheese Freak: Dore de L'Abbaye

This cheese caused quite a stir among my friends.  First of all, it had a rather odd crust, and secondly, no one could figure out what the hell kind of cheese it was.  

I had about eight people ask me what kind of cheese it was after they tried it, but sadly I could not tell them because all the label says is that it's crusted and originated in an abby.  

The crust was edible but had a weird grainy texture.  Most people just ate the inside and left little nibbled crusts everywhere.  The inside was good, though.  It tasted similar to munster cheese.

I bought it because it had a pretty label, but next time I'm going to avoid a cheese that has a "crute", or a crust, unless I can see it through the packaging and it looks decent.

Overall critique: B-

Barf: The Pussy Cat Dolls

Recently, the Pussycat Dolls performed their new single "When I Grow Up" on London TV wearing THIS.

Good thing they look decent from the neck up because that's all they have going for them in these fug outfits.  The only people who are able to rock the McDonald's colors are McDonald's employees.  

Their stylist had five chances to put a good outfit together and failed every time, except for the one on the far right which is mildly cute.

Pussycat Dolls, please just stick to your usual bras and hot pants.  Less is more with you guys.

This Movie Gave Me A Mental Disorder.

The other night, a couple of friends and I went to see our first French film.  No, we did not see a charming romantic comedy or a steamy love story or anything like that.  We opted for the horror category, and the movie we saw was horrific indeed .

That's actually a severe understatement.  The film, Martyrs, is the most effed up movie I've ever seen and hopefully will ever see.  

Movies like Saw and Hostel seemed like Bambi compared to this.  I will say that the acting was very good, but the scenes were so realistically brutal that I spent a large portion of the movie balled up in my seat with my hands in front of my face.

The movie follows a young girl, Lucie, who was physically (not sexually) abused and escapes from her abuser.  They way in which she was abused proves very peculiar and throughout the movie, you try to figure out what exactly happened to her and why.

Her best friend gets captured by the same people and we see her go through everything that Lucie went through, in all of its gory and violent horror.  

The ending of the movie is somewhat unexpected, but getting there was a little too drawn out.

If you are sick enough to see this movie, expect to see people getting shot, sliced, beat up and skinned.  And expect it to be realistic looking. 

Things That I Miss From Home

In no particular order:

1.  Chili's Babyback Ribs

2.  Mac n Cheese (Kraft or Annie's)

3. Saran wrap/Ziplock bags...they're rather difficult to find here

4.  The ability to walk anywhere without worrying if I'm going to step in dog poop

5.  Fast internet

6. Men who weigh more than me

7. Having someone bag my groceries at the super market

8. Wearing flip flops without feeling like an un-stylish outcast

9. Taco Bell

10. Urban Outfitters

11. My own fridge

12. My own sheets and blankets

13. My shower

14. My shower

15. Duncan Heinz, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker cake/brownie mix...also rather difficult to find

16. People wearing Lily Pulitzer, Vineyard Vines, etc...preppy is non-existent here

Damien Hirst Defies The Economy

"Spin" painting, by Damien Hirst

Damien Hirst with The Golden Calf

This past Monday, the Dow Jones plummeted 500 points.

The last time the market reached this low was in the few days after September 11, 2001.

Lovely.

Meanwhile, on the same day, contemporary British artist Damien Hirst made $127.2 million during his auction entitled "Beautiful Inside My Head Forever."  The auction comprised 223 of his works which were created within the last two years.

"Damien Hirst is a global artist that can defy local economies," said Tobias Meyer, global head of contemporary art at Sotheby's.  

The most memorable piece of the auction was called "The Golden Calf," a real white calf preserved in a clear case of formaldehyde.  Its hoofs and horns are made of 18-carat gold, and its head is crowned with a gold disc.

The calf sold for $18.6 million to  a buyer on the phone.

That's what I want in my living room.  Veal, anyone?

Me Likey This Song.

Outkast's Hey Ya is a pretty sick song.  Someone would have to be very bold to do a cover of it.  But one man named Obadiah Parker was that bold and he pulls it off beautifully.

This Obadiah guy looks like he should be playing World of Warcraft.  But then he opens his mouth and strums his guitar and out comes a beautiful acoustic version of Hey Ya.

Well done, Obadiah.  Well done.  

PS your name is badass.

So Lush

Today when I was lost, I stumbled upon a most lovely bath goods store.  It's called Lush.  I had heard of it before, but didn't think much of it because I'm not really a bath kind of girl.  But this store made me want to take baths.

All of their products are handmade and natural and look good enough to eat.  It was like being in a candy store except everything was soap.

They had all kind of bath fizz things (I don't know what they're called...you drop them in your bath and they fizz and smell nice), ones with dried flowers in them, ones with sparkles, you name it.

It made me feel so boring, with my Dove unscented soap I always buy.  Clearly, I am missing out on a whole world of neon colored heart shaped sparkly soaps.  

Lush has locations all over the world, putting an end to boring white bars of soap everywhere.

Bars: Hideout

Saturday night, we went to this bar called Hideout.  It's off of Rue Mouffetard on a tiny street called Rue Des Lombards.

Rue Mouffetard is full of fun bars and restaurants and is quite the place to be both on weekends and weeknights.  It's like the meatpacking district in NYC minus the scantly clad Staten Island girls.  But it does have trendy places condensed in one small area, and it even has the cobblestone roads.

Hideout is composed of a crowd of 20somethings, mostly guys, loud music and red walls.  On this night a pint of beer was 5 euro and a round of ten shots was 35 euro (but that didn't stop us).  They gave us our shots in a nifty little block of wood, complete with salt and limes.

We had to show some French guy what to do with the salt and lime.  I guess they don't do that kind of thing in France.  We also discovered that guys don't really buy drinks for girls here.  Bummer.

We ended up leaving the bar wayyyy too late because it stays open all night (most bars close at 2 am).  This was a problem because the metro also stops at 2 am.  But luckily, we met some fun people to hang out with at an ungodly hour and we had a lot to drink.  So everyone was in good spirits.

Last night, which was a Tuesday night, we heard that Hideout was having happy hour all night long.  We decided to go again since last time was such a blast, but we figured no one would be there because it was a Tuesday.

It was packed.  There were probably three times as many people there than on Saturday night.  It was like being in a mosh pit of drunken skinny french men.  We loved it.  A pint of beer was 2.50 euro, so I decided that would be my drink for the night.  We met more fun people, practiced our French, and saved some money.  Definitely a successful night.

Cheese Freak: St. Felicien Du Dauphine

At the grocery store the other day, I had to stock up on my cheese.  Now, I love cheese a lot more than the average person.  It's actually kind of weird.  Don't judge me.

The cheese section in a Paris grocery store is vastly different than the one I'm used to at Stop n Shop in Connecticut.  In Paris, most people love cheese just like moi, and it shows in their "cremerie" section at any grocery store.  It's basically a huge refrigerated wall of any cheese you could ever dream of, from cheap to pricey.  It makes me want to cry with joy.  

Cheese in the states is getting increasingly more expensive these days, especially the good ones.  You can barely get anything decent for under ten dollars.

But ce n'est pas la case in Paris.

I just bought a lovely wheel of goat cheese for 2.50 euro.  In fact, I bought two of them because I knew I would probably eat the first one within a day.

It's called Reflets de France: St. Felicien Du Dauphine, and it comes in a convenient little plastic case.  It's totally affordable and delish.  

Overall critique: A-

I will continue to feature different cheeses of all kinds, from both grocery stores and fromageries.  So if you're a cheese freak like me, I hope you will appreciate this section.

Bill's Pick: Marisa Miller

Bill and I debated for several days over who would be the next Bill's Pick.  They were either too trashy, not hot enough, etc.  But when in doubt, you can always turn to Victoria's Secret to give you a classy, gorgeous lady.  Which is why Bill chose...drum roll...Marisa Miller.  

She pretty much owns every cover of Sports Illustrated and has appeared everywhere, from Vogue to Bath and Body Works.  It's difficult to find a picture of her where she's not in a bikini, not that anyone's complaining.  

She is an ambassador for the American Cancer Society, where proceeds from her online store are donated.  She supports the Young Survival Coalition which educates women under 40 about breast cancer.  If that's not enough, she's also an environmentalist.  She preserves the world's oceans and beaches with The Surfrider Foundation.  I guess that makes sense since she's from Santa Cruz.  

Parisparisparis!

Eiffel Tower

I have totally been slacking with the blog these last few days, and I apologize to all three of my fans out there.  But on to more important things...

The last week I have been in Paris, and it feels like I've been here for a month.  I mean that in a good way.  There's so much that you need to absorb quickly, and just the fact that you are living in a city makes each day exciting and different.

Here are some things that I did not know before hand, that I learned the hard way:

1. Their toilet paper feels like like tissue paper that I put in gift bags.
2. Not everyone speaks English.
3. Some people pretend that they don't speak English.
4. When purchasing groceries, the store does not supply grocery bags.  You must bring your own carrying device or buy a bag at the register for 20 cents.
5. French men are extremely clingy.
6. Food at most cafes or patisseries is not refrigerated while in the display case.  Even tuna sandwiches.  But it still stays fresh.

The first night we were here, we saw the Eiffel Tower (obvi) which was a beautiful violet color with white stars.  We also saw the Catacombs which was really cool/creepy.  You had to walk down a 34943539 mile stone spiral staircase and then 23487291 miles of tiny dark stone hallways to get to it.  And then you had to go up all those stairs after.

In the Catacombs.  Those are all femur bones stacked on top of each other.  The round things are skulls.

We also saw the Sacred Coeur which is in Montmartre, an adorable little town with cobblestone roads.  The houses there were so quaint, and the way the paint was peeling off their shutters was just so chic and french.

Behold...the Sacred Coeur

View of Paris from the Sacred Coeur

Our first crepes!  I got Nutella and banana.  Mmmmmm