nous sommes tous hors de NORMAL

Pic: salmon on mushrooms and spinach wrapped in dough then baked for 20 min. the main course of my xmas dinner. Gorgeous chunk of fish!

Tonight I feasted with 7 people. At a gorgeous Parisian apartment with a view of the top of the eiffel tower from one (of TWO) balconies! The dinner was memorable for certain but the piesta resistance (sp?) began when dessert was served: tri-chocolate "samba" which is some form of the traditional "bouche" dessert cake that most parisians eat in the winter holiday time.

One footnote of french dinner parties is the enormous amoutn of champagne. And that was on top of the wine consumption abundance! From what I gather, the wine/champagne occurances are:

1. upon arrival at the apartment with hardly your coat off

2. during the sit down meet and greet

3. the moment you sit down pre food servation

4. at all times during the dinner (POP-toasts could occur at any time so the glasses MUST remain full)

5. post dinner but pre dessert

6. post dessert

7. on the way out the door

It was a drink fest of how much bubbly fits in your stomach. I have never been a huge champagner mainly cause there have been few occassions when just a small amount made me puke so I try to take it easy.

The hostess was certainly the mostess! She really went above and beyond for all of us and I felt terribly loved and couldnt believe she opened up her home to me after knowing me for like 1 second. haha.