Journaliste, fondatrice de l'agence de rédaction PLUME et animatrice du podcast Manger, Laurianne Melierre m'a rejoint dans ma petite Parisian cuisine pour enregistrer ce bel épisode.

Nous avons parlé de tout... de l’identité française aux “food projects” dans lesquels Laurianne s’est lancée pendant le confinement de l’année dernière (comme cuisiner un pigeon qui me laisse toujours bouche-bée!)

London-based journalist, podcast host, and IRL friend Hattie Crisell joined me on this episode where we cooked pancakes and talked about gaining confidence in the kitchen, the therapeutic elements of cooking solo during a pandemic, our policy on wearing a bold lipstick color on a date and so so much more.

I skipped town during the fall of 2020 and made my way down to Aix-en-Provence. I assumed I would have a great time, but I didn’t expect a transformation (of sorts)

Dating pre-pandemic was hard enough. Can we imagine what that experience will be like as we post-confinement? There are so many conversations about what the “new normal” resembles for work, school, family dynamics, etc. But I haven’t seen or read much about how the “new normal” around dating may look.

There was a sense of invincibility around the little bubble that I created for myself in Paris. The world that I built and nurtured seemed so safe and secure—it felt impenetrable. I was living my own version of a 21st-century modern woman post-divorce dream. It was easy to live in this dream world because I had my friends, my job, my hobbies, and my Paris. What I lost at the end of my marriage—companionship—I found in other parts of my life. And then suddenly, overnight, they were all gone.

Imagine never allowing yourself to enjoy the fleeting sweet moments of life? Tristesse absolue

Cet épisode est tout en français. J’ai décidé de faire cet épisode en français parce que pour moi, la fait de parler français et de m’exprime dans la langue de mon pays adoptée avec confiance, et des moins d'erreurs possible, représente une étape naturelle dans ma vie à Paris, ma vie en France.

Even when Paris is bad, it’s never that bad. I noticed that even on my lowest days－when I feel like staying here has been a big mistake, that my life is one big joke and a series of unfortunate events－something keeps me going. Something unique to Paris. 

For a long time, it was difficult for me to articulate what that ‘Paris factor’ was. It isn’t necessary satisfaction or joy－both feel too simple and overdone－it was deeper. It influences my feeling of satisfaction and heightens my joy; it is pleasure.

Why can’t infatuation be as long-lasting and honest as true love? Why is that when you usually meet the person that you’re sure is perfect for you they are, in fact, the one thing you should run away from?

I’ll be the first to admit that I am not an excellent flirt - I don’t know how to to do it, I don’t understand how much eye contact is too much eye contact, I’m not sure when exactly is the right time to every so gently put my hand on his shoulder. In my mind if I’m talking to you for more than 15 minutes straight it’s quite obvious that I am flirting with you, right?

As I started to cook more I found that warmth is what helped to temporarily relieve my loneliness. And the quickest and fastest way to feel said warmth is with a bowl of soup. For me, soup acts as a blanket for the anguish and confusion that can sometimes accompany adulthood. The combination of the smooth velvety texture and pronounced flavors feel safe. It’s a meal that is equal parts comforting and filling.

You never really know or understand the impact that people you meet will have on your life until they’re there. Before moving I was scared that Parisian women would be scary and mean, and I was convinced that other non-French ladies would be way too sophisticated and cool to even notice that I was breathing the same air as them. I was wrong about all of that.   

I flew home in September naively believing that I would have the same longing and desire for Paris that I had the last time I visited in 2016. I was wrong.

Before moving to Paris, a lot of people back home in NYC warned me about how “rude”, “mean-spirited” and cold Parisiens are. Especially Parisiennes-women from Paris

My theory is that a lot of people feel uncomfortable with Parisiennes, in particular, because they wear 350% of who they are on their sleeves. They don’t strive for perfection, it’s either take it or leave it. They accept the messy bits of themselves, so you have to accept that too. They’re not trying to fix your life, they are just along for the ride and mostly focused on experiencing it.