Foie gras:
Then for the main course we had salmon, sauerkraut cooked in champagne which made it super yummy, and a champagne sauce to go over the salmon! It was all really good, especially with the flavor of champagne permeating throughout it all! Interesting change of pace! Mae had wanted to get a whole salmon, but couldn't find one anywhere despite looking at multiple places all afternoon... Then cheese, including Neufchatel (my favorite French cheese possibly from Normandie that you can't find in Grenoble but that I'd found at the marche in Lyon). And then a chocolate cake for dessert that was super yummy and fondant (melty). With the cake Mae insisted on doing 21 candles. And they weren't the typical birthday candles -- they were like these, so it took forever to light all of them haha. And then they were going out because Mathis was playing with them lol. But finally they were all lit, and Mae, Alain and Mathis performed a rousing rendition of "Joyeux Anniversaire". And then Mae gave me a gift!! I opened it and it's this super awesome cheese serving board! Quite nice...wooden with handles on the side, across half of it goes this glass cutting board with a picture of cheese on it, and the other half is 3 small square white bowls for placing cheese, fruit, nuts, etc. in! So lovely! And such a perfect gift for me! So generous and thoughtful!I was/am super happy!
Cake + 21 bougies:
Tuesday went to class like normal in the morning, including Clare giving me a big, American hug on the tram. Then in France, for Cinco de Mayo, Clare, Lauren and I made...Thai food for lunch! It turned out to be pretty good and then we drank tons of tea and ate shortbread cookies for a hour or so lol. Wandered around town, chilled at home, and then went to Clare's house for a wine and cheese tasting for the group with Rémi, her host dad who works for the Michelin Guide. It was really fun...2 whites, a rose, a red, and a sweet white dessert wine. 5 cheeses too, including one really good one from Corse with lots of herbes on the outside, including rosemary and fennel seeds...delicious! At the end of that Jeanne (Clare's 4-yr-old host sister) brought out a present she made me and one from Marie-Eve/Céline/Rémi! Jeanne's present was a box she took from Clare's room filled with 20 euro cents and a couple Tunisian dinar she took from Clare's room and a little drawing she made on paper she took from Clare's room. It was really cute lol. And I gave her the bises to thank her too. M-E's gift was this awesome wine and cheese book! Really pretty, detailed, illustrated and all about cheeses and various wines of all types that can go with them! So thoughtful, especially since I don't think she gives everyone bday presents!
From there I went to Flam's, a flammekueche restaurant, with Clare, Brittany, Lauren, Vicki and Katherine. It was really fun and vachement delicieux! When our server brought out our dessert, he included a little bowl of ice cream with a candle and sparkler in it. People sang to me, I blew it out, and then it turned out a big table next to us with about 20 people started singing too. We all thought they were singing to me so afterwards I stupidly waved over to them but turns out they had a birthday of their own, so we all, especially me, felt really stupid. It was really hilarious though you probably had to be there.... Fun, awesome birthday including great presents that will get much use in the future!!
