From Donuts to Delirium

Next time I go to Paris, I’m going to be armed and dangereux!

Mr P speaks two languages. His mom speaks an astounding six! Moi? Only one… but I do have a flair for it . If I could speak any language besides English, it would most definitely be French. Why French? Well, because I just love Paris. I’d love to be able to go to Paris by myself  (Mr P has an incredibly demanding work schedule, so I often do little outings alone) and feel confident that I could get by on my own. With Mr P’s credit card, which I affectionately refer to as my “power wand” and mastery of the French language, I feel that the I’d be able to get the true Parisian experience. I’d burst into Pierre Herme first thing in the morning and I’d totally work it (the credit card, that is LOL). Ka-ching! Okay, and I’d do some other stuff besides eating my way through the city… yeah, I would… I just have to think about what…

So, what am I doing to make my little sugar coated fantasy come true? Well I’ve been trying to dedicate about three hours a week with a language programme called Rosetta Stone. The first time I ever saw Rosetta Stone, funnily enough, was in NYC. I was in the Time Warner Centre, and I saw a little booth, not far from my breakfast haunt, Bouchon (awesome baguettes daaaahlings, the best I’ve had in the US). I enquired about the price of the programme and was a teensy bit shocked. I walked away.

Later, however, I decided to invest in it; or invest in myself, you could say. It is funny sometimes how us girlies will spend tons of money on a pair of fancy shoes that we may only wear once or twice on special occasions, but when it comes to working on ourselves (our minds and bodies), we can be so cheap. As I am getting older (but seriously, I look only twenty ), I am increasingly aware of the importance of bettering myself. I know I’m not always going to look this supermodel glam forever. I want to be interesting. I want to have fabulous experiences. I want to immerse myself in art, culture, and all things weird and wonderful. I want to be a person that people enjoy talking to, and I want to be a person that has something worthy to say. For me, I feel that learning another language is one of the ways to do that. Once you are no longer in school, it is easy to fall into what I call “brain drain.” I’ve noticed, for example, that my attention span has become extremely poor. I’ve forgotten so much of the stuff I’ve learned at university, and there are moments when I feel that I have totally dumbed down. The thing is, like our bodies, our brains need exercise! Learning a language is a great way to keep the mind fit and better oneself at the same time. If you have ever thought of learning another language, I so urge you to do it. The best lesson I’ve learned from blogging is that I am capable of so much more than I give myself credit for. The only thing that ever holds me back is myself and fear of failing. Life is too short. Challenge yourself, and do it often!

It is perfect for me and my lifestyle. I don’t need drive anywhere and sit in some horrible class room– I hated school, I’m not going to lie to you. I can learn where and when I want, in the comfort of my own home. I can be luxuriating in front of my computer screen with a cup of tea and un croissant in my Dior kaftan (the wealthy woman’s moo moo LOL), and learn at my leisure. But the best part is that learning the Rosetta Stone way is not the supremely boring snore that you remember from high school. Once you get into it, it is actually fun and very interactive. If it’s been a while since you’ve been in school, the good news is that you can do everything at your own pace. You can spend as little or as much time as a lesson as you want.

For me, the hardest part of language is the pronunciation. Rosetta Stone uses a special speech recognition technology which is able to give you feedback on how you are doing. If I am totally honest with you, there have been times where I actually stated yelling at my computer in French in frustration–though it’s not the volume that’s the problem . That’s when a back up croissant comes in handy! My pronunciation is getting better though… slowly. My plan is to start renting some French movies with subtitles so that I can see and hear the language being spoken at the same time. I’ll keep you posted as I go along.

If you were going to learn a new language, which one would you choose and why?

Today’s recipe is inspired by my wish to learn French. It is kind of “An American in Paris.” Basically, it is my attempt to recreate the delicious Pretzel Croissant from the City Bakery in New York. They are truly divine: salty, flaky, and completely fabulous ( a little bit like your favourite housewife).

Basically, I followed the same recipe I used when I made croissants for my croissant challenge. The difference is that instead of using regular butter, I used a special Brittany sea salt butter (this is not the same thing as regular salted butter, it is much saltier). This was to give it that special savoury note that the City Bakery croissants have. Then, after glazing the rolled croissant with egg wash, I topped each one with a sprinkling of sesame seeds and coarse sea salt. And I’ll tell you what: I think I nailed this one daaaaaahlings. Let’s hope the same goes for my French lessons! Bon Appetite!

… and the money shot.

Oh yes, I am feeling smug indeed now.