Since I spend a lot of time online, whether to write, read, pin or tweet, I look to blogs for a sense of escapism. Often this is achieved via travel and food blogs that offer both inspiration and effortless entertainment, in one nicely packaged corner of the web.
After following Cristina’s delicious culinary adventures on her award-winning blog From Buenos Aires to Paris for almost a year, I finally had the chance to meet her last Spring at an event and I spoke to her about growing up in Argentina, attending pastry school in France (and competing with students half her age!), veering into photography and learning to cook like the French – an ambition which she suspects will always be a work in progress.
Her photography is spectacular, her recipes are mouth-watering, and her approach is outgoing. Looking to add a bit of Argentinian flair to the Paris landscape and wanting to take her skills in the kitchen to the next level, Cristina launched her own catering company last year, Menu Malbec. Whether she’s in Paris exposing locals to her culinary traditions, traveling the world or returning to her roots in Buenos Aires, Cristina is a steadfast Francophile!
Describe what you love about France in three words.
Beauty, tradition, discipline
1.Beauty: Where isn’t there beauty in France? (well maybe in the Metro Station Châtelet, there is no beauty at all!) but in the rest of France, there is nothing but beauty! It’s there in the architecture, in the care for their little flowers in all the small villages you come across, in the old kitchens of old ladies, in a baguette, in a glass of cool Rosé d’Anjou, in a game of pétanque…
2.Tradition
3. Discipline: In France, I learned that a good job is the result of strict discipline. In my field, cooking well is discipline. You don’t do n’importe quoi in the kitchen. If something that you cook is delicious and beautiful to look at it is only because you have used and respected a savoir-faire…a macaron is the result of discipline, a magret de canard, well made, is the result of following a method and a tradition.
Favorite French pastry?
Le Saint Honoré because I love the crunch of the chou puff covered in caramel, la crème that oozies…. It’s baroque, temperamental… and so Louis XIV !
Ways in which life in Paris is different than in Buenos Aires?
Life in Paris is less chaotic, more predictable (though sometimes too predictable!!). Sometimes the over-scheduled Parisian pace (nothing can be done without a rendez-vous) bores me and yet sometimes the speediness of Buenos Aires voluptuousness grows tiresome. That’s why I go back and forth!
Go-to spot in France to relax?
La Provence, if possible a chambre d’hôte (bed and breakfast) with a swimming pool overlooking the vineyards!
Most amusing interaction with the French?
It wasn’t amusing at the time but my first appointment with the gynecologist, two months after my arrival in France. The male doctor told me to take off all my clothes. He ushered me to a changing booth where I found nothing to cover my body. The idea of walking back to his office completely naked was completely out of the question for me…so I kept on my underwear! When he saw me like that, he was upset and shouted to me: “Madame, I told you to take off ALL your clothes!!” I felt like crying and just wanted to leave. Later on, I understood that nudity means one thing for the French and evidently something else for other cultures!
{All photos courtesy of Cristina Lasarte}
****
Ah yes, the dreaded gynecological appointment. We’ve all been there! Thanks for your thoughts, Cristina!
Be sure to follow her work on From Buenos Aires to Paris and on Facebook. Use caution while viewing when ravenous.
{All photos courtesy of Cristina Lasarte}
