David Lebovitz Newsletter

While many things have been replaced by technology, keys are still with us: stiff, sharp metal objects we carry around in our pockets and handbags, messenger bags, and backpacks. We live in fear of losing them or getting locked out for a lack of them. While digital locks have made inroads somewhere, here in France, we live in the land of keys, and I regularly carry around almost a dozen or so every day, attached to a key ring that has fobs, badges, buttons.

I was thrilled when Sami Tamimi told me he was coming to Paris. Sami recently released his third book, Boustany: A celebration of vegetables from my Palestine, so I invited him into my kitchen to make a recipe from it with me. And the weather was so nice, we decided to prepare it outside. Sami is the co-founder of the Ottolenghi restaurants and delis, and the author of Falastin, one of my favorite cookbooks, which explores his Palestinian heritage through stories and recipes from his homeland.

A highlight of writing Drinking French was getting to meet, and highlight, some of myfavorite creative people in Paris, and in France, who are part of the cocktail scene, which has rapidly expanded over the years, turning Paris into one of the world’s most exciting cocktail destinations. Franck was one of the heroes in Drinking French, and as you can see in thevideo, there are more pictures of him in my book…than of me.

I used to wonder why, in cities like New York and Paris, everyone claimed that they could never, ever live anywhere else. Then, when summer rolled around, everyone would say they can’t wait to get out of town. I’m a city person and I like Paris best in the summer. A majority of people have left, so it’s a lot quieter. You can get into all those restaurants that you normally needed to book weeks in advance.

Le chaleur (the heat) has been the topic du jour around here this summer, due to the record-breaking temperatures that made France hotter than the Sahara Desert. While that got a lot of international press, there’s something that no one’s been talking about: The success of hot sauce in France. And no one was more surprised about it than me. Like it or not, stereotypes often contain a kernel of truth. Americans have a reputation for being loud. French people are thought to be rude.

When I go to the U.S., I can only bring back three cookbooks* due to stringent measly luggage allowances. Getting anything delivered can be a challenge here, but nowadays, anything you receive will rack up customs, duties, and taxes. They used to be more lenient with books, but someone has to pay the bill for cleaning up the Seine, I guess, so why not make it cookbook collectors?

David Lebovitz podcast From my kitchen in Paris, talks with my favorite bakers, cookbook authors, pastry chefs, bartenders, chefs, spirits experts, along with a dose of Paris dining tips and French culinary culture. From my kitchen in Paris, talks with my favorite bakers, cookbook authors, pastry chefs, bartenders, chefs, spirits experts, along with a dose of Paris dining tips and French culinary culture.

As I mentioned in my last newsletter, Norway has been on my bucket list of places to visit in my lifetime. I’d heard about the magnificent fjords and wanted to see them before I kicked the bucket. (Thanks commenter Paul, for pointing out how we similarly, and oddly, use “bucket” in English.) Several friends kindly gave me lists of restaurants they recommended, but I nixed any place that served dinner as a lengthy tasting menu.

It’s been hotter than heck in Paris, and we’re in the midst of our third heatwave. One way our friends in Italy beat the heat (and get their coffee fix) is to make affogato, a dish of ice cream “drowned” in espresso, with liquor sometimes added, giving it an extra kick. I met Margot Lecarpentier when writing my book, Drinking French.

When you move to a foreign country, or even another city, one of the first things you need to do is find a doctor. It’s especially intimidating if you don’t speak the language and don’t understand the health care system, and don’t know how everything works. Twenty-five years later, I’ve learned that nobody in France fully understands how the French health care system works.