Dinner For One – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Ten years ago today, June 12, 2013, I landed at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris with a spousal visa in hand, a diamond ring on my left ring finger, and a husband waiting for me at the arrivals section. I thought I had it all. 

Fast forward ten years, June 12, 2023, and my life looks very different. It doesn't resemble at all anything that I expected, but I am convinced everything that has happened led me to this moment. Maybe it was all meant to me? 

Alongside the disappointment and tears, there were moments of immense joy, belly-splitting laughter, and taking on projects that led me to where I am today and I've learned some valuable lessons along the way. 

In this episode, I discuss what I believe is my purpose in life and ten things I've learned over the last decade. Stick around because there are a few announcements towards the end. 

I apologize in advance for the sound, I didn't realize it was so low and  while I can't really control the rain, I hope it doesn't ruin your listening experience. 

In this episode, I’m in conversation with another pal of mine, Rosie Clifton. The goal of this episode was to talk about French parenting styles vs British, or even more broadly, Anglo-Saxon parenting styles. And while we did touch on that, the two biggest and most important lessons I took away from this chat were that I really need to CHILL THE F OUT and appreciate just living in France.

As you’ve probably figured out, overthinking is my superpower. I had many questions about being a parent in France, raising French kids, and preconceived notions about how hard it must be. Rosie’s approach was just kinda like listen, you’re here, you’re you, you have to be confident with what you’re transmitting and who you are and tout va bien (everything is gonna be okay), which is so true and can be applied to many aspects of life. Especially living in France.

After you’ve been living in France for a while It’s easy to make sly comments about French people and the country but the fact of the matter is that it’s not a terrible place to live, despite how it may seem due to the recent strikes, and there are a lot of benefits that come with living in a country with a strong social welfare system and a history of fighting for it. The main benefit is that you can enjoy life and spend quality time with your friends, family, and half-French children if you have any.

Thank you Rosie for helping me view France in a different light and easing my anxiety around my non-existent children. That said, if I ever have any and they start getting sassy with me in French I’m sending them your way. And thanks for putting up with me in the group chat too.

My favorite Bahraini princess Manal Al Saleh joined me on this episode (kidding, she’s not actually a princess but she’s a princess to me!) We’ve known each other since university and what’s so funny about our post-university transition is that we both went from not cooking at all (the first meal Manal ever made for me was a cheese sandwich) and driving from Hartford to Boston because we craved lamb shank from an Iranian restaurant to it becoming one of our passions. We’ve come a longgggg way.

In this episode, Manal shares with me (and you!) how the entire experience of cooking inspires her, has changed her life, and continues to motivate her to push herself to new heights. She also shares wisdom around being a mom and not falling into the trap of thinking you need to do it all.

So sit back, enjoy Manal’s beautiful accent, listen to us reminisce about our transitions to being boss ladies in the kitchen, and giggle. 

Once I started cooking more regularly and upping my culinary game I noticed that more and more people with similar interests began orbiting my universe, and me theirs. And this was definitely the case with the guest on the most recent episode, “For The Love of Cooking” w/ Rebecca Plotnick. Rebecca actually ticks two boxes: a love of cooking and Paris. She lived between Paris and the US for a few years and is currently based in the states, but that hasn’t decreased her love of Paris and the French way of life (including the food bien sur). She's the eye behind the beautiful award-winning blog Everyday Parisian where she shares all the lessons she's learned from her time living in Paris and traveling in France. 

As a true Francophile Rebecca chose sweet potato quiche as her Dinner for One meal, which we cooked together as we chatted about Paris, cooking in Paris, moving to Paris, the magic of Paris, pretty much everything Paris, quoi.

Rebecca's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/everydayparisian/

Rebecca's Blog: https://everydayparisian.com/

It's been 11 years since Gabbie and I lived together and almost 8 years since we've lived in the same country, yet she's one of the first people I turn to when I need a non-judgemental listening ear and let it all out. But that doesn't mean she doesn't tell me about myself when needed (and I need to be put in my place more than I would like to admit). Her well of love runs deep and wide and I'm so happy she joined me on this episode to discuss her approach to fostering a healthy romantic relationship, her journey to understanding and accepting her emotions, and how to be comfortable with yourself.  I attempted to make a shrimp scampi with her, but I kinda just ended up doing my thing. She was incredibly annoyed at me for not following the recipe and I enjoyed every single minute of grinding her gears. 

Friendships like this are rare and I feel beyond lucky and blessed to know that truly there ain't no mountain high enough, valley low enough, or ocean wide enough to keep me from my Gabz. 

I had the pleasure to chat with New York-based, Ghanaian writer and creative consultant Natasha Nyanin about her tried and true Senegalese Yassa Chicken recipe that has made its way from Senegal to New York City to Poland and to my Parisian kitchen (and a few of my friend's kitchens too!)

What I loved the most about this conversation was the way Natasha elevates cooking, hosting, and designing her tables to an art form. I highly recommend following her on Instagram and join me in drooling all over her delicious dishes and eyeing her killer wardrobe. 

*Just a heads up, this episode is in French. Why? Listen to at least the first few minutes to find out.*

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 où nous avons fait des pieds de porc pané, des œufs mimosa et quelques accompagnements 💪🏾.

Avant l’enregistrement, j’avais une idée de la façon dont l’épisode se déroulerait mais notre conversation a pris une tournure complètement différente et je suis ravie. 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!)

Je me suis régalée dans tous les sens avec l'enregistrement de cet épisode et j'espère que vous aurez le même sentiment après l'avoir écouté. 

London-based journalist podcast host Hattie Crisell joined me on this episode where we cooked pancakes and had a wonderful conversation.

We 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. Enjoy! 

You can find Hattie's podcast, In Writing with Hattie Crisell here

Hattie's Instagram

Hattie's Twitter

Fall of 2020 I skipped town and laid low Aix-en-Provence for a little bit. I went there with a specific goal in mind, but left with an addiction to mussels and so much more. 

I had a lot of grand plans for season 3, which mostly included hearing a tiny bit less from me and more from other people in my life, old friends and new, and their experiences in Paris. Alas, that wasn’t possible, so I cobbled together what I could. 

So for this last episode of the season, I decided to turn the mic over to you and answer some of your questions. After almost 3 years of DFO, 24 episodes, and probably too many minutes spent listening to me talk about n’importe quoi, it felt like it was time. I answered as many questions as I could, but I had to reach out to two friends of the podcast for specific questions about wine and the French language. Wine expert Tanisha Townsend (https://www.instagram.com/girlmeetsglass was gracious enough to share her recommendations and The New Yorker staff writer and NYTimes best-selling author Lauren Collins (https://www.instagram.com/laurenzcollins) and I discussed French language nuances around the usage of "love" vs "like". 

I hope you enjoy this episode and again, thank you so much for your patience during this peculiar, intense, and trying year. I hope you have a pleasant holiday, whether you're celebrating alone or with your loved ones, and we’ll talk again in 2021.