The Pastry Confession

So, all the stories you've heard are true, I will be carting my plump arse back to Scotland just in time for the onset of the festive season. (My birthday too, don't you forget.) I'm facing my last two weeks in Paris already. I feel a little guilty for not giving it a proper heave-ho, but I don't feel there is good enough reason for me to reasonably stay. I enjoyed autumn here, particularly the dead leaves mobbing the pavement. There are some things I will miss about Paris. In the same way there are many things I missed in Japan. But now, I miss lots of little things about home, most of all.

The thing I missed most about home, when I was in Japan, it was bread. Simple bread. A little diversion to clarify: Japan does have bread, it is sold in packs of slices of 3, 6 or 8. And, it NEVER goes stale. I sometimes left these slices on top of my toaster for weeks at a time (my cleanliness is not even the issue here). They neither grew mould, nor went stale. For its longevity it might have been the perfect disaster food. Admittedly I didn't see a single slice of bread the entire month after the Tohoku Daishinsai, but I stand firm in my beliefs. 

The big problem, however, is that the bread despite it's clearly advantageous life span, is... awful. It's sweet, it's too soft, it sticks to your teeth like toffee. It's just not really bread. I'm not unacquainted with Asian breads being Chinese after all. Now would I ever turn down a nikku-man. There's always room for nikku-man. But the bready famine it wasn't limited to bread, it was pastries, cakes, anything flour based which required an oven. In fact, anything which is readily available in Paris from at least three shops on every street. Paris has spoiled me with the one thing I missed the most and still I have not had enough. I love leaving a boulangerie with a warm baguette in hand, munching one end, trampling crisp dry leaves piled by the roadside. I am quite content with my decision to leave Paris but I know for a fact that bread will yet again become a distant desire. 

So for my last two weeks, I have decided to put myself on a diet. A bread and pastry diet. I'm going to sample one of these butter loaded floury baked goodies daily until I leave. My mouth is already salivating in excitement. I may require two seats on the plane... 

So, I present to you now;

The Pastry of the Day

Feuillette chocolat et banan. Nom nom nom...