Mémorial de la Shoah

Métro: Saint Paul (line 1) or Pont Marie (line 7)
Address: 17 rue Geoffroy l’Asnier, 75004 Paris
Hours:Sunday-Friday from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, open until 10:00pm on Thursdays
Closed on Monday and national and Jewish holidays
Free guided visits in English: Every second sunday of the month
Cost: Free
Website: www.memorialdelashoah.org

I am a French native. As most kids of my generation, we have been raised with stories of WWII mostly told by our own grandparents. My grandpa was lucky enough to escape labor camp but so many others, mostly Jews were not lucky enough to survive the concentration camps. I have always been puzzled by how such horrible things were able to take place. I've read so many books on the topic and I still feel very ignorant and without reasonable answers. My husband and I have always wanted to visit the Memorial in Paris and came face to face to closed doors on Saturday. But after all, it is a nice reminder that it is a place dedicated to French Jews.

We were not discouraged and went another day. Before you're able to enter, you have to go through a high security check, it's more thorough than the Louvre or any other museums I have been to in Paris. It's another sign that there is still something to worry about even nowadays. I apologize for not being able to take pictures of the inside of the museum since they are not allowed by respect, like all the monuments for the remembrance of the victims.

As you go in, you find yourself almost trapped within walls. It's the Wall of Names: 76 000 Jewish men, women and children who were deported from France in only the lapse of time of 2 years (1942-1944). Those names were found in the Gestapo records that you can consult in the museum. You can also find the Wall of the Righteous engraved with the names of those who helped rescue Jews during the war.

The memorial is a huge building. You can find the map and explanation in English right HERE. It is very interactive. I think I spend almost 1 hour just listening to the testimonies of survivors. It's amazing the determination of those people. Despite everything that happened to them they are positive people, some of them even have a great sense of humour which is so impressive to me. It's the last place where you think you're going to have a great laugh, but I did and that is the best revenge they can have on life and their oppressors. The Memorial is really accessible to children, lots of activities for them that respect their sensitivity (they can also browse the website: http://www.grenierdesarah.org/index.php/en/ )

I remember once talking to a camp survivor. I was a teen then and I was so disgusted by the horror of the Holocaust that I asked him he had done to seek revenge. He responded to me that the best way to get revenge is to live, love and forgive but not forget; otherwise you are no better than they are.

Stohrer

Métro: Sentier (line 3), Etienne Marcel (Line 4) 
Address: 51 rue Montorgueil, 75002 Paris
Hours:  Everyday from 7:30 am to 8:30 pm
Cost: around 4,50 euros

Website: http://www.stohrer.fr/

As I try new things, I often think that this is my new favorite. That's exactly what happened when I went to Stohrer for the first time. But the thing is that ever since, no one has convinced me that they were better than Stohrer, at least when it comes to Religieuse au Chocolat (pictured above). This pastry is pretty much like a chocolate éclair but shaped differently and with a lot more goodness. The filling is rich in chocolate flavor yet not heavy to the taste. The cream is dense yet not pasty. Its flavor is so decadent that it almost feels like you're eating a piece of fancy chocolate. The puff pastry is perfect. I have never had better since and it is my reference for chocolate éclairs or religieuses.


Now, you're going to tell me that Stohrer does not sound very French! You'd be right! It all started in 1725 when Marie Leczynska came to France to wed King Louis XV. She brought with her Monsieur Stohrer, her pastry chef. It's been a huge success ever since. He opened shop rue Montorgueil soon after his arrival. The shop itself is worth a look as it was decorated by Paul Baudry around 1864.

Caluc

 
Métro: Château d'eau (line 4)
Address: 11 rue des petites écuries 75010 Paris
Hours:  Monday through Friday 8:00 am to 8:00 pm
Cost: 9 euros for a caluc
Website: http://caluc.fr/


I kind of feel like a guinea pig when I say that I ate a caluc. Everyone looks at me with big eyes and reply: "What on earth is a caluc?" No worries I had no clue either until I looked it up. A caluc is a sort of tortilla made with spinach, parsley and shallots. It is a traditional dish from Aveyron, a region of France. Sounds appealing; so what do I do when I need a guinea pig friend? I call my sister. We both are a bit adventurous when it comes to food. We want to try everything.

Caluc is a tiny place. Maybe 10 seats, at most. It is mostly a take away shop. We wanted to beat the crowd and decided to show up at 11:45 am which is for us, Americans, a normal time to have lunch. In France it is almost impossible to eat prior to noon. French people starts eating around 12:30 am all the way til 2:30 pm. But Caluc was a little jewel and they opened at 8am so I figured I could have my caluc at 11:30am. Right? Wrong. We showed up, lonely as can be to an empty place. When we ordered our food, the two owners looked at us like we were the aliens. Don't you know? Breakfast from 8:00 am to noon and lunch starting at noon. "Come back at noon", they said "We're not ready for lunch yet"

Ah the French, do you think they would serve us a caluc at 11:50 am instead of noon? Nope. So we came back at 12:20, starved because we had not eaten breakfast, another French faux pas, to find the place overcrowded with locals and two cooks not ready to serve lunch "quite yet". Pure chaos in the kitchen. 

But I have to admit that the two owners are passionate about their little production. They take time to explain everything about the food (organic and traceable), the products, their deals. You can tell it's good quality products by the smell of it, the look, the taste. We figured that a caluc would not fill us up so we ordered the full menu (14 euros: appetizer + caluc + dessert + drink).

 My starter was a broussette which is a provencal omelet made with a cheese (Brousse) which makes it very light and fluffy. The filling changes with the season. Mine was made with a tomato confit and black olives. A pure moment of heaven. Really good.

Then it was time for the much desired caluc. I ordered the Andouille a sausage from Normandy accompanied by sliced ​​red cabbage with herbs, mature cheddar, lettuce, and mustard. My sister had the Duck one made with smoked duck breast, onion compote, blackcurrant, coco beans, Cantal (French cheese), and rocket. 

With so much green under your eyes, you would think it was going to be light and easy to digest but it is actually quite filling. I was stuffed after two bites. The taste of the Andouille caluc was very pronounced. It overwhelmed me really fast to the point of not wanting to finish it. But it was my bad because I knew it was the trademark of Andouille. It was good but not my cup of tea, so to speak. The duck one was excellent but I could not taste the blackcurrants which I was looking for, for the balance of it all. By contrast, too blend for me. I think you can easily order just a caluc and make it your lunch. Maybe I'll try the beef one next time!

As for me, I can not get over the Broussette. I could make it my full meal for it is a generous portion and the price makes it even more appealing: 4 euros. The beverages are organic cool as I say. My pear juice was to die for. Dessert: salted butter chocolate fondant which we saved for later being so stuffed. If I'm the area again, I would probably stop by to try the soup with a broussette!