I first enjoyed a significant French seafood platter in a small seaside town in Normandy during a romantic weekend. The three-tiered tray came to our table brimming with oysters, clams, sea snails, shrimp and a crab set on ice, accompanied by lemons and homemade mayonnaise. It took quite a while to make our way through all of that, and I have to say it was, well, erotic. Concocting such a tray at home might be difficult, but one element — shrimp with homemade mayonnaise — can be fun for the everyday chef.
Crevettes mayonnaise / Shrimp with homemade mayonnaise
If you’ve never made mayonnaise before, let me assure you that it’s far easier than you may think. Before beginning, you might want to check out this video. It was produced by Tom Feierabend, a fellow American in Paris, who like me lives just around the corner from the site of the deadly attack this week on Charlie Hebdo. (And yes, the rest of this post will be about politics, so if you are not interested in that subject please don’t read on.)
It’s too much of a challenge to write about food at a time like this, when all of France is convulsed by the violence of recent days. This morning there have been new developments as the police home in on the gunmen who massacred some of France’s most beloved cartoonists on Wednesday, shouting Allah Akbar. The gunmen have taken one person hostage and are believed to be holed up in a print shop in a rural area northeast of Paris, according to French press reports.
On a personal note, my daughter and I live two minutes by foot from Charlie Hebdo offices that were attacked on Wednesday, and the metro she takes to high school is a stone’s throw from where the violence took place. I am traumatized, of course, like the rest of this nation, but at the same time feeling proud to be among a population that has shown such resilience in the face of national tragedy. I’ve been writing at greater length about the recent events on Facebook. Here’s a link to my page if you’d like to read more.
Just one final thought for you here, dear readers: Vive la liberté, et vive la France.
Caring thoughts are with you and all of France. I and thousands of others grieve for what has happened in France. Vive la liberté et vive la France – yes, yes, yes!
We are one in spirit with you, your daughter, the families & of course Charlie
Dear Meg, Vive la France indeed! I am also so proud of Parisians who hit the streets to express their grief and their solidarity against intolerance as well as respect for free speech. A sad time.
Thank you all for your kind thoughts.
My family prays for you and yours and wishes you health and safety during these uneasy times, mon ami. Perhaps your daughter can be home schooled until the issues settle for her well being-and yours! Please take care with love, Janeth, Brian and Tessy
Thank you, Meg for your thoughtful, well written posts about the Charlie
Hebdo killings, the vigils and your personal fears and observations. I have forwarded your writing on to many American friends. We support you and the people of France and send love and strength and condolences. Nous sommes Charlie!
And thank you too for continuing to post your recipes. Our French friends here in Paris have enjoyed many of your dishes-US visitors too.
Our thoughts are with you at this dreadful time. .. take care dear friend. X