The French have quite a vague notion of salad. It can be something as summery and well-balanced as a
salade niçoise or as satisfying and
gourmande as a
salade au chèvre chaud.
Yet, when served as a side dish--just
salade in its naked form, no adjectives or fuss--you realize that to the French, salad actually means one thing: lettuce. We're not even talking
mâche (lamb's ear lettuce) or baby spinach. A few limp leaves of iceberg, and that's it. If you're very lucky, you might get a couple slices of tomato, too. But don't count on it. It's not like you ordered the
salade de tomates.
But what about everyday meals in the comfort of their homes? The French must be doing something with all their cucumbers and carrots and cherry tomatoes. Well, that's what
apéro's for. They put all their raw veggies in little bowls on the coffee table and nibble away as they nurse a glass of wine. No wonder there's nothing left but lettuce to put in the salad. But somehow there always seems to be plenty of wine to go around.
Jack Nicholson as Bobby Eroica Dupea. [Online image] 1970.
Once February approaches, Paris becomes a little lighter. You can feel the woolly layers of winter lifting as afternoons stretch their arms a little wider to let you in.
It's been another cold winter here in France. But despite some compulsory mumble-grumbles, the natives haven't let a little snow and ice get to them. While the rest of us cower behind bulky turtlenecks and scarves and hide our wind-beaten hair and hands under woolen hats and gloves, Parisian women seem to say, "Pooh-pooh!" in their fur-lined doudounes and sleek leather boots. The fact that it's still dark out at 8am doesn't seem to faze their morning beauty routines either. As tempting as it may be for us weaker souls to mimic winter’s lazy sun and stay hidden under the eiderdown, les Parisiennes manage to look perky (well, everything’s relative) and rosy-faced throughout the dreary winter months. As for me, I think I’d rather wait till spring creeps over the windowsill. 
The French have quite a vague notion of salad. It can be something as summery and well-balanced as a salade niçoise or as satisfying and gourmande as a salade au chèvre chaud.