Paris arrondisement(s), une famille de 3?

Passacaglia

Not sure where to put this. In brief, anyone with experience living in Paris have any notion of a good arrondisement or arrondisements for an ex-pat family of 3, fairly modest means? (I know that's a tall order....let's just say the 16th is definitely out).

Thanks,

Paul

Joli Gadjo

There are some nice suburbs in the South or around Levallois Peret.
Otherwise, in Paris per se, you can find something more affordable around 12,13,14, 5... 6, 7, 16 will be much more expensive.
I've lived in 13 and 5 10~20 years ago, and it was affordable back then.

Passacaglia

Joli Gadjo wrote:

There are some nice suburbs in the South or around Levallois Peret.
Otherwise, in Paris per se, you can find something more affordable around 12,13,14, 5... 6, 7, 16 will be much more expensive.
I've lived in 13 and 5 10~20 years ago, and it was affordable back then.

Thanks, Joli, I'll look into these. I've a good friend who lives in Orgeval, but he boasts a lot more net worth than I'll ever know (previously, he and his family lived in the 16eme). We'd like to be in Paris proper, at least for awhile, and I intend on digging up some good GJ fruit; we also have to admit some concerns for some of the 'burbs, not sure how safe they'd be for my wife and boy. I'll check out more of the burbs you mention.

Thanks again.

Paul

noodlenot

you´re gonna be living in Paris? sweet... you could try to get some lessons from Sammy Daussat, if he still teaches. that would be the cherry on the cake!

Passacaglia

noodlenot wrote:

you´re gonna be living in Paris? sweet... you could try to get some lessons from Sammy Daussat, if he still teaches. that would be the cherry on the cake!

Thanks, Noodle. At this point it's a hope more than a plan, lots of things that need be pulled together first. IMy wife has her EU citizenship, which helps tons. We're hoping for 6 mos- 1year in the City, and if we're successful, Sammy's on my radar. From there it's SW (confit and Kamlo - what a perfect combo!), or NW into Alsace, Belgium and, uh, The Netherlands, where Nous'che's going to see me sitting by a small creek near Neune, and take pity.

Some have also come forward with recommendations for cities and areas that might suit a more long term thing. They know who they are - much appreciated, folks.

noodlenot

can´t help you with France, but if you ever plan on a detour and passing through Portugal, feel free to drop me a line! it´s just 2000 km...


cheers,
Miguel.

Passacaglia

Hey Miguel, you bet!

My parents-in-law gave us a great book on Algarve cooking, and I got a taste of Portuguese - admittedly from another continent - with several Brazilian friends, in college. Not to mention fine Port is a weakness for both my wife and myself....so, yep, thanks. Perhaps we can plan a week-trip, as ex-pats!

noodlenot

ok, this is getting into off-topic-ness, but are you a chef/cook? my memory is not much but i seem to remember some culinary appointments in some of your posts. Portuguese cooking is a underrated cuisine in my opinion, and it´s very broad in its spectrum of ingredients and influences - we were the ones to make spices affordable (sort of!) for Europeans in the XVIth centrury, after all, and that also shows up in our cooking.
anyway, feel free to drop me a line and visit - i´ll try to accommodate your family if i´m not out of town (which happens frequently).

cheers,
miguel.

noodlenot

and, to end this off-topic thing, have you tried Madeira wine? not unlike Port, but oxidized - one of my favorite treats!

Jazzaferri

My fave sweet fortified wine..the best of them are wonderfully sublime

Passacaglia

Miguel, I am a former chef, French. The physical toll eventually caught up. Doesn't help to change lives mid-career and decide you want to live in a Japanese training temple as a direct apprentice to a zen and martial master. Getting the snot beat out of you for hours daily is a young man's game, and yours truly did it in his mid-30's.

Anyway, yep, began cooking French cuisine when I was a young teen, and it went from there. I'm fascinated by your country's cooking. Bit of pop culture, I know, but really enjoyed Anthony Bourdain's stop in his show, No Reservations. One sort of side-passion is culinary history and lore. Would be wonderful to find out more, your mentioning of the spice trade.

Fine madeira is a marvel. Mastering the wine's oxidation is such an art, as delicate as it can get.