Why a blog..on cooking

Hi everyone,

My name is Raphaelle and I am from France (not from Paris, but from a great town in the South called Montpellier). I am currently living in Los Angeles as I am working in a finance company in downtown LA, transferring from the French office for three months. Lucky me! This is not my first time in the US - in fact I come to the East Coast to visit my mom twice a year - but coming to the West Coast or to SoCal is a premiere. So far so good...

Why create a blog? And why on cooking?

No I am not a desperate housewive thinking of how to please my husband (by the way I don't have one) or children for dinner..although there is a little bit of truth there I must say. The reality is that I dicovered cooking a year ago when moving in to my first Paris appartment and discovering the joys of living in la Rue Mouffetard, a village like neighborhood in Paris. I started going to the local market - le marche de la rue Mouffetard- every saturday morning and trying out new recipes...ranging from a simple apple crumble to more sophistacted dishes such as "carre de veau servi avec son beurre ail/persil" which tastes fantastic. The simple fact of waking up on a saturday morning and saying hello to the shop owners is probably what I miss the most here in LA where my daily grocery shopping now consists of Trader Joes's, Whole Foods and Ralphs. I try to alternate the mass retail store/ perfectly organic but expensive concept.

The whole idea of writing a blog had been trotting on my mind for a couple of days and while making a random turkey sandwich with a little personal touch, I said to myself: wow, maybe you should open a sandwich restaurant.... That idea quickly disappeared as I said to myself that simply adding grilled cheese, aragula and black pepper did not make me a Jamie Oliver or a future restaurant owner. And that being humble was a key to success...

Nonetheless, I said to myself well cooking is a great thing and sometimes great recipes come from very little things. That is why creating a blog where I could share my ideas was a humble beginning and yet a first milestone on what could turn out to be a long path. But then again a beginning is needed for everything, right?

I have to add that cooking is something I really enjoy as it represents a distraction from my every day life as an investment banker. Considering the current financial turmoil. I wake up every day and think that I should diversify my "career" options as banks are maybe not an option anymore. Moreover I tend to think now that having a balanced lifestyle is quite enjoyable and cooking (and going to the gym in consequence) is now a part of that...

Speaking of that, I must say that this blog will not solely be focused on cooking...i will also try to share some of my insights on America and the American Culture which I am modestly trying to discover in a changing context.

Well with this being said and a part of my reasons for creating this blog, I have one last thing to say: enjoy!