One of those days

This weekend started promising on Friday....then became a bit frustrating, but in the end, it worked itself out. Have you ever tried to meet up with someone and because of one thing or another, it just didn't work out? And you had no idea how to contact them?

Friday I was expecting my friend D's new friend KO to come over for lunch. KO, an American currently living in San Francisco, is visiting her French boyfriend this week in my neck of the woods. KO is contemplating a move to France near Geneva this summer so she and her boyfriend can be together. Unlike me who moved here with little to no knowledge of French or France aside from a that vacation in 2000, KO has some working knowledge of French, having studied it abroad in Paris and Angers. But understandably she's still a bit anxious about moving so far away from her friends and family without knowing anyone in this part of France except for her boyfriend.

I remember how I felt last spring....on one hand I was really excited to finally be with R, living in not only the same city, but the same house! No more trips back and forth from Boston to NYC..though that was really fun while it lasted. On the other hand I felt really anxious because I didn't know what awaited me on the other side. And in the middle of these two things, I was very very sad to be saying goodbye to my dear friends and family. I was also sad to be packing away my life into my basement and selling my trusty Honda. So I can totally relate to how KO is feeling right now, and we were both looking forward to meeting up and getting to know one another on Friday.

Besides all of the above, KO is a pastry chef and an avid outdoorsy person. And right now she's in possession of some loot she brought for me from the U.S! Nothing very exciting to write home about, but nonetheless very useful things: baking powder, baking soda, and some Reese's PB cups. Yes, of all the things I could have requested from SF, I requested those items! What was I thinking??

For lunch I prepared a French menu: lentil soup with crème fraîche, hachis parmentier (beefy tomato base with mashed potatoes on top), and far breton (flan custard from Bretagne with prunes) for dessert. At 11:30h, I drive down to the station in search of KO..who I only know by her Facebook photos. Double-parking, I run inside, hoping she's right inside the station with her bike. But after an hour of searching and asking the agent at the ticketing desk, I return home as my mind races and worries. I curse the fact that I never exchanged phone numbers with KO and I'm thinking "I hope she's not hit by a crazy Swiss or French driver. I hope she's coming to my town..and not another town that goes by the same name. Did I get the date right? Maybe she meant next Friday. Maybe she missed this train and will be on the next train to arrive at 13:49h."

At home, there is no email from KO, so I post on her FB wall, asking if anyone of her friends has a contact number for her in France. Then I email her saying I looked for her at 11:49 and would return at 13:49 in the event she missed the first train and decided to catch the second train.

As the table is set for lunch and we're starving by now, R and I sit down for our déjeuner. Then drive #2 down to the station. I look inside, outside, on the tracks and all around the station. Still no KO. After half an hour, I return home to find an email from her apologizing profusely and saying that she was not allowed on the train with her bike because it was a packed train. There were hundreds of people on the 3-car train headed for Lyon..probably travelers starting their weekend, or students returning home to Lyon. I was disappointed that we couldn't meet up (as was she) but also really relieved she didn't get into an accident.

Even though it wasn't face to face, we still ended up having a nice phone chat. Note to self: always get the other person's mobile number and have a contingency plan!

HACHIS PARMENTIER (adapted from this French recipe on L'internaute.com)
Ingredients for 4 servings

• 500g or 1lb ground beef
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1kg potatoes, or 2.2lbs of potatoes
• 1 can of plain whole peeled tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons double tomato concentrate
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar + more if you need it (I used sucre vergeoise)
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 onion, minced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 20cl of milk, or 0.2 L, or little more than 3/4 cup of milk
• Ground nutmeg
• 28.3g or 2 tablespoons butter 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 175C, or 350F.
2. Generously butter a large square baking dish.
3. To a large fry pan over medium high heat, add the olive oil, then shallots, garlic, and onions. Cook til the shallots are translucent (a few minutes).
4. Add the ground beef and cook until the beef is well done. 
5. Then add the can of tomatoes and tomato paste, breaking apart the tomatoes while cooking.
6. Add the sugar, and cook until most of the tomato juice is evaporated. Stir occasionally so as not to burn sauce.
7. While the tomato/beef is evaporating, chop the potatoes into small neat squares, and then boil until the potatoes are soft (but not mashed), about 10 minutes.
8. When the potatoes are done, drain and season with salt and pepper. Add milk and butter to the pot with the potatoes. Do not stir too much as it will break up the potato chunks too much.
9. To the buttered glass dish, add a layer of tomato/beef (you may have some leftover), then add the potatoes.
10. On top of the potatoes, grate some nutmeg (or add ground nutmeg). Then cover the top of the potatoes with tiny morsels of butter (optional).
11. Cook in the oven on the middle shelf for 30 to 40 minutes. When ready to serve, place under broiler for 5 minutes. Serve with salad and crusty bread. And your favorite bottle of red wine.