LA MOUFFE! ......THE NAME BEHIND THE BLOG

What in the world is the Rue Mouffetard? By now you have probably figured out that it's a street in Paris but what a funny name for a blog. Neabear asked me today where the name came from and what does it mean........Back when daughter was in law school she had the opportunity to study at the Sorbonne in Paris. At the last minute her would be room mate backed out and heavens we couldn't let her travel off to Paris alone so the Boss suggested I pack my bags and go along....Never one to argue with the Boss and one very expensive airline ticket later......have you ever bought an airline ticket with less then a weeks notice....... I was off to spend the summer in the city of lights!! Daughter had sub-let a studio apartment and that was our first glance at Paris life.....The day we arrived, with more luggage then two people have the nerve to own, we found ourselves climbing a small spiral staircase up many flights to reach an apartment two small for grown-up people....picture this....smaller then a closet was a toilet behind a door on your right. Then there was the "kitchen" and I'll use the term loosely. A sink, a bad stove top and a toaster oven.....oh yes the fridge...smaller then your usual dorm fridge. Our living quarters. One futon, one t.v. (French only) and two windows to nowhere. It was the only apartment in Paris without some sort of view...and then there was the bathroom...a tub with shower, no shower curtain, a sink and a very large hot water heater.....I just wanted to set the stage...

Daughter would go off to classes in the morning and Mom, having nothing to do and with a fear of getting lost if I traveled too far, would wander the local neighborhood. That's when I found the "Rue Mouffetard".........better known as La Mouffe. I followed the scent of food. Across the street from our apartment was a small street market that was open a few days a week and it closed by noon. I just knew there had to be more so I traveled a bit farther......There it was a foodies paradise....The street starts up on a hill.....long and very narrow....cobblestones under foot....and food..food....food....everything you could ever want. Fruits, vegetables, cheeses, wine, pastries, flowers and saving the best for last the chicken....Not just any chicken...no sir no Chick Fil A...this was CHICKEN......there are store fronts that have huge rotisseries spinning around roasting chicken that were probably alive that morning. At the bottom of the rotisserie are potatoes that just sit there all day cooking in the juices of the dripping chickens...But I'm a cooker....I like to cook my own food not buy others. So I would buy my chicken take it back to the apartment and roast it myself....Now if you've been following the story you know there was no oven in the kitchen......What's one to do.....Cook it in the toaster oven. Yes, that's right, I perfected roasting a chicken in a toaster oven.....But the real story here is the chicken. Daughter came into the kitchen one day to find me fondling the bird. I was mesmerized......I had never and I mean never seen such freshness in anything! I swear the skin still felt warm...It was a glorious shade of pale pink....so beautiful I hated to cook it. Needless to say it got oiled up with garlic and herbs baked until golden brown and served with a side of "Real French Fries" it was a dinner I will never forget....It turned out to be one of our favorite things to cook. I also made alot of sausage and peppers and grilled chicken breast sandwichs........I'm probably the only person to go to France and cook instead of eating out. I made many more trips to the Rue Mouffetard during our stay and after a few weeks I even got the nerve to get on the subway, change trains and find my way over to the Les Invalides to buy the daughter a wonderful little silver box with a bee on top that we had seen when we toured the museum. I was shocked that I was able to find my way back home before she got back from school......I have since misplaced all my pictures we took (all 42 rolls of film) so the pictures above aren't mine. If I ever find mine I will post them because they are wonderful......for anyone traveling to Paris in the future you must stop by LaMouffe.....it's located in the 5th. arrondissement better known as the Latin Quarter and can be reached on the metro stop Place Monge. Just take the escalator to the street turn to the right and walk until you smell the chicken!!!