The weekend as we know it so far:
1) There was a big surprise party in Amiens for Caroline at the bowling alley which several Westmoore students attended with their host brothers and sisters.
2) Caroline and Valeria went to Euro Disney, but it is not clear to Madame if they went together.
3) Kyle got to go to the seaside, but his camera has no charger and he has lost his phone, so he can't share any pictures with us. He is having a blast with his host brother Théo and his friends, as evidenced by this picture he sent me:
4) Apparently, Caroline got to go to the seaside as well.
5) Katie got to hang out with animals in the country:
This is all Madame has been able to gather from the students so far. So, how about some news of Madame's weekend!
Madame had a wonderful weekend full of friends, good food, and memorable moments:
Saturday Lunch: In Amiens at a lovely bistro called "Ad Hoc" (pictures to follow)
Saturday Dinner: Madame Soucaze and Madame Robillard were the invited guests at the home of the Agnel family. Monsieur Agnel is a math teacher at Lycée Jean Racine and his wife, Françoise, has been Madame Robillard's Facebook friend ever since her son, Adrien, came to Oklahoma and Westmoore High School in April 2012. The Agnels asked what Madame Robillard would like for dinner so, of course, we had LA RACLETTE! (One of Madame Robillard's favorite dinners!) Here are pictures to illustrate the fun food that is la raclette ---
Raclette is like a fondue dinner in that there is a central heated element and everyone eats collectively from there. The main ingredients are boiled potatoes, an delicious array of cold cuts (which are so much better in Europe than in the United States)...
...and then of course, cheese! The cheese is really the most delicious part. It is a kind of flavorful cheese called "la raclette" and it melts wonderfully well.
...so you take a slice of cheese, put it on a mini-pan, slide it into the heating element, and wait for it to melt. Then you put on top of the potatoes you've mashed or cut up on your plate, combine them with some cold cuts, and enjoy! YUM!
Sunday Lunch: Madame Soucaze and Madame Robillard were the invited guests of some of Madame's long-time friends, Emmanuelle and Chanel, whose son Charles was celebrating his 20th birthday. This family is of the French upper class and the meal they offered us was quite elegant and an amazing experience ---
A beautifully appointed table
Personalized place settings with flowers from the garden picked that morning
A delicious warm soup starter --- I think it was a squash soup with lavender
Salad with melon and langoustine wrapped in cured ham with mango
A "trou normand" ---or palate cleaning granita--- made of sugar water, lemon, and a fresh basil infusion
Duck with a vanilla glaze and marinated turnip, tomatoes, and shallot
The birthday boy, Charles, with two books and an iPhone 5 he received as gifts
A dessert of sponge cake, caramel custard, and strawberries
