90% of my best decisions have started by convincing myself to turn around. It would be dramatic to say that this particular restaurant did that (though it made my day 1000% better) but i am absolutely an advocate for turning around for a place

A person

A feeling that catches your eye.

Random, but last week I was looking for a place still serving lunch past 2pm (which is virtually impossible in this neighborhood of Paris) and saw a door to a shop open. The walls were lined with wine and Asian condiments… At first I thought it was only a wine/herb shop, but turns out they source and ferment their own vegetables too. The kindness and generosity of the shop manager was almost as sweet as the matcha cake he offered me. Something i really needed that day because to be quite honest, I was lonely. Even with Copper by my side being new in a different country where you don’t speak the language fluently can make you feel isolated. America and Asia are very different countries, but we related over the fact that we weren’t from France and how we could understand one another outside of heritage.

One thing i really love about food is that even when you are far from home, the people who you commune with to eat create a space for you: in their restaurants, in their homes, at their tables. I’m just really grateful this place exists.

I’ll be back for more spicy tofu soon. 💜