[melinda]

Is there anything special associated with Bastille Day in the way of food like there is here for the 4th with picnics....burgers, dogs, fried chix, watermelon, etc?? Joyeux Jour de la Bastille
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Make me half the person my dog thinks I am.

[Griffin]

Aristos on toast perhaps?!
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Confusion comes fitted as standard.

[Debbie]

Well, don't know about the aristo's on toast.... but we are having a nice meal for Bastille Day and Barbara's practice sweet 16th

Roast chicken and salad made with greens, tomato, bacon, asparagus, crumbled feta and nectarines.

Fruit flan and vanilla bean infused cream for dessert.

Copious quantities of champagne, and wine of course.

It is going to be a hot day, so we went with the salad option rather than the hot meal and foi gras option. Sorry Barbara.

Should be a fun day.
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If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.

[charlsy]

I'm not really sure we have any special food associated with Bastille Day (which incidentally is never called Bastille Day in France : it's either July 14th or National Holyday). Our National Holyday is not really a culinary landmark.
It rather is traditionaly marked by military parades, the most famous being the one down the Champs Elysées and attended by the President and his governing team, plus assorted special guests. I do confess to watching it most years, and checking the ratio men/women among our military ! Silly, isn't it ? This year we will have representatives of all the european countries marching down our most famous avenue (Malta sent 3 soldiers !). If I remember well, in 2002, a New York firetruck followed the beloved Paris fire brigade and was greeted by thunderous applause, even more than our french firemen, who are usually the biggest success of the parade.
As for food ? I'd say you can count on numerous barbecues, usually held by most fire brigades ! Firemen are the heroes of that particular day. The french tradition for Bastille Day is the firemen's ball in every city square and fireworks, as big as the city's budget allows. So barbecues, sausages, merguez (spicy mutton sausages), potato salad, fries, unreasonable amounts of pastis and beer, and lots of firecrackers.
Most people don't actually celebrate that day, we usually watch the parade, go about whatever we do on a vacation day, then at night, the firemen's ball, with or without the meal, and watching the fireworks.

[georgia]

Pastis and champagne.

Oh...those aren't considered "foods"? OK.

Pastis and champagne and a nice Cotes du Rhone

Happy Bastille Day! Wish I were there.....

[Judy]

Happy Bastille Day to all who celebrate it.
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Doing what you like is freedom
Liking what you do is happiness

www.cupcakerecipebook.com.au

[minty]

Thanks Judy !
it's not like the 4th of july, actually, we don't really celebrate as such, and as it's a saturday, many shops were opened in Paris ...
From the supermarkets shelves, I would say that THE national bevcerage today has to be beer ...

[gingerpale]

Two news items and a pic:
"On July 15, the day after Bastille Day, Parisians will wake up to discover thousands of low-cost rental bikes at hundreds of high-tech bicycle stations scattered throughout the city, an ambitious program to cut traffic, reduce pollution, improve parking and enhance the city's image as a greener, quieter, more relaxed place."

"The high-tech idea is to let Parisians as well as tourists rent bikes from public stations with nothing but a chip card. No fewer than 750 self-service stations equipped with over 10,000 rentable bikes will go into service in July. The city's Socialist-Green administration has been promoting the idea that bicycles produce no emissions, remain mobile in traffic jams, and -- most importantly -- are easy to park. They want people in Paris to choose the bicycle over the car, the bus or the subway. Cycling isn't even slower than driving, since car drivers in Paris move through the avenues and boulevards at an average speed of just five kilometers an hour (3.1 mph). "
http://www.aerolitepedals.com/images/pedalsAerolite_small.gif

[Barbara]

Debbie it sounds wonderful. I hope you and Pestoman had fun.
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Barbara

[Debbie]

Confession time........

We were all having such a good time that we forgot to take photos..... sorry..

There were six of us for your birthday party. We enjoyed the above salad, and a few bottles of rose ( cotes d'Anjou and cotes de provence) and then a bottle of sparkling pink saumur. We toasted your birthday and to friends all round the world with the crisp cold wine.

Dessert was a fruit flan that had red fruits, quetsch (green plum), and dark plums. Served with thick cold creme fraische as it was too hot for the pouring cream with vanilla.

Coffee, dark choc truffles and cat tongue biscuits to finish.

A really fun day and a good way to celebrate any ocassion!

Having a slow day today before going out to adopt a cat. I cannot wait to see what sort of furbaby we will bring home. As Griffin said "I am taking a responsible adult with me" to make sure I only come home with one cat - not all of them!
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If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.

[Pesto Man]

As a participant at Debbies party, I can only confirm her description. THe food was wonderful , the alcohol stimulating, and the company, was even more so

We had a most wonderful time (tis a pity Debbie and I don't get on any better

Griffin, while I like the concept of aristo on toast, I think the definitive dish for any Bastille celebration would be Fromage du tete'
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I would like a gin martini, straight up, olives on the side, as dry as my wit, as clean as my conscience.
and... as cold as my heart!!!!

[Griffin]

Pestoman,

Possibly Grand fromage du tete?!

Yes, it is SUCH a shame you and Debbie don't get on any better!!! Tho' that maybe fortunate for Paris!!
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Confusion comes fitted as standard.

[nutellawunder]

As a "foreigner" in Paris (I moved here a little over a year ago), I was pretty surprised with the overall run on picknicks on the 13th and 14th of July... And picknick means: cheese, red wine and more red wine...

We had a great time getting our backsides wet on the blue paper blanket distributed at La Défense (and all over the city)... It made for nice blue stains strategically well placed...

As the weather held I very much enjoyed my 1st 14th of July in town (I even went to see the parade on the Champs Elysée, I have to admit).

Nicole

[bluedog]

I missed this post on the first go 'round. Although we are nowhere near paris, we had the fortune to attend an 'underground' dinner to celebrate the francophile in each of us. The menu was designed to be similar to a french bastille day picnic, the chef having catered for luxury yachts and hot air balloons all over france. we enjoyed:

tomato tarte tatin
fruits de mer
jambe de canard confit avec salade de beluga lentilles
deux crepes avec chocolat et noirsette, et aussi peche et framboise avec creme anglaise

beautiful wine pairing with each course, and homemade sparkling water flavored with rosemary and orange.

was a divine evening