As Peter pointed out: We ate Raclettes at the Raclette with Raclette! (the name of the meal, the restaurant and the cheese are all the same!)
Kevin's face appropriately demonstrates our surprise at the size of the cheese!
Scraping off the first layer of melted cheese onto my plate. Yum yum!
After a few scrapes Kevin had to cut off the rind - this made it easier to get the melted cheese out.
Marco was very excited about this meal - he ate like it was Thanksgiving! A true American at heart....
On Saturday night, Marco, Peter, Kevin (the two Rhos in Nantes) and I went out to eat together. Marco has been talking about this traditional French plate for years which I had never tried. So we decided on this cold rainy night, that it was the perfect opportunity to go for raclettes. We hesitated at first because it was a bit more pricey, but we finally decided it was one of those opportunities that we couldn't pass up....of course Marco was for it the entire time :).
The restaurant is decently popular and most people make reservations, but fortunately we were able to get a table. And then the adventure began.....we each ordered our raclettes (potatoes, pickles, cheese, and you can pick your type of meat) and then the waiter came out with this metal contraption and sat it on our table. Kevin, Peter and I just looked at each other like "What in the world IS this thing!?" The waiter then proceeded to explain to Kevin how to use it since he was closest to it. One problem. Explaining how to use a machine that can burn you, in French, when you've studied French for 2 months is probably not the best idea. Fortunately the waiter knew English and was kind enough to explain it in English. Next, he brings out a HUGE block of cheese. Not something the size of a round of brie....I'm talking a small wheel. He placed the chunk of cheese on the heating machine and turned it on. We were then served the most perfectly cooked potatoes with little pickles and different types of meat. Kevin's job was to then scrape the melted cheese onto each plate....it was a time consuming job and it made it hard for him to eat! It was AMAZING. It was very heavy so unfortunately we weren't able to meet our goal of eating the entire block of cheese....I think we made it down the block about an inch :). The cherry on the top was hearing Rick Rolls serenade us while eating. Pretty much made it a magical evening!
Here is Rick Rolls...a must listen 80;s song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu_moia-oVI&feature=fvst
More info about this traditional dish and its origins: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raclette
Maybe you should try it back in the US - it's worth it!
I think I solved issues that people have had with posting comments...please try again!!!
For the next week I have vacation for 'Toussaint' or 'Day of the Dead.' This provides me with quite a bit of free time on my hands, which I don't like having. So, in an attempt to keep myself busy, I told myself that I would visit one or two of Nantes beautiful parks everyday and let you join in on the experience! I started off with my little map of Nantes (it's in an area I never fully explored before) and headed to the park. Got off the tram and headed off in what I thought was the right direction. An hour later and still not having found the park, which was supposedly 10 minutes from the tram stop, I turned around and headed back to the tram. I decided to take little back roads just to make the walk more interesting. I might as well explore while being lost! A few minutes later, I saw a woman looking at me quite strangely - I looked and her and immediately recognized her as one of the English teachers at my school! A very strange coincidence. And she was right to look at me oddly since I was wearing glasses, had my hair pulled back, and was wearing jeans - the exact opposite of my school attire. Anyway, she invited me to her apartment for coffee and biscuits which, it ends up, is very close to my future apartment (she offered to drive me to the HS when our schedules meet up too)! She then drove me to the park so that I didn't get lost again....Unfortunately, I fit the stereotype perfectly of being a girl with a terrible sense of direction....
'Parc du Grand Blottereau' is a hop, skip, and jump away from my future apartment (I get the keys Friday!). I have never been to this park before. I did not realize how much of a treat I was in for. The entire park was re-done 3-4 years ago by a South Korean landscaper, with each area of the park made to represent different climates in the country. In exchange a French landscaper re-did a park in S. Korea in the French style. This park was huge and full of surprises - from a green tea garden to rows of green houses that supply the rest of Nantes with beautiful flowers year round.
A banana 'forest' in one part of the park.
Totem poles and a pagoda surrounded by water.
One of the beautiful lakes in the middle of the park. There were little green frogs jumping around too!
This park is very family friendly. There is this banana tree inspired jungle gym, tennis courts surrounded by tropical plants, and a few soccer fields on the edge of the park. I saw lots of families enjoying the beautiful weather we were blessed with today.
The 'tropical' area of the S. Korean themed park, with a statue in the background. The picture doesn't do it justice.
I am so excited that I am going to live so close to this park. I plan on visiting it again in the very near future.
Tomorrow, I am off to the most well known park in Nantes! Hope you enjoyed today's tour :).
P.S. Don't forget that you can click on the pictures to make them bigger. It's worth it, I promise!
