Exciting finds in the city of Creil

What's interesting about French schools is that on top of their extensive list of holidays, there isn't school on Wednesdays. A student's dream right? I believe it's safe to say it's anyone's dream. Only, there really isn't much to do in this town. As close to Paris as I am, I don't particularly care to spend 20 euros round trip plus everything else I purchase there toooo often. So what then did I decide to do? Cook! :D And since my landlord isn't here yet, there really isn't much for me to do but cook for myself. (I still would have cooked for myself if she was here too, but hopefully when she arrives, it'll be more her teaching me to cook French cuisine.) So off to the market I go!

As small as my town is, I must give it some credit, there are a few "Chinese" restaurants. I walked into a tiny "Chinese" bakery/restaurant earlier during my stay and saw egg rolls, spring rolls (the Vietnamese kind), samosas, curries, and baguettes! There's also two "Chinese" restaurants that seem to serve everything under the sun. Apparently, to my tiny little city (or perhaps France in general -- I'll validate this claim later after some "research"), anything within the continent of Asia classifies as Chinese cooking. If not Chinese, then at least "exotic". haha

So today, off to the market I go, only this time I decide I'll stop by one of these "exotic" stores. You know, in the US "exotic stores" are sure to mean something else. Nevertheless, they seemed harmless enough. If worse comes to worse, I thought, I can easily feign foreigner ignorance right? Fortunately, it was indeed what I thought it to be and eagerly grabbed several useful reminders of home. Slightly absurd perhaps, but finding Shaioxing cooking wine and some oyster sauce among other things was definitely rather exciting. :)

And to top off my shopping trip..! I swung by a bakery nearby and bought myself a massive macaroon! mmm perhaps three inches in diameter? no matter, it was YUMMY!! A coffee flavored macaroon... deee-lish!