I have had two private tutors in my French learning quest. My first tutor, Catherine, was a France native that moved to Utah in the 1980’s. All I could get of her story was that she fell in love and the rest was history.
My second tutor, Michele, was a true godsend.
Michele and I were neighbors and became friends before tutor/student. Her sense of style, food, and outlook on life was a real draw to me. She accepted my plea of tutoring with grace and anticipation. She wouldn’t let me pay her, so instead I would show up to each visit with one or two dozen of organic eggs from my family farm. It was a trade system and it worked quite well.
Each summer Michele would live with her grandmother in France and for the entire visit she would live, speak, and eat French. Michele still has cousins overseas and gets to talk with them often.
I always looked forward to showing up at Michele’s house for our lessons. I loved going there because it almost made me feel like I was in France already. She would quickly whip up a pot of coffee with chicory for us to share while we chatted en français. Her gas range with stainless hood and clawed feet looked like it was transported from a French country side home. The lackadaisicalness of her cat seemed as though we were on Paris time - without rush. The smells of last night’s dinner seeped through the painted walls with a strong fresh herb-y-ness. Oh yes, France was all around me there.
It was a tastefully decorated home with modern appliances demonstrating Michele’s commanding forwarding thinking. Old pieces of furniture passed down from her mother underscoring Michele’s strong family values. A bowl of the freshest ingredients centered her dining table illustrating Michele’s love of food and amazing ability to cook it.
Our sessions were more like friends sharing a pot coffee than anything else. We would often get together and talk about each other’s menus that we had planned for some special event. We would share fresh fruits or breads as I would listen to Michele recount her time in France with similar ingredients. As for our French practice, we would just sit and read recipes in French and talk about the vocabulary and verbs and how hungry it was making us.
Michele was the most helpful to me because I enjoyed it so much, but also, because it was relevant. At Le Cordon Bleu I will need to know culinary French. This is not something that I learned at the University or through Rosetta Stone. It was Michele that gave me the true foundation that I am going to need.
Additionally, Michele taught me all about the city of Paris, French customs, and general pieces of info that I’ll need to know. Items like how to take the Metro, where to find the best oysters in France, and what type of wine to pair with particular French dishes.
Most of all, Michele expanded my passion for food and France. She opened my heart to so many more exciting ‘yet-to-comes.’ She also, helped me understand that life is beautiful, too beautiful to only dream…you’ve got to reach out, no matter how scary, and LIVE life.
I am forever indebted to Michele, but she would never let me repay her with material possessions…so all I can do is live my life to the fullest filled with gratitude towards her.
Merci beaucoup mon ami, Michele.
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