What can I say about summer in the Philippines? One word, HOT. No, make that two words, VERY HOT! Sometimes, I wish I was living somewhere else, somewhere where it’s not too humid and polluted.

France, perhaps. This country has the best of everything. Southern warm climate, northern charming winters, the finest creamy butter and olive oil, the best wine-producing vineyards, the most flavorful and stinky cheeses, the most breathtaking Art. God has blessed this country with everything a man could ever desire. Don’t you think it’s unfair?

While the French indulge in this abundance, I’m here sweating my ass off eating fastfood delivery. It’s too hot and too agonizing to cook. Even though I want to eat Bulalo in the middle of summer, I can’t. Just walking to my car to grocery shop is such a painful ordeal. The sun still burns your skin even after applying gallons of sunblock.

If I were in France, I would probably be dining in a restaurant in a quaint village outside of the city under the trees and near a fountain being served by a smooth-talking French. He would probably be serving dishes he slaved over for hours. Succulent frog legs, Livarot cheese, potato gratin, escargot cooked a la sauce poulette or a la provencale, and of course, the beverage of choice, a glass of Château Lafite Rothschild. And let’s not forget, the heavenly crèmes brûlées for dessert. What more could you ask for?

In the meantime, I’ll be eating my Adobo with rice and a bottle of Coca Cola till I’ve saved up enough money to buy a villa in Provence.

Recommended Websites & Books on French Cuisine:
Papilles et Pupilles
Let’s Cook French
Mastering The Art of French Cooking, Volume One by Julia Child
La Bonne Cuisine de Madame E. Saint-Ange: The Original Companion for French Home Cooking
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