I Love Supermarkets...

Sometimes I think I could spend an entire vacation inside a French supermarket / hypermarche. Or any foreign market for that matter. I used to hang out in Tokyo grocery stores. I love the packaging designs - the boxes and tins.

I brought home this Banania chocolate tin years ago.

It's now a "vintage" tin. I took it to David Dewey's watercolor class when we were doing yellow only still lifes.

An old yellow study - from my pre-macarons days

These French yogart glass jars make perfect water containers. How often do you see a Vermeer in an American supermarket?

Formerly a French plastic yogurt container. Plastic is way easier to bring home than glass.

The contents of a tin or box are irrelevant to me. I'll toss them out to lighten the load home. When I was designing shoes I bought this beautiful tin in London. Pouring thick, gooey Lyle's Golden Syrup down your hotel sink is NOT a good idea.

I love the animals on European food containers. Do we only get to see animals on "organic" foods in the US? I'd like to see more cows and goats svp.

Aren't these yogurt boxes pretty? And you don't have to read anything to know what's inside.
Here's a container I discovered in the supermarket in Paris. It makes a terrific snack after walking all day. Real gazpacho from Spain - it tastes excellent. Would you believe Tropicana is the producer. Please bring this Spanish gazpacho to New York.I'd like to buy a ton of it.

Blame it on Paris

Fauchon Tin of Madeleines, watercolor

Last week I just happened to return some books to a different library...

At the library, I just happened to spot a book with an irresistable title,

BLAME IT ON PARIS.

I'd like to blame to on Paris that I'm obsessed with painting cafe cups, French tins, macarons and chocolates..

But author, Laura Florand got there before me and came up with a better reason.

Laura just happened to find an adorable French husband when she walked into Le Relais du Vin and she writes about her Paris adventures with delight and humor.

On page 37 Laura describes her student dorm room in Paris:

"I only believed in the most essential of expenses, like chocolates from various luxury chocolate houses whose beautiful BOXES and TINS currently decorated two long shelves that circled my tiny room."

Laura is a kindred spirit!

Next trip I may just happen to make a small detour from chocolatiers and patisseries.

You never know what might happen...

Laura Florand has an author websitehttp://www.lauraflorand.com/
And a bloghttp://www.lauraflorand.com/blog/

Read her book. You'll be laughing outloud!

Are those piles of tins all yours?

Hediard Tea Tins, original watercolor, 9" x 11"
Marie-Noëlle said yesterday... Are those piles of tins all yours? Very impressive, indeed! How many bags and suitcases do you need when you fly home?!?
I always travel with a very small suitcase but in this case I bought miniature Hediard tea tins, so no problem...
I didn't attempt to bring home this tea tin sign outside BETJEMAN AND BARTON on 23, boulevard Malesherbes, 75008 Paris. Nice though.

You could buy a BETJEMAN AND BARTON tins at the the 3-day Le Festival de The

All these tea tins were for sale in the Lafayette Gourmet tea department. It's the norm to pick you choice of loose tea and then have it bagged or buy a beautiful (coffret) tin to store your tea leaves.

At the Paris chocolate show there were tea sellers.

Check out the interesting teapot Tea & Cie. has made out of this egg-yolk-yellow tin online. Sadly, I did not bring this home.

Another chocolate shop, this time in Reims with a wall of tea tins. There's no way these tins will fit in my suitcase.

But you can always find a small silver tea spoon to fit in your suitcase. I did..from Mariage Freres for all of 10 euros :)