The view from Emily's house!
Loulabelle's FrancoFiles episode 36
Guest: Emily Lawrence Gazal
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I love looking through Instagram, dreaming of long days and beautiful holidays in France! Sometimes I end up following particular accounts more than others and the way they portray their version of France just “clicks” with me. This was the case with Emily Lawrence Gazal @frenchobsessed.
I messaged her and asked if I could chat to her about her French life and got much more than I bargained for! Emily is a warm and generous Aussie originally from Bondi who has moved her family with her three children to Paris. I was fascinated by her story and loved our beautiful chat.
An important note for any FrancoFilers considering moving with children to France, Emily’s top tip to consider is the language barrier. School can be difficult for kids not fluent in French. Also the younger the children make the big move, the easier the transition in her experience from her trois enfants.
Emily lives 20 minutes from the centre of Paris in a wonderfully French style rambling house in Chatou. She said that her ideal in the future though would be to have an apartment in the onzième 11th arrondissment and a maison de vacance on the Lac d’Annecy. Sounds idyllic to me!
Musique
Angèle – Balance Ton Quoi.
Emily’s daughter recommended this song to us. The song is clearly wonderfully catchy but if you have a squiz at the YouTube clip in the hyperlink above, there are subtitles will help understand the context which is actually very serious. It is calling out sexism and I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes an anthem for French speaking girls to call out the perils of the patriarchy. There’s a very clever interlude in the middle of the music clip with a pretend class at an anti-sexism Academy. It is definitely worth a watch.
Recette
One of Emily’s fave French foods is the version of street food au français, the wonderful galette!
These delicious savoury crêpes made with buckwheat flour and garnished with cheese originated in Brittany. In Paris I love the ones which also have ham and a cracked egg in the middle. The crepes are a little firmer than ones made with regular flour and the rounded edges are folded in to make a square shape during cooking holding the yummy goodness in place in the middle.
