PinnedMember-onlySingapore’s Unbelievable Food CultureOver the years I witnessed surprise and mild disbelief on the faces of those to whom I unabashedly gushed, “Singapore has the best food in the world.” Apart from the problem of the “-est” suffix that we Americans tend to put on all kinds of opinions, I think what led…Singapore11 min readSingapore11 min read
Published inThe American In Paris·May 10Member-onlyIs it Safe to Visit Paris?Some months ago, at the height of the transportation strikes, several well-meaning acquaintances messaged me with concern or asked on behalf of friends who were considering travel plans whether it was indeed safe to visit Paris. These people didn’t need a speech from me, I thought. My safest answer was…France3 min readFrance3 min read
Apr 24Member-onlyA Few Thoughts on BordersIn Western Europe our border disputes are relatively tame. …Romania2 min readRomania2 min read
Mar 31Member-only41 Books For Your 2023 From My 2022 ReadsSo my pandemic-fueled days of reading have passed, and while I still managed to crest over 100 books read last year, I’m nowhere near the 200 I read in 2020 or the 150 I read in 2021. But it’s not about quantity, is it? It’s about the ones that stay…Books13 min readBooks13 min read
Published inThe American In Paris·Nov 25, 2022Member-onlyCan I (Legally) Work Remotely in France?Business owners who have conversations with accountants about classifying business expenses or certain depreciation strategies are used to hearing two words when we pose a question hoping for a yes or no answer: “it depends.” I fully understand this answer now, but the younger version of me just wanted a…Remote Work5 min readRemote Work5 min read
Published inThe American In Paris·May 3, 2022Member-onlyHow I Moved to France and Lost 20 PoundsI’ve mentioned over the years that I lost weight when I moved to France, but I’ve never explained precisely how. The truth is, it took me a while to figure it out, because “weight loss” wasn’t even on my radar when I moved here. When I moved to France in…France7 min readFrance7 min read
Jan 8, 2022Member-only70 Books for Your 2022 from My 2021 ReadsAround this time last year I posted an article sharing some of the best books I’d come across in a year of lockdowns. I was surprised to have read 150 books in 2020, but I chalked it up to having little to no social life. …Book List20 min readBook List20 min read
Published inThe American In Paris·Dec 20, 2021Member-onlyBoulangerie BasicsI can’t speak for every foreigner, but I can describe the feeling that most Americans have the first time we enter a French boulangerie of any size or reputation. Wow. Followed closely by that feeling of awe is the complete ignorance you feel about what to order. Everyone in line…France7 min readFrance7 min read
Published inThe American In Paris·Nov 29, 2021Member-onlyHow Paris Quietly Became a Bike CityWhen I moved to Paris in 2013 one of the first things I did was obtain a Navigo card and after a couple months of buying monthly passes manually via machines I switched to an annual pass and have not had to think about topping up again. …Paris7 min readParis7 min read
Nov 9, 2021Member-onlyMy Travel Life Before Covid-19: A 12-Month SnapshotI know it wasn’t that long ago that we were told it was going to be two weeks to flatten the curve, and perhaps the more pessimistic thought it would be two months, but I can’t imagine anyone speculating it would be two years before travel resumed as it was…Travel11 min readTravel11 min read
