Something About Me

Bonjour!

Here's a little something about me, Kim Steele, the curly haired home cook and writer of Easy French Food. I was born and lived in California for a long time, but when love came to call 17 years ago, I moved to France and set up house. I've been cooking away ever since.

My husband and I were married on the gorgeous island of Corsica where we were located for many years and where our three sons were born. After that, we spent a couple of years in French Guyane - an overseas department of France, located in South America. Most recently we have been living in the suburbs of Paris. All of this moving about has giving me exposure to a wide range of French culture and food.

My gourmet upbringing

Of course I already knew a lot about food before I came to France. I grew up in a family where internationally inspired gourmet meals, prepared by my mother, were an everyday event - not just for special occasions. Probably not too many ten year old kids knew what nasi goreng, chalupas, sachertorte and piroshkies all were, but my brothers and I surely did. We knew those dishes and many more. Food and cooking are definitely in my blood. To this day, everyone in my family loves to cook.

However, my website isn't just about French cooking, it's about food in general.

It's about Plenitude and Gratitude

I am struck by how blasé people in prosperous countries have become about food. After spending two years in South America, I was blown away when I returned to California and shopped at an American grocery store. The sheer opulence of it was breathtaking. Yet, I am certain that most people never see it as such. We have grown so accustomed to plenitude that we are not even aware that it exists.

I think this is a very dangerous thing indeed. By paying attention to our food, by choosing it carefully, by appreciating it, we are showing our gratitude for it. That gratitude should be with us each and every time we put food on the table for ourselves and others. I hope that gratitude shows through in these pages.

Processed foods

Another thing I find shocking about modern grocery stores is that they are filled, aisle after aisle after aisle, with prepared foods. My mother-in-law told me recently that you can now buy frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Apparently busy mothers no longer have time to open a jar of peanut butter. Where does this stop? The trend towards processed and packaged food is less pronounced but it exists in France as well.

It is a trend I think we should all be fighting against. It's as if we are saying, we have so many other important things to take care of that we just can't be bothered with food. But food, along with clean air and water are the only "things" we actually need. Processed food is full of things that we do not need. If I buy a frozen quiche in France, the list of ingredients isn't close to what I would put in it myself. And what really gets to me is that a quiche is so easy to make!

So which food are you going to choose to eat?

I think we owe it to ourselves and our families to take the extra two minutes to make the peanut butter sandwiches ourselves. It's in those two minutes that the food becomes infused with what truly nourishes us.

Now, I know you are busy, because everyone seems to be these days. That's why I've tried to keep the recipes on this site simple.

And don't forget that the couple of minutes you do spend choosing and preparing your food will be well spent. By reconnecting with what you eat you will become healthier and happier. That's a promise.

Bon Appetit and Kind Regards to All!

Kim

P.S. I recently found a great website whose aim is to help all of us eat a more healthy diet. The author shares many of my values when it comes to food and I think you will find it full of good information:

Your Healthy Eating Helper includes information on how to shop, plan and cook healthy meals for all the family. You will find here independent, truthful information about food. It is also the home of The Good Food Angel Blog, all about the deep significance of food in human society, culture and individual lives.

Go to homepage: French Recipes and Food.

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