Around the World in Quarantine

In July 2020, my hubby and I were supposed to travel to Paris and London and, of course, we weren’t able to go. Randomly, I had the idea that since we couldn’t go to France why not bring France to us. Last year, we participated in Diner en Blanc (DEB) and absolutely loved the experience. I thought I would use my planning for DEB as a “template” and duplicate that experience. The color scheme of black and silver seemed appropriate since we were “mourning” not being able to travel, social injustice and the disruption and death caused by COVID-19. I took the week to research authentic French recipes to cook as well as French Jazz artists to provide a full experience. I made everything from scratch (yes, the macarons, too!), and it was amazing. We sat outside, ate and talked for nearly four hours. It was a much needed change to the monotony of our COVID days.

Fast-forward to December. I’m still using the same process. I still research every aspect of the country/region of focus from their food and music culture to colors that are considered respectful and appropriate. I still cook everything from scratch, and I typically serve four courses, champagne/wine and a signature drink. It typically takes anywhere from 4-7 hours to cook. I’m starting to prep more to cut down on that time. For those of you who know me, you know I love to thrift. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that I thrift nearly everything from the linens to the dinnerware to the décor.

It has been an amazing concept and journey. The engineer in my loves the research and the process. The southern belle in me loves the details and the cooking. The wife in me loves this uninterrupted time with my hubby where we can talk without distraction and experience something new. We’re committed through the end of quarantine, so follow follow our journey as we continue to go around the world!