Alec Lobrano, author of "Hungry for Paris" -- my interview

I was very fortunate to have an opportunity to interview Alec Lobrano, author of  "Hungry for Paris".  As many of you know from my previous blogs, my first year in Paris was a challenge, especially where food was concerned. I found the food mediocre at best, and often asked myself, “what am I doing wrong?” Was I hitting all the tourist spots, or was I just being too picky? Paris, after all is the culinary capital of the world.  I realized that in order to have good affordable food, you need to be in the know, which I was not.  I discovered Alec Lobrano’s book, “Hungry for Paris” (see reviews)   totally by accident through surfing the internet. It was the best find ever, because he is in the know.

The book provides the readers a list of 102 of his favorite restaurants and an insight to the restaurant world of Paris, with a dose of Alec’s wonderful sense of humor, it’s just plain, easy, fun reading, plus the tips and tricks about restaurant dining in Paris are invaluable.

How does it feel to be back in the U.S.?

Whenever I return to the US for the holidays, my family and friends always ask the question, "So, how does it feel to be back in the U.S.?" My response, is always "it feels great", after-all, I am American and the US will always be first and foremost my home.

These are my impressions or better yet, comparisons of my life in France, primarily in Paris as well as my life in the U.S., primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Lake Tahoe area.   When I first land in the US, my first impression is, we have such wonderful airports, even the ugliest ones are much, much nicer than CDG. I think I've mentioned in several different blogs that CDG airport works hard at being one of the top worst airports in the world.