A Five Course Splurge

I've had my first French restaurant revelation this week.

It was from this little hole in the wall place that I won't use by name because it can't become too famous...we (as obvious americans) were asked how we had heard about it, it is a local secret treasure. ( I'll share on request!) The following food almost made me cry it was so good. We chose to go crazy and try the chefs meal for the table, priced really well at 30 euros. I don't know the real names, so I'll try to explain...

first course:
octopus and beet salad ( who knew this would be awesome)
something like hummus, but better. seasoned SO well and kind of spicy
avocado puree and ham, what a happy couple
buttery, yummy shrimp (still with their little heads on!)
a cold melon soup
BREAD, such good bread

second:
the best halibut like fish I have ever had. cooked with these grilled bell peppers
oh and the sauce, warm tomato and peppers.
BREAD

third:
lentils and carrots and what we thought was pork. It was at this point that the gentleman who asked how we knew of this place, congratulated us on being brave.

the waitress then asks if we liked the tongue....I actually did not
BREAD (with the lentils and sauce!)

dessert:
Sheep cheese and cherry sauce. I could live in that cherry sauce. At this point in the meal I am considering working for food in the restaurant the rest of the summer

simple cherry tart, perfect end to the meal. light and delicious

Reims/Champagne Region

First, I don't know why we decided to go anywhere on a Sunday in the middle of holiday season in France. Reims (pronounced "Rance" like "France"), was a ghost town. But we still got an AWESOME tour of the Roman caves where they keep 3 million bottles of champagne. Here are some pictures- and this New Years, be prepared for me to go on and on about the champagne making process, because I definitely feel like an expert now.

the sign says champagne, and I like this random house

the caves! I don't really have a taste for "good champagne" but this place had a great reputation and the glass at the end was good

this is the Notre Dame of Reims, almost all of the French kings have been coronated here. Beautiful!

Definitely one of my favorite cathedrals

And I just realized I would feel ridiculous if I didn't say something about Bastille Day. I have been looking forward to this French celebration all summer... here is the breakdown

• America does parades better. The parade was all military, although the units did sing. And it POURED
• No one wears national colors, and I'm pretty sure the travelers get more into it. aka no face painted French flags
• They can do fireworks, that plus the Eiffel Tower, and carefully choreographed displays to the best French songs I have ever heard. I felt like Ratatouille when he tasted that cheese and bread (strawberry?) together for the first time!!!

Characterization of Coxsackie virus B3 (CVB3) RNA dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) variants in vitro.

That is the official title of my summer research project.

First, if you want the best explanation of my lab....

http://www.vignuzzilab.eu/research.htm

Second, I want to try and explain what I’m doing for research this summer- I’m sorry if I under/over simplify things!

I am researching RNA virus population dynamics. I am working specifically with the Coxsackie virus B3 (CVB3), an RNA virus that is very similar to the poliovirus. Viruses exist in nature not as a single “species” with tightly controlled genomes, but as “quasispecies”. These genetically diverse populations are better equipped to adapt to new environments, and RNA viruses make the most mutations during replication compared to other types of polymerases. You have probably heard of this in terms of many different infectious agents, and how it is hard to make drugs targeting rapidly evolving organisms- the arms race between virus and host. CVB3 is mainly a third world problem, causing “hand, foot, and mouth disease”, but it is another viral model we can study.

For those who want to read more.
CVB3 has a RNA dependent, RNA polymerase (RdRp) that is responsible for it’s replication, almost identical to the poliovirius RdRp. When studying poliovirus, they discovered mutant populations that were resistant to the antiviral drug Ribavirin. These mutants had RdRps that were making fewer mutations during replication, therefore creating a smaller population cloud of virus, or “quasispecies”. This was the result of a mutation at just one amino acid in the active site of the polymerase-position 64. When these “high fidelity” mutants were then exposed to other antiviral drugs, the viruses were unable to mutate and had attenuated virulence. This has implications in terms of vaccine safety and future treatment with antiviral medication.

I am expanding off the observations in the poliovirus model; instead we induced mutations in the RdRp of CBV3 and are seeing if we can find a mutant that is Ribavirin resistant. What we are finding is that despite the extreme similarity, mutations at the same position effect the two viruses differently and with limited viability. Induced mutations in one region, often become reverted with low fidelity polymerases instead of the high fidelity polymerases. Hopefully, by the end of the summer I can characterize the different types of mutations!

I louv the louvre

I apologize for my awful pun.

I went for the Friday evening special (free under 26), and tried to follow the advice about how not to get sucked into the crowds. The same warnings...don't go in the main entrance, have a plan of places you want to see, don't get distracted by the gift shops... etc.

And what do I do? I get mesmerized by the giant pyramid, wait in the long line to go down the main steps, and end up following a herd mindlessly to the Mona Lisa. Thankfully the crowds died down early, and I was able to wonder for three hours in relatively empty rooms.

I went thinking it would be too big to enjoy or somehow disappointing, with people often listing other more manageable museums as their favorites. But I loved it. How can people not?!!? From the Italian paintings to Napoleon's living room, to the ceilings in every small corridor, I was hooked. I didn't take pictures-I wouldn't even know where to start.

Instead I brought my camera to the modern art museum- the pompidou. If you ever have one day in paris and want to see one an incredible view of the city and art, come here. They also had a great feminist art exhibit.

images of the museum itself lacking the normal exterior and the city views.

In other news, here is a random picture from fourth of july celebrated in an awesome parisian park. When we told them it was our 4th of July, they always said "congratulations". Yes, America, congratulations!

view from the top of the gazebo on the hill. somehow this huge lake and surrounding area is tucked away, but by far the best park in Paris (Buttes-Chaumont park in north Paris)

The 4th is one my favorite holidays... this is the best I could come up without an oven and with a French monoprix (no frosting, plain cakes, or blueberries). The whipped cream melted in about 2 min and yes, that is the top of smurf gummy candy for the stars.

and for tonight....GO SPAIN!

Let Them Eat Cake

Latest traveling has been day trip to Versailles.

Despite the rain and rude american man freaking out, it was actually one of my favorite places so far. Scratch that. Marie Antoinette's estate has been my favorite thing so far. We literally spent the day wondering around her millions of fountains and pretending we were wearing big french dresses. It was so interesting and not like the gaudy palace I envisioned. I am currently obsessed with her and will probably start her only fan club based solely on her taste in garden landscaping. The rain kept the crowds away for a little and there were more trees than Boulangeries- always a plus for Paris.

(I think I took a dozen pictures of this one garden/palace to try and capture how amazing it is. Normally I hate when people show a bunch of the same place, but I am making an exception for myself... I have spared you all by only posting a few)

I am uploading pictures because we had fun experimenting with camera settings and the ap euro student in me wants everyone to see it!

(the Royal Family Cheat Sheet)

me and masha in front of one of the millions of lakes

me and kiyoko at the main versailles gardens

it was raining, this is the only picture that shows it

masha the artsy photographer