My usual lunch at Terra Tolosa turned into something different today. When I went in, the chef (Yochen Larger) said that they did not have much new on the menu. They were waiting for the portions to run out and then would make major changes to the menu. I think he was apologizing for my having eating much of the menu already. It was very nice.

I suggested that instead of my choosing what I would he, I would let the chef decide what I would eat. That turned out to be a great choice as I go an off menu item and the new plat on the menu as my lunch.

The off menu item was steak tartare with herbed goat cheese, a slightly cooked egg yolk and nori. There was cracked Parmesan biscuits and caper berries as decoration. It was very good. It definitely had a good mix of textures and flavor.

The main course, which I did not take a picture of stupidly was pork belly on a bed of sweet potato purée. There were regular potatoes, carrots and bok choy that has been roasted. The pork belly was cooked perfectly as it was crispy and tender at the same time.

For dessert, I had deconstructed lemon meringue pie. There was the lemon cream filling, hard meringue bits, Chantilly cream and then little spots of lemon gel with give a burst of flavor. The pie crust was broken and interspersed in the dish. The side was basil ice cream which was surprisingly good – herbed ice cream always seems weird to me.

Remy offered me a very nice 100% Syrah wine to go with the lunch. It was very hardy and went great with pork belly.

After lunch, I met Elliot to discuss a job opportunity that he had received. It was a consulting gig with an American company. He has asked me to review the contract that they sent. After listening to his view of the job and the pros and cons, he said he did not think he was going to take it. I was of the same opinion but wanted him to come to his own decision. I had reservations as the contract required at least 40 hours a week of work but did not really cover what the job required. I could see Elliot working a lot more than 40 hours and not getting paid for those hours as it was a flat rate payment for work.

We met at Flowers Cafe and had tea and pastries. I had walked by Flowers Cafe many times and thought it would a good place to have a pastry but it was always packed so was reluctant to try. It was fun to get to try it and have a nice time with Elliot.

An aside of our meeting, is that Elliot took a sick day and by regulation was not allowed to go out between 8:00 am and 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm. Elliot said that theoretically someone could stop by his house to ensure that he was there and was sick. Definitely not how it has worked in my experience in America.

Run in Toulouse had their Halloween costume run tonight. I do not think Halloween is as much of a thing as only 4 women showed up in costume. After the run, we voted by clapping for the best costume. I clapped the loudest for Jack Sparrow was she ran the whole run in her costume and it was on point. The turkey costume was great but the women deflated the costume while running.

I enjoyed running with Marc. He asked a pertinent and interesting question. He asked what my daily routine was. It is hard to answer that question even though I had a pretty regular routine. I always feel like I am just an idle wanderer in life. I am not sure that I have a lot of purpose in life but I do not mind. I walk a great deal, I read every day and then have my runs and going out to eat. I do not miss work and do not feel that I do not have enough to do. It might be different if I was always in Alexandria. I do not feel there is as much to see and enjoy when I go walking in Alexandria. There are not all the fun cafes where I a stop. There are not all the people on the street to watch. It is just a different vibe here in Toulouse. I feel very fortunate that I can spend time here and enjoy my life. I am a very privileged person and I know it.