7 Years of Beaujolais and Chocolate Cake

Even though I have a pretty good memory for birthday and anniversaries, France throws me a bone every year.  When I start to see this around town, I know that it's time to celebrate:

Classy people that we are, Copain and I met at the Beaujolais wine festival at the Place Saint Pierre in Toulouse when we were étudiants à la fac - so young we were!  I'm happy to say that at the moment of meeting, I'd only had one glass - see, bringin' the classy back! Someone from his group of friends knew someone, who knew someone from my group of friends - got that? The most talkative (and enterprising!) member of the group, and Copain's all-time best friend in the whole wide world, made a comment about how we "should all hang out together". Group of French guys + group of American girls? um, okay!  I think this is when Copain got the hint that his BFF was working his magic as the ultimate wingman, and since at least one person from each group needed to provide a phone number for our future get togethers, Copain asked me for mine.  

Then his BFF tested it to make sure I wasn't lying. 

When Copain called me to arrange for the groups to meet - after trying to understand what the heck he was saying to me in French- I rallied my girlfriends and we went to meet les français for sangria at Le Cube (a bar that has now been shut down in Toulouse (sad face).  Only, much to our surprise, who awaited us at the table on the terrace? Copain and Wingman - and that's all.  We (thankfully) made a perfect little group of five - Copain and his Wingman and me and my girls - and everyone made their best "secretive" efforts for me to sit next to Copain (like going to the bathroom and then choosing a new place to sit upon their return to the table - our friends are smart people, what can I say).   

I guess Copain knew me well right from the beginning, because sooner rather than later, he invited me to his house for un gateau au chocolat (totally made by Belle Mère - merci!). Then I invited him to celebrate Thanksgiving at the American apartment in Toulouse. An American classmate offered him a peanut butter cookie (which he ate!) and I quickly learned about his peanut allergy. As he walked me home, wheezing the whole way, I slipped my arm through his, and the rest is history.

This year, we celebrated with two gateaux au chocolat, from Huré bakery.

I've finally accepted, after 7 years, that Copain hates red wine - especially the Beaujolais (I know, I know, I promise you he IS French). So this year, I got us a demi-bouteille de champagne instead.  

We kept the classy that we are so famous for by drinking it out of whiskey glasses.  

(Truth: we were too lazy to get the champagne glasses out of the boxes we keep them in!).

Happy septième anniversaire.