"Bonjour! Je m'appelle Angelina. Je suis chinois. Je voudrais un petit déjeuner "
Living in south america the last thing I ever expected was to have french words flying out of my mouth. I honestly thought that after taking my last French exam in high school and hiding those hideous French grammar books where they'll never see the light of day that it was done and over. Yet there I was in the middle of Boulangerie Cocu speaking french and being understood perfectly.
On February 2, I had an amazing opportunity to indulge in the french tradition known as "La Chandeleur". Basically it is crepe day in France where nation-wide the whole country eats crêpés in celebration of the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus. Though being far from home, the wonderful team at Cocu were determined not to forget their roots and decided that the french community here should be able to celebrate the eating of crêpés just like in their native land of France.
It was blatantly obvious that the owners and the staff were proud of who they were, proud to be french. She took time to explain to me that all the crêpés featured today were the traditional taste of Northern France in Brittany. My sweet tooth was acting up so I chose a crêpé with hazelnut filling. I loved the simplicity of it that in order for it to taste good it didn't need all the extras that North Americans love to dump on a crêpé, thus overpowering the delightful flavors.
If you can imagine a café with the elegance, european flair and the quality that the french are known for swirled with the openness of the latin american spirit, that sums up Cocu in a nutshell. My personal feelings about Boulangerie Cocu can be summed up in just one phrase.....
"Je t'aime à la folie"
