Paula's European Vacations

Hey, y'all

I'm Paula Deen. And believe it or not, my husband Michael and I

are going to Europe for the very first time ever. We're going to see London

Big Ben's wrong. Big Ben is three minutes slow. We're going to experience Paris

How do you say butter? Butter. Is that all the beer you're going to put

We're going to meet the people. Là-dedans, vous avez du poulet de brèche

Does anybody know what he said about my breasts? We're going to see the sights

You just can't appreciate it until you see it in person, can you? I know. And of course, we're going to eat the food

Who in your right mind would want blood pudding when you can have bread pudding

And Michael has promised some surprises. Where are we going? His trip to London and Paris, it changed my life

So come on, y'all. Ready or not, London and Paris, here we come

I think I might be in heaven. When I was growing up, traveling was non-existent

I don't ever recall my family taking a vacation. A vacation to us was going to Florida to visit my grandparents

When you've spent 20 years suffering from agoraphobia, riding that roller coaster, I mean, just the thought of going to Florida could send you into a panic attack

With working hard and raising a family, I never really had the opportunity to really even think about travel

So how thrilled was I when Michael gave me my Christmas present

Paula, I am taking you to Paris. I can't tell you how excited I was when I found out that it was really gonna happen

that I was really gonna get to go see London and really get to go to Paris

It was very exciting to see London through my eyes and through Michael's eyes

because I had had family and friends that had made the trip, and I had heard about it and experienced it through them

You really sent my way. It was fabulous, plus to get it firsthand

First I could see this big, big thing from far off that looked like a Ferris wheel

And naturally I looked over at Michael and said, look, can we go ride that Ferris wheel

That was a big man. Well, it turned out to be the London Eye

and it's like big capsules. This is the Scotland Yard here. Was there stripes on it

Scotland Yard, so that's where they solve all the crimes, right? And this is the House of Parliament

The red tents are where the lords eat lunch, and the green tents are where the parliamentarians eat lunch

You've been studying. I've been reading up. You have been doing some homework

Well, I was so excited because it was right there on the river, and all the beautiful buildings

It was just breathtaking. And of course, it didn't take Michael and I long

to build up a big appetite. So we ran back to the hotel just in time for high tea

I think you're really going to do this, Steve. Good afternoon and welcome to the Barkeep

Hey, thank you, thank you. Well, first they asked us what kind of tea we preferred

And of course, I said, Luzian. The waitress told me, y'all, that fancy English folks wouldn't eat between lunch and a midnight supper

So they had what we know as high tea, an informal meal of finger foods served with tea

It just so happened the week that we were in London, it was Fashion Week going on

So all of our sweets were designed in honor of Fashion Week

I gotta have a bite of pocketbook. What you reaching for? I wanted to take a bite out of your pocketbook

You already have. You know, I love sweet and I love savory

So I had a wonderful time going back and forth, back and forth

But the cutest part was watching this big old river man sit there with his little teacup, sipping his tea

You just can't tell the riverboat men how much you liked it

It'll be our secret. Okay. Don't tell anybody. I won't tell if you won't tell

Perfect. Now I can say I've really had high tea. Really, the best way to see London is just crawl in the back of one of those taxi cabs

I loved our cabbie in London. His name was John. So adorable

And he was cockney. Well, I think we'll start off with Buckingham Palace, where our queen lives

That's great. And maybe by the time the morning's over, we will have gotten rid of your accent

I couldn't understand a damn word he was saying. He took us everywhere

This is the front door of Buckingham Palace. But it was like right downtown

And that just blew me away. Because somehow in my head I had kind of pictured it out on this countryside maybe

Does the Queen ever come out? Union Jack's up there, the rule stand it isn't

So the chances are she's not in. We're in the cab and all of a sudden we saw these men on horseback

And a cabbie pulled over, let us hop out of the cab and get along the street like we were watching a parade

and come to find out this was the Queen's Guards. They still have a very formal way of life in many ways over there

And to see this take place was pretty awesome. This is probably what you know is Big Ben at to the right

Where's Big Ben? There it is right there. Big Ben's wrong. Big Ben is three minutes slow

You and I have really never been anywhere, had we? Not far

And get to do things like this. I know. It's wonderful. Isn't it neat

And especially getting to do it together. I know. It's like we're getting to see the world for the first time

I know. Through new eyes, isn't it? Together. I know. This is wonderful

Up next, we're gonna be getting a taste of British food. When in England, do us the English

And later a taste of Paris We supposed to be Sharon Huh It was definitely things that I didn want to miss in London

that I wanted to make sure was on my schedule. The place that I could not miss was called Howard's

Hey, you look awfully handsome. Thank you. It's a department store. And girls, when I tell y'all it's a department store, this is a department store

It's huge. I could not wait to get into the food court because I had heard that they had it all

Well, sure enough, they had it all. Every kind of cheese in the world, every kind of savory pie you could hope to have

seafood game. But let me warn y'all, in London, they don't cut the chicken's heads off

So when you go to the market and get it, it's still got its head and its feet on it

I told Michael, I said, if that's supposed to make me hungry

it's not working. But that's the way they let their customers know

how fresh everything is. Mozilla Spanish black pudding. Buy some black pudding

What is it? Well, there's two types, the Spanish and the British

And basically what it is, it's a mixture of pork mince with pork blood, dried pork blood

But it's really tasty, really good. It's a British delicacy. Who in your right mind would want blood pudding when you can have bread pudding

It was wonderful fun just going from one counter to the next, seeing all these different foods

Harrods did indeed have something for everybody from every corner of the world

But Michael and I were ready for some truly local flavor. Over there in London, they have like open food markets

I wanted to get in there. I wanted to see the real people that lived in this place

I wanted to see what they really ate. And it was quite an experience

Londoners, y'all, have been buying their fresh meats and vegetables at Borough Market for centuries

The market originated on the London Bridge in the 1200s, and it's been in its present location since 1851

I met the cutest bacon man. He actually fried me up some bacon

Now, that's your plain bacon, that one there. You had a bit of this big bacon

And they have bacon over there that I've never seen in America. It was called back bacon, and it was whiter

and it had more meat running through it than, like, a regular piece of bacon

It's got the rind still on it, Michael. And a bit of pig hair as well. You can't piece it

I was going to say, I'm picking the... It tickles your throat as it goes down. I'm picking the hair off mine

Oh, why? It tickles your throat on the way down. I'm a sissy

That is yummy, isn't it? You could tell that there was not any preservatives in any of their meat

that it was just as natural as you could get. We don't see that here in the U.S. because there's so many health codes and laws

So I can't tell you what a treat that was. They do a lot of cold pies, and they're in a pastry

and they slice it and you can see the gel from the meat

May I have some? Certainly. Shoulder of pork, salt and pepper, and a natural bone stock jelly

Basically cold pork. Pork is quite a nice meat cold. It brings out a lot more of the flavor when it's cold

This is traditionally a farmer's lunch food. Lunch? Yeah. He would take it out in the field

Traditionally, you would break the pastry away, throw the pastry away. The pastry was purely to protect the meat

But obviously, as the time grew up, people realized if you made a nice pastry, you enhanced the product

The pastry is what makes it. Yeah. Let me tell y'all about this stand that we found

I said, oh my goodness, these people are after my own heart. Any of those that have watched my show know anything you can do with a potato

I just love. And I heard about a sandwich called a chip buddy

Yeah, I can do one of those. You can do one for me. Yes, with the show

Let me tell y'all something. It was French fries on buttered bread

I said, oh my goodness, I found home. Oh my gosh. I eat mayonnaise with my french fries

And I tried my best to talk her in to put me some mayonnaise on that bread

You don't think it needs any mayonnaise? No, you're spoiling. When in England, do us the English

A potato is my favorite food in the whole entire world. I think I might be in heaven

I'm going to go back home and I'm going to fix my family a Chip Buddy sandwich

And they're going to think I've truly lost my mind. Coming up, y'all, things are going to get just a little cheesy

This better be some good cheese, McKellar. Well, I hope you're going to get me in this outfit

And then it's off to the races. I got it, don't I

By George? This was our last day in Britain

And before we headed to Paris, y'all, Michael and I figured it was time to visit that quaint English countryside

Windsor is a beautiful town just outside of London and home of the famous Windsor Castle

I knew that I couldn't miss Windsor Castle. It's where, like, the princess would stand in the window

and she would have the long, platted hair, and she'd hang her hair out so her prince could climb up her hair and get her

How romantical is that? Out at Windsor Castle, guess what time it was

It was lunchtime. So we found this wonderful little pub that was located right next to the castle

And I have heard so much about English pub food. Couldn't wait to try it

I had the fish and chips that were just delicious. And then Michael had steak and ale pie

Just looking, I want some fish and chips. Look at that, Michael

Oh, that looks great. Fish and chips began being served in England in the 1800s and became popular as a quick hot meal in busy seaside towns That fried cod served with those thick cut fries was delicious

What is this? Steak and ale pie. Steak and ale pie evolved from using leftover beef

tenderized with beer to give it a rich flavor. Y'all know I love blue cheese

And the folks at the pub told us about this little farm just down the road where they make the absolute best

In this fabulous drop dead setting. It's a one woman operation. She makes all the cheese herself and she sells it to specialty shops

So if you can put that on Paula. And then Michael actually you can have one of these on

Is this one size fits all? Yeah. Even though blue cheese has mold growing in it, it can't be the wrong kind

which means you've got to keep very strict hygienic rules at the cheese factory

This better be some good cheese, McKellar. Well, I hope you like it

Get me in this outfit. I came here to have blue cheese today, but I don't see any blue in it

Well, it is actually in there, Paula. I know. It's in there. The penicillin is in there, but it doesn't activate

I'll show you in a minute. In the maturing room, you'll see that the cheeses start off white

and then after about 10 days, the blue just starts growing on the outside

and then we spike the cheeses because we have to spike the cheeses so that the air can get in so that the mold can grow

And that's how you get, like, the blue veining, you know, like the blue veining in the cheese, but I'll show you that in a minute

Milk, penicillin, and vegetarian rennet were mixed in the vat the night before

to start forming the curd. Cutting the curd was the way Michaela began separating the solid curds from the liquid, which we know is whey

Now, she doesn't use the whey, so it's drained and the curds are eventually placed in the molds that give them shape as they start the aging process, which usually takes about five weeks

This is the best blue cheese I've ever tasted. It's so creamy

Like ours is, our blue cheese is very crumbly. And this is just like butter

Our last stop, y'all, was at the Windsor Great Park where we had a treat that had absolutely nothing to do with food

We got to experience the English pastime of carriage racing. Watch the horse poop

You're making me step in. I got to meet up with the cutest man named George Bowman, and he took me for a carriage ride

Would you care to join me on the carriage? I would just love to join you on the carriage

Now, y'all, I've been in plenty of carriages back in Savannah, but the English have made it a whole sport of its own

It's a contest, but it's not necessarily a speed contest. It's different maneuvers

How are you? I do have a very jealous wife. Oh, well, these horses can outrun her

But look. I keep an eye on her. Look. Look. I say I'm quite safe

She's got security. I don't have a jealous husband, though. Where's my whip

He was loads of fun. When he talked, it was in a very formal way

But yet, he was cutting jokes with me. When your president, Regan, was over visiting the Queen

and they were out for the drive in this very park No

And the horse was making rude noise And imagine she said to Mr. Regan

She said, I'm very sorry, President But there are things even we royalty have no control over

She said, that's okay, ma'am If you hadn't said anything and I thought it was the horse

He took me for a carriage ride. And then I took him for a carriage ride

And he let me wear his hat. I got it, don't I

By George. I can do this thing. Whoa! I'm so grateful

You were such a wonderful, kind sport. You made a wonderful job of driving

It was wonderful fun. When we come back, this girl is getting her just desserts

Look, this is the way you do it. And later, a Paris treat you won't forget

London was amazing. And to get to Paris, we decided to take the train over, which was a beautiful trip

And I got off of that train in Paris, and I was almost speechless

You know, I wanted to do this, you know, are you really here

Are you really in Paris, Paula? The city of romance and dreams and food, people, and the shopping

Oh, girls, you could shop till you drop. They say the best way to see Paris is to just walk around with your sweetheart

and stop when it strikes your fancy. Oh, my goodness, look at him

Let's go in here. I have to tell you about all the pastries there

What's the best? What do you prefer, chocolate or fruits? Yes. He likes them all

Michael adores sweets, while the patisseries over there are unbelievable. We're supposed to be sharing

Huh? Michael and I look like pigs. In fact, I think we were

I think we probably overdid it. Can we have one of those, please, too

But when you know you're going to have only one visit, we could not limit ourselves to one thing apiece

Originally, pastries were only available to the very wealthy. But after the French Revolution

these beautiful artworks made of cake and such became available to everybody

and now are just a sweet part of everyday life. And I'll tell you something else

These shops are not hard to find. I mean, they're on every corner

Look, this is the way you do it. Oh in the patisserie I almost hurt myself I had some kind of pastry It had like a pistachio shortcake bottom It so stinking good This is pistachio

Mmm. This is like an egg custard. A soft egg custard. We had a selection of like six pastries, I think

And you know, we ate every one of them. Mmm. You know, I didn't see a lot of fat Parisians either

They drink a lot of wine. They eat their bread. They eat their butter

And they eat all these pastries. You know, I say, how can they stay so skinny

I'm going to look at people just laying around on the grass. Does this remind you of Forsyth Park

Uh, only nicer. We got to go through one park over there

And it was a beautiful park. And, you know, people strolling through the park

I mean, you can look at these people, you can observe them, and tell that they know how to live and know how to enjoy life

They didn't appear to me to be a bunch of uptight people. There was a young man in the park playing hacky sack right by himself

I want to play with you. Oops! Again! Again. Oh, oh

You're not supposed to do it. I knocked him in the head, Michael

Thank you for playing with me. No problem. Have a nice day

You too. It was a good thing that we were walking because we were steady building up an appetite

We went to one bread place, and they had all these different kind of breads

and we walked in and said, how am I going to make up my mind

What do you recommend? Bacon. Let's get one of those. I chose a bread with bacon in it

I said, this is too perfect. Bread and bacon, all in the same bite

Look at that bacon in there, Michael. Delicious. There really are like a, especially down here in the South

where you buy a loaf of bread and you keep it around for five days to a week

to make your sandwiches with. It's not that way over there at all

The people in Paris buy their bread fresh daily because they don't fill them with preservatives

It's a natural product. And they have got the art of baking bread

down to perfection. Wouldn't it be wonderful with some grits and fried eggs

One of my favorite little finds while we were in Paris was it was like a restaurant supply house, only it was open to everybody

We walked up and I could look through the plate glass window and see all this kitchen stuff

You know how you felt in that patisserie shop? I feel the same way in here, just like I could puddle

Parlez-vous ingles? I speak English, yes. Yes, how are you? Fine and you

Is this a restaurant supply house? Everybody. You'll take everybody's money. You won't discriminate

Yes, right. Good. Oh, my goodness. I saw so many things that I'd love to take home

But the suitcase is only so big, so I can't. I spotted all this fine quality copper

I wound up buying two roasting pans. And you pick them up and, I mean, they're heavy

They'll last for years. And they'll be there for my great-grandchildren when they're ready to cook

Unbelievable quality of pots and pans. After we left there, we went up to Mo Mart

and it was like all kind of shops and cafes and around the square of the park

was all these wonderful artists working on their art in the square

And the people were just jam-packed in there. I mean, you bumped against each other

Artists really made this place famous. Great artists like Toulouse-Lautrec lived here because it was cheap

It had great nightclubs like the Moulin Rouge and the Follies Berger and was full of pretty girls

We went up to the Sacred Heart Church and it set up on a big hill and you could look down and see the entire city of Paris

Unbelievable. And then it had steps, almost like if you were going to be sitting on the steps watching a football game

Only it wasn't a football game you were watching. It was the city of Paris

Next, y'all, I meet a man that's after my own heart. And later..

Well, you have to wait. It's a surprise. Michael gives me the surprise of a lifetime

I think my all-time favorite thing in Paris was something that was so very simple

and that was the outdoor market. I had been to the outdoor market in England

and I have to say the outdoor market in Paris was truly unbelievable

For those of you that have not been to Paris, just to come to their markets is worth the trip

I'm in food heaven. I learned that each outdoor market in Paris has its own specialty

There was one for birds, one for books, and this one, which featured regional organic foods

Unbelievable. It doesn't get much fresher than this, does it? They do crepes, or as we call them, crepes

They call them crepes. But they do those over here like we do hamburgers in America

Crepes, savory, sweet. Like I said, I don't see how those folks over there can even walk

They should be fat as ducks. Look at that. She knows just how much to put on there

Plenty of butter. Lots of butter. Extra butter. How do you say butter

Bath. Bath. Bath. Bath. Bath. Yeah, bear? Is that all the bear you gonna put

I don't know. Bull bear. Bull bear. Yes, you missed the spot right now

Yes. I learned that crepes originally came from the Brittany region in France

where the land was too poor to grow enough wheat to bake breads

So this thinner pancake was a way to stretch what flour they had

It's wonderful in there. I would love for our house to be right over there

and with the kitchen. Kitchen ready. Uh-huh, and you and I could just run over here

and get stuff and cook and eat all day. Can I tell y'all something

This girl was in her element when she found the chicken man

Oh, look at this. Oh, holy cow. Holy chicken. Holy chicken. You roasted these chickens

and at the bottom, y'all, of this roaster, it was just piled up with new potatoes

that had been peeled. And then these chickens were seasoned and put on these racks

and all that drippings from the chicken, guess where they went? On the potatoes

It was heavenly. Pouvez-vous anglais? Non, je parle français, c'est déjà pas mal

Ok? He was so adorable, and he cooked chicken that was almost as good as the Lady and Sons

I got that

What did he say about my breasts

I don't know. Does anybody know what he said about my breasts

And he invited me into his booth to have some of his chicken

I have to tell you, that chicken was to die for. That chicken was out of this world

Very good. Very good. Yes. I think I got me a boyfriend for life, actually

Les Français sont formidables. Okay? Friends are one guess, y'all are. And it's American, too

I think one of the highlights of Michael's trip was Maison du Chocolat

You know you probably been preparing for this all your life I have This is like the Super Bowl for me The Super Bowl Oh my goodness Like a kid in a candy store

I've been saving myself for this. You haven't done a good job of saving yourself

A man named Robert Linkshaw set up his first chocolate workshop in the 1970s

in a wine cellar, making his chocolates all by hand. And today, he has shops in New York, Tokyo, and London as well

You want to taste? Yes. You ask a fat girl if she wants to taste a piece of candy

the answer would be yes. Oh, we went in there and we just ate and ate and ate

Thank you. I can't miss this place. You must do it. You have a big box

Yes, big box. I think just a small box. Maybe a small one

The thing that I associated Paris most with was like little sidewalk cafes

I expected every restaurant to have little round tables where the locals would come in and have their coffee or an afternoon tea or a snack

and we went to this one place that was just, just as I had pictured it

Cafes in Paris are havens from the hectic city life. You know, some folks pop in and stand at the bar for a quick coffee

but for a lot of folks, a cafe can be a home away from home

a place to read a paper, a bump into a neighbor, or just sit back and enjoy the city as it goes by

I think Paris is truly a place for lovers. Such a romantic city

What really took my breath away, you can sit around and you can see pictures of it and you can think about it

But the Eiffel Tower, the Eiffel Tower will take your breath away

How long did it take us to climb those steps? You want to go try? No. But do you think it would take us a day

Well, it depends on if they've got a hospital halfway. You just can't appreciate it until you see it in person, can you

I know. That brought tears to my eyes. It was breathtaking. I kept telling Michael, my children need to be here

They need to see this. This is a city for young, in love people

We've got to encourage our children to come here. I know. Next Michael surprises me with a Parisian memory that gonna last me a lifetime

Mine and Michael's dreams have always been on a smaller scale of trips that we might be able to take together

And the neat thing about our trip was the fact that we discovered it together

It was not like one knew more than the other. Both of us together were just in awe of where we were

And the fact that we were together, you know, it just doesn't get any better than that, does it

Michael and I had had such a fabulous time, such a wonderful time together

and he surprised me by saying, I've got one more surprise for you

And I said, well, what is it? He said, just get ready and I'll show you

So where are you taking me? I've got a special surprise for you. Do you

Where are we going? it. He led me up onto the roof, top of the Four Seasons in Paris, overseeing Paris

Isn't that great? And this beautifully dressed table, sitting there on the tip top

of this building filled with all kind of delicious food. How's that for a view

I can't tell y'all the feeling that came over me. makes me want to tear up just to talk about

Oh, you have tears in your eyes. How are you? I've wondered more than once

how could a little girl from southwest Georgia wind up in the middle of Paris

looking at the Eiffel Tower, surrounded by all this beauty. I'll never forget this as long as I live

It's unbelievable. He still had one more surprise in him. And that was the surprise that truly knocked me over

Madame, how's it going? Bonjour, y'all. That surprise. Can you believe it

Hey, people. Hey. Bonjour. Oh, no

La mama! Oh, mom! No! No! I've been trying to call you

We weren't there weeks in Paris! What are y'all doing here? We're hungry

Oh, my God! I told Michael I said, oh! You okay? Y'all are in Paris

Did you know what? Did you know you're in Paris? Yes. Are y'all not a dream

Did you know they would come? Yeah, it was a plan. Michael set it up months ago. No

Yeah? Yes. I wanted y'all to come to Paris so bad. Okay

Oh, my goodness. I love y'all so much. We love you. Isn't this beautiful

I couldn't believe it. When I turned around and saw my children, I had pined for them all week

And then all of a sudden, they were just there, right in front of me

It's a wonder the old girl didn't have a heart attack. It's too much for an old lady

There has been nothing like it, and I know there never will

like that moment on top of that hotel in Paris, France. My heart is so full

Let's raise a glass. Cheers. So full. Cheers. Cheers. Cheers to a beautiful family

This trip to London and Paris changed my life. I think it's made me realize that this great big world that we live in is really, when it gets right down to it, not that big

You know, people are people wherever you go. And there's so many wonderful, wonderful people out there to meet and wonderful things to see

All you have to do is make the effort