Start Here
I’m Keith Christiansen — a writer, former New York teacher, and lifelong wanderer. A few years ago, my wife and I left the U.S. and began piecing together a new life in France.
Find Home Elsewhere is where I write about food, music, and the oddities of living abroad — how people build meaning through taste, memory, and everyday discovery.
It’s not about politics or checklists or bucket lists. It’s about what we keep, what we learn, and what we leave behind. And what others have left behind for us.
Start with a few reader favorites:
The One Ingredient That Feeds (Western) France Every Fall — Seven recipes, one ingredient, and more comfort per euro than anything else you’ll cook this season.
Not in Our Timeline — On grief, leaving, and the slow unlearning of some of the myths that bind us.
The Art of Moving (And Staying) Abroad — What happens when the novelty fades and real life begins.
Making Do, French Style — A chicken carcass, a couple of carrots, and a pot of lentils — resourcefulness as philosophy.
The City as Dollhouse or The Turgot Map of Paris — A 1739 map that turns Paris into a perfect miniature of itself — and what that says about how we see place.
Subscribe for two new essays each week — one to read slowly, one to spark curiosity — and follow along as we keep learning what “home” really means.
I publish twice a week — one piece midweek about culture, curiosity, or life abroad, and one on the weekend about food, memory, and what’s on the table. Music and other oddities show up when they feel right. The goal isn’t to flood your inbox; it’s to share stories and observations at a pace that gives you time to read, think, and maybe even cook something new.
