Everywhere I’ve eaten, even in train stations, the food has been fresh and tasty. No wilted or overcooked vegetables. Freshness and flavor matter. My only less than wonderful experiences have been at a couple of Italian places. There was Chartres where they tried to give me a raw egg to mix into my pasta carbonara (and the pasta itself was pretty wimpy). Loved the trois fromage (one of them was bleu) pasta in Les Eyzies so much that I went back there for dinner. Giant salad crudite for cheap but the chocolate, banana, and chantilly crepe was really boring – my first “who cares?” chocolate experience. No wonder this place wasn’t on the list recommended by my hotel. Although I’ve not been thrilled to see fried potatoes so often, I must say that they are quite good. The oil is light and must be changed often. Taste matters, even for fries.
Salad dressing. If my experience is representative (and it probably isn’t) there is only one basic salad dressing in France; a sort of light mustardy dressing atop every type of salad.
Portions are small. Why DO we super-size in the U.S. I have yet to go away from the table here hungry. And I do like having plenty of room for dessert without stuffing myself. Psychologist Clotaire Rapielle writes about differences in ways that Americans and French perceive and consume food in his book, The Culture Code. He’s absolutely right that the cheese IS more flavorful in France and mostly quite “dead” in the U.S. (Yes, yes, you can go to specialty cheese shops in the U.S. for the good stuff.) And he wonders why a nation so wealthy eats as if it doesn’t know when or where its next meal will be. He supposes that its related to sexual denial; naturally…he is classically trained in psychoanalysis. He might be right though. Something to ponder.
Since portions tend to be small, you are expected to finish what is on your plate. This is unlike many parts of the U.S. and in some other cultures where it is considered polite to leave some food on your plate to indicate that you’ve had enough; you are full. But since in France, food is all about pleasure, who wouldn’t want to enjoy every bite? The point of eating is not to fuel the human machine, it is to enjoy life. I’ve seen very few overweight French. Note to self: investigate obesity and diabetes in France.
Most people that I know who aren’t very familiar with French food (nor was I) assume its all covered in rich sauces. Au contraire! Rich yes, but there are many ways to make a dish flavorful. Other than my salad, very few meals have come covered in sauce. And when they were it was a complement to the plate that made me swoon with pleasure — like the carmelized apple stuff that was served not atop, but beneath my fois gras. Mmmmmmmmmm…….
My creme brulee was simply creme brulee. No other surprise flavors that I didn’t order. Same with my chocolate. The menus always tell you what to expect; you just have to know enough French to understand them!
Now I’m wishing I could remember in what context one of our tour guides was saying something about the Puritans leaving for America and please don’t send them back!
I was trying to explain to “daughter” one evening at dinner that French children DO indeed get exposed to wine quite earl (she brought it up), but that it is often watered down and they are only given a taste to learn how it integrates with various foods. I could tell that she was about as far from “grokking” the concept as one could be.
I like to NOT be rushed out of a restaurant. If I’m in a hurry all I have to do is let the server know that I want my bill right away. The staff is not about moving people in and out efficiently like cows at the slaughterhouse. Know how some restaurants in the U.S. are too chilly? Its no accident; makes you want to hurry up.
Nutella. Everywhere for breakfast, and at almost all of the crepe places. If you don’t know Nutella yet, it is hazelnut butter with chocolate. I like to believe that it is a significant source of protein but I’m probably kidding myself. I don’t want to look it up. BTW, you can get Nutella at CostCo and some grocery stores. Beware: its easy to get hooked on the stuff. In Greece (2008 Study Abroad) I ate a little nearly every day. Well, I had to finish the jar before going back home didn’t I?
House wines. Always good. Even at the more ordinary lunch/dinner places. Don’t be afraid to drink Rose again! Or Chablis. But of course reds are my favorite and I haven’t been traveling in white wine country.
Its okay to eat on the trains and the Metro. You’ll notice that nobody leaves a mess. Behaving in a civilized manner is of great importance in French society, ingrained in children from the earliest ages. Somehow trash makes it into the trash cans. Why can’t Americans manage that? The French are individualists to be certain, but they do care what others think of them and nobody wants to be accused of being “mal eleve” (ill mannered).
For the record, I have seen a couple of other people photographing their food. Okay, just deux. A couple. What I really wanted to photograph were all of the dogs that accompanied their humans to the restaurants. One poor old toy poodle looked like he just wanted to go home and curl up in his favorite sleeping spot but he had to wait for Madame to finish her meal. How boring. He just lay flat on his side staring out into space for a bit. “Oh bother, another long wait under the table.” Imagine being taken to these places where the sight and smell of food is everywhere and none of it is for you. Humans have no manners sometimes. A German couple in Chartres had fun interacting from time to time with their chocolate lab who kept moving about under their table, otherwise they were very sophisticated and serious.
If you’re concerned that French restaurants are dirty because of the presence of dogs, think again. Dogs are on leashes, sitting quietly beneath or beside the table. They do not wander into the kitchens and (almost) nobody is petting them. So hands are clean and fur is not wafting about. They’ve apparently been trained to do their “business” out on the sidewalks and never in the immediate vicinity of an eating establishment — my observation. Others may vary.
I know, I know…you want to go off topic here and ask why they don’t pick up after their dogs or at least guide them to the curb. Maybe because its messy, dirty and just plain gross to deal with? Maybe because there are people whose job it is to clean it up? The small army of men in green uniforms do a wonderful job of keeping the streets and sidewalks clean and the trash cans emptied. If Americans aren’t willing to pay for that service they’ll just have to do it themselves and/or put up with filth. There are always choices, and the choices are made from a cultural perspective of what is appropriate.
Main Course: filet mignon
Rooting around the family tree 