Aero: Christine Elizabeth – France 2015 – Food and Dining
Aero: Christine Elizabeth – France 2015 – Food and Dining
Creative Commons Image via The LEAF Project
Aero: Christine Elizabeth – France 2015 – Food and Dining
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Christine Elizabeth
Food, the French are known world round for their exquisite taste in food and awesome creative cuisine. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to taste what I consider to be some of the best food in the world.
I would have to say that my first experience was on the plane, the food we received was like a full blown meal. Bread with cheese, pasta, juice, brownie and a salad. That was just the beginning. My second experience was when we finally dropped our luggage off at our hotel and decided to go to a local restaurant and get something to eat. I ordered a café (coffee) and Pain au Chocolat (chocolate inside a croissant like pastry). When I received it oh my goodness what a surprise, the coffee came in a small cup about the size of my palm, and it was more like expresso because it was so strong. Alongside it was a little tiny pitcher of cream. My Pain au chocolat was not only warm it was super fresh, and flaky. With every touch more flakes fell as I consumed it. One thing I noticed about eating in France that I really appreciate, that is very different from the USA is how once you order food and the waiter/waitress brings you your food, they don’t come and bother you again or make you feel like you have to leave. The table is yours basically until you choose to leave. You could be there for hours and they won’t make you feel pressured to leave.
Breakfast times I enjoyed probably the most because there were always such fresh delicious smelling pastries and crepes available, fresh and hot off the oven. One morning in Paris as we went to the market across the street, there was a whole line of hot food vendors to which we were given samples of the food. I decided to buy this salty creamy goat kind of cheese crepe burrito folded pastry and oh my gosh was it delicious! The French really know how to cook. The cheese was super creamy and salty and the pastry exterior was warm and soft with crispy edges, it was phenomenal and made my morning by making me smile and say mmmmm. Lunch times as I had mentioned previously in another article were great because as well as dinner, you could find places to get a 3 course meal for the equivalent of $12-13. The food was ALWAYS fresh no matter where you went. It did not look old or recooked like it does sometimes in America. I loved that about their culture and wish we would adapt a similar standard here in America. Menus were usually placed outside so you could see what there is to eat as well as the prices before you decide to go in or not. I think that’s smart because it saves time and effort, and shows that the company is not just trying to trick you to come in and then feel guilty if you don’t want to stay because of prices like some American restaurants do.
At the school, the cafeteria was more upscale then the ones here in the USA and the food was more gourmet in my opinion. One of the meals I had was mashed potatoes, bread and cheese, Brussel sprouts with carrots, orzo pasta salad, cold salmon pate and rice pudding! All in one meal! They definitely spare no expense on feeding these kids. Very different from the piece of meat small glob of mashed potatoes, small cup of fruit or veggies you get in a USA school.
ML@FLCC France 2015 Flickr Photo Gallery
I noticed whenever we ate out in a restaurant water was usually the main beverage of choice. Very rarely did I see anyone drinking anything besides a coffee or water. Something else that my professor pointed out to me one day as we were eating in a diner after leaving the musee d’orsay, that soda is the same price as wine or beer. About 5 euros per glass, that was shocking to me because I look at how in America soda is so cheap, and almost the same price if not a little bit more than water when ordering in a restaurant. It just went to show me the priority and value people place on certain things in other countries.
Dinner at home was always prepared just like it would be here in the states, usually by the mother and sometimes the kids depending on the meal. There was dinner and then there was dessert, usually cheeses and bread or some kind of a pastry and/or chocolate.
Oh yea and last but not least I don’t want to forget to mention that if your host asks you if you want some cider to drink when you have crepes in the morning, they don’t mean apple cider they mean alcoholic cider, just some food for thought 😛
Christine Elizabeth
LEAF Contributor
