Not what you expected, was it? Food in France is varied and can be good, average, or even bad just as it can be here or anywhere else. What is different is that for many in France food is a passion, and there is a lot of it. Even more than New York or San Francisco, if you don’t like the food choices, walk a few feet and see what else there is.
Over the next few posts, we are going to explore some of the food I had in France, with an emphasis on what was truly good and not so much on what wasn’t. The fact is, I only had one bad meal in France, one that I would call average (at best), and the rest were variations on delicious. We are also going to make a short detour to Las Vegas, and the fabulous “French” meal I had at Hubert Keller’s restaurant, as a bit of comparison.
First things first, let’s start with breakfast. A pastry, some wonderful yoghurt, and excellent coffee were a staple of life. As much as I love bed & breakfast places, be they a Western B&B or one of the many outstanding Ryokans of Japan, for a lengthy stay anywhere now I am going to look into an apartment.
My time in Paris was at an apartment rented by friends for the month. Through any of several services, you can find apartments in almost any city world wide that can be rented by the week, month, or longer. For anyone truly wanting to experience a city/country, or a business traveller who doesn’t want to spend a fortune on hotels where everything and every service comes with a cost, apartments are the way to go. Many come with a kitchen, washer & dryer, and a larger and more comfortable space than a hotel can provide. Highly recommended.
Rather than cook in the morning, I would go out and get a cup of the delightfully thick, strong and full flavored coffee available nearby, a pastry or bread of some sort, and a container of rich, wonderful yoghurt. That said, you can get the local equivalent of what you get in most grocery stores here, or you can shop around a bit (cheese stores are excellent sources) for the good stuff. Go for the good stuff, trust me.
Unlike my advice for many countries, I will tell you that in Paris at least, go with the street food. Keep in mind that it is a bit different than street food from vendor carts. In many parts of Paris, food stores of different types will roll out display cases and gear from inside out to the curb. For a very reasonable price, you can pick out a pretty good sandwich, or more, for a lunch on the go. I found it mildly distressing that most places have very similar items, but if you look around a bit, you can find some variety without having to stop and eat in place.
If a sandwich is not to your taste, stop at a shop window and get a crepe made to order right there. Savory, sweet, or just filled with good food, the choices are yours. Try the different types of crepes, from what we regard as traditional to Breton/whole wheat (or buckwheat). You can get a good meal and a good variety of taste from the many menu options.
If you desire something sweet and cold, you are going to find loads of wonderful ice cream around. There is a serious competition underway between several chain stores, and it is up to you to decide which of them is the best. May I suggest trying not just different providers, but different stores for each provider since the flavors will vary between them?
Now, I did mention that I had one bad meal in France. The result is, I strongly recommend against eating at Le Buci in the Latin Quarter (52 rue Dauphine 75006). You might have drinks there, but the meal was beyond disappointing. When one has to go brush not just teeth, but tongue, to get rid of the flavor… There are several very good restaurants nearby (across the street even), so good food is not hard to find nearby. I had thought a meal near the train station in Caen would be the low point (average, not bad, not great), but…
There is a lot more to come. I hope you will join me on the culinary explorations to come.
LW
