Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Food

If you know me at all, you know eating is my second favorite sport. I love trying new and exotic things. Avoiding the McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Subways has been very easy - I typically snub fast food anyway - although Starbucks has tugged and if there was a 7-11 with a chance to get a Big Gulp...well it wouldn't be pretty. As you have probably already figured out from my posts, we have done a lot of picnicking. Fresh baguettes from the bakeris is de riguer in Paris. I mean really, if you don't get fresh baguettes everyday they deport you as a lunatic. Its the best bread in the world. So bread, cheese and sausage have been our staples. However, Paris is filled with tons of ethnic foods. All of them great - and usually comparatively cheap. Creperies are awesome. Almost every corner has a spot with a couple of griddles where for 3-4 Euros they will cook you up a fresh crepe stuffed with jambon aux fromage, champignon au fromage (ham and cheese and mushroom and cheese) or Nutella (I'm still not sure what that is, peanut butter?) They also serve paninis to die for at about the same price. Today we got one with a diet Coke (usually a king's ransom on its own) for 3 Euros. Soft Italian bread with cheese, tomatoes, and ham or even chicken and grilled up on a panini press. Good stuff. Another thing you see a lot is gyros, but in numerous varieties. We shared one near the flea market filled with tender, flavorful slices of beef and chicken with tomatoes and onions served with fries. Instead of ketchup, we opted for the yogurt dip for our fries. A great choice. Another common dish here is mussels and fries. I can't wait to try it - maybe tomorrow. The 10 Euro prix fixe (fixed price) menus in the Latin Quarter offer it as a choice. I'm thinking the French onion soup for the starter and the cheese plate for dessert. I am also looking forward to hitting up a couscous place where they serve tagine, a North African beef stew over couscous. My mouth is so happy! I'll let Juli write about our supermarket experience. I have done European supermarkets a few times and am less sensitive to what is striking. so I'll let a fresh voice tell it.

1 comment:

  1. For a "foodie" this post is seriously lacking...where are the picutres? You're killin' me :)

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