Any cook or chef trained in French cooking methodology can attest that during training, one is bombarded with French food terms, French techniques, French beliefs about food, French beliefs about wine, and so on. You cook strictly and just out of Escoffier for a good three months and then you cook from Escoffier some more. As you literally lived and inhaled France, you start to wonder about the country from where your entire cooking foundation and “know-how” is based on. Even if you had no interest in France, its provinces or cities, you suddenly become excited at the thought and chance of stepping on French soils.
Now that I've had a chance to visit Paris, I understand a little better. I understand the love and obsession for food. Also, my visit busted a lot of the myths about France, the people, and its food. The French are not rude. They do not refuse to speak English, and they do not have a superiority complex about their cuisine (on the contrary, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indian and various other ethnic type restaurants are allowed to flourish and do abound).
Everyone we came across, met, and dealt with were pleasant, warm and had great grasp of the English language. Of course, they let us sweat a little as we tried and failed to form full sentences in French. In the end though they always took pity and spoke in English.
Now, on to the food. First thing that is apparent is that the French love to eat and drink and they especially love to linger over their food and drink. Every enclave we visited was completely saturated with restaurants, food stands, wine bars, pubs, ethnic restaurants, markets, and patisseries. No matter what time of day and what day of the week it was, the cafes and brasseries were full of diners indoors, at the bar, and especially on the patio outside. If you closely observe, a person can be sat at the same spot nursing the same glass of wine for hours. The French like their meal time and no one dare rush it.
As we walked the streets we encountered a pastry shop specializing in just puff pastry products and another one that made just cakes, and a bakery that did just bread, and each piece of pastry or cake, or baguette felt, smelled, and looked so meticulous and so perfect. In seeing, tasting, and experiencing first hand the food and beverage of Paris, I finally understood the obsession. The French don't necessarily care to be the expert of everything. Instead they specialize in one thing - pastry, fromage, cake - and whatever that one thing is, they do it extremely well. Here are some images of my Paris food experience.
At a neighborhood bistro, we casually asked for a plate of charcuterie and fromage to compliment our night cap, and was treated with a platter full. Everywhere was breezy like that.
Had to have foie torchon and cruton with jam. It was standard faire even in the simplest cafe
During lunch at a trendier more touristy area, I chose a fromage salad and boy was I given fromage! Loads of undisclosed semi soft cheeses melted on cruton and large cubes of bleu.
As a first meal we had a classic but kicked-up croque monsieur, which they called croque madame. Classic ham and cheese melt made better with a perfectly cooked egg on top!
At an open market in the Bastille area, cheese vendors abound.
We wanted just dessert one night, and still the server gladly set up a great patio table for us so we can enjoy the nice evening. We got a simply plated tart tatin. The tart had perfect sweet and tart apples, nice pastry cream and just a dollop of whipped creme.
Some of our open market purchases. A nice can of duck pate and beautiful in-season kumquats.
More market items. An entire table of fruite de mare including lobsters, sea urchin, langoustine, and razor clams. Almost wished we had a kitchen to cook in!
Poisson a plenty.
...and wild mushrooms.
The market was busy and vibrant.
We came across a chocolatiere and though the store was closed, the window decor was enough so we can admire the expertise. These are fine chocolate molded into boxes.
Various fine chocolate molds of animals.
At a cakes shoppe, the cakes and gateau are done to perfection.
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