I don't consider myself particularly adventurous or experienced when it comes to eating, despite the fact that my father is a chef. Tsk tsk, shame on me. I mean, I'm not a strictly chicken-fingers-grilled-cheese-and-french-fries sort of girl like some people I know (Meghan Madore, this means you), but I find that when I go to restaurants, I find ONE thing I like, and always order that. So even though I am willing to sample many different kinds of ethnic food, I usually miss out on the great variety that each variety of food has to offer. For example, I love Indian food, but I always get chicken korma and naan. Always. I will occasionally supplement with a samosa. But otherwise, I'm missing out on a whole world of curries, tikka masalas, and vindaloos.
Since I have come to France, I have tried a lot of different foods, and I am extremely proud of myself. Eating regularly with my host mom forces me to try new things, because I'm not going to be rude and say, "Mmm, you want me to eat THAT? How bout 'no'..." Sundays, as I said, are always interesting because of the fact that Mme De Cremiers always makes some kind of food I've never tried before, and she's an exquisite cook.
Today, Meredith and I were a little terrified, because when we went to have breakfast this morning, there were fish fins in the sink. The fish was for lunch, in which we did not partake, but we did have a different fish for dinner. Fortunately, it was already fileted and we did not have to touch any scales, spines, or fins. Dinner tonight consisted of shrimp (which were still whole, heads and all, when she presented them to us), sole with watercress salad and warm potato chips, cheese, and fruit salad. The shrimp, which scared me to death at first, were EXQUISITE. I watched my host mom peel one first and I followed her lead, dipping the meat in a little bit of salt and popping it in my mouth. It tasted just like lobster. Delicious. The sole was really great as well, and I'm not a big fan of fish most of the time. It was slightly crispy, served with fresh lemon juice, and very fresh and tender. She had warmed up some potato chips in the oven to serve with the meal, which was unexpected and delightful. And the watercress salad was GREAT. I hate vegetables with a passion and I really enjoyed eating it.
So this interesting meal has led me to share with you the other things I have learned and experienced about food here in France. Friday morning, I had a cooking class with one of my French professors from BU. A group of about 8 or 10 of us gathered to cook lunch at the Fondation des États-Unis, where some of the kids in the program live. We made tartelettes with tomato, warm chèvre salad with walnuts, baked endive and ham with a béchamel sauce, and chocolate mousse. The meal was very collaborative, but we all made our own mousse, which was incredibly easy and delicious...I will definitely be trying that recipe at home. The endive with ham was...interesting. The sauce was delicious, though not a true béchamel because it was made with juice from the endives instead of milk, but the endives themselves were rather bitter and I didn't like them much. Everything else, especially the warm chèvre, was lovely, and I am always so proud whenever I cook anything because normally I'm such a failure at it.
My eating situation varies greatly. Breakfast is usually cereal and yogurt at home, while lunch is usually a sandwich purchased at a boulangerie. I have pain au chocolat at least once a day because it's cheap and absolutely delicious, and then dinner is a toss-up. This week, Meredith and I have designed a menu plan for each evening, because dining out has become far too expensive. We got all our food for the week for 27 euros, which isn't bad at all for 2 people (about $35).
Thursday night, we were out shopping and decided we wanted a nice meal after a long and productive day. Most restaurants have some kind of prix fixé menu, meaning in addition to the regular items on the carte (in France, a menu is called a carte and this prix fixé list is called a menu...terribly confusing, I know), there is a list of meals you can order for one fixed price. For example, you'll usually have a 14€ menu that has a choice of appetizers (called entrées...I know, everything is backwards!), main courses, and desserts. You get one of each, usually from a choice of 3-5 items in each category, all for 14€, including tip. Well, we found a few restaurants in the 5th that had a 10€ menu, so we hit that up. For a place so cheap, it had a great atmosphere and really friendly staff. I got onion soup (which was ok...I don't love onion soup that much anyway), steak au poivre (which was delicious), and mousse au chocolat, plus wine for the table. It was a lovely and welcome end to our day.
Last night, Meredith and I did a little more shopping (it's the sales! We have an excuse! We can only shop til mid-February!) and wound up in cute little area that had some ethnic food. We were both craving pasta and found an authentic Italian restaurant, owned and run by Italians, and we definitely got our pasta fix. I got fettucine with pancetta and mushrooms in a cream sauce and fresh parmesan cheese. Deeeelicious. I can't wait to go back to Italy...I'll be there March 6! Mm...gelato, affordable cappuccinos, and fresh pasta. But for now, I'm enjoying the food in France, which is just as good as Italy.
Sometime this week or next week, I'd like to go back to the Marais district where all the Jewish delis and bakeries are. They had bagels! And they looked to die for. Bagels have got to be one of my favorite foods ever. They also had some hoppin' falafel stands and awesome Middle Eastern restaurants...the lines were super long, but hopefully if I go during the week it won't be bad. Another goal: try something at the patisserie other than pain au chocolat. I hear the macarons are delicious.
All right, I feel like I've made all your mouth water sufficiently. I leave you with one last food-related photo:
mmm, Obamalicious.
Excuse me, you forgot to add Mac & Cheese, biyatch.
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