Looking at the World Through Euro Colored Glasses

As I decided to name my trip Eat, Pray, Shop, I thought it best to recap the trip with posts dedicated to each category. And because there was so much deliciousness to be had, I’m further dividing my caloric experience by city.


EAT: Paris

My first meal in Paris was from a street cart selling crepes. Crepes in Paris are akin to our hot dog stands and taco roach coaches, though in my opinion much more delectable and romantic. Having been served this fluffy yet thin pancake of goodness, I was instantly in love with the city of love. Walking down the alleyways in the 7th Arrondissement, I left all my stresses in Seattle behind, and decided life could simply not get any better than this Nutella filled crepe. That is until I stopped into a café three blocks later for my first café de crème, and then it was love at first taste all over again.

A glimpse at the locale of my first dining experience. In my opinion, even the alleys in Paris are better than ours. Past the trash and parking lies a narrow pathway to hidden cafes and shops.

There were several things that struck me throughout my meals in Europe. The dishes are much simpler than ours here in the states. If I ordered roasted duck, it most likely came with French fries and a side salad. I noticed during one dinner, the table next to me was served foie gras. It was plated with two pieces of white Wonder-like bread.
One of my favorite lunch choices consisted of a Croque Madame (eggs, cheese, and ham on white) or a Jambon Buerre sandwich, which as it is translated literally consists of ham and butter.

I have no idea who in America decided that French dressing should be an orange-colored ketchup-like consistency and flavor. Every single one of the salads I was served (and they practically come on the side of all dishes) came with a standard dressing of Dijon vinaigrette. This original is much tastier, and unlike its American homogenized, pureed, uniform viscous sauce imposter, is probably healthy too.

I was also taken aback by the change in sanitary practices in Europe. At the famed Café de Flore, croissants are placed on one large platter. If you choose to order this buttery delight, they will bring you the day's fresh platter to nibble right off of, until you decide you are finished or another table requests the croissant platter.

Restaurant service is also very different than here at home. I learned this after two days of tipping 20% and receiving gratuitous thank you’s from my servers. Turns out tips are completely OPTIONAL and meant as a thank you for good service (novel concept, huh?). Most tips range from 5 – 10% of your bill instead of the outrageous 20%. From this, I’m concluding that individuals in the food service industry abroad are probably paid fairly unlike the servers who have to depend on tips here in the States.

French wine, as it turns out, is not an expensive beverage option when consumed in its home country. While dining in Versailles, two glasses of wine were equal to one Diet Coke. One guess as to which menu option I chose.

As mentioned above, servers are not dependent on their tips, and therefore do not need to “flip” tables as they do here. It is perfectly acceptable to order a cafe express (espresso) and pain au chocolat, and sit at the same table for the greater part of an afternoon.

In addition to falling in love with slathering Nutella on just about anything with a flat surface, I tried a macaron for the first time. It’s important not to confuse the macaron with a macaroon. This cookie is no misshaped lump of coconut shavings. It’s a delicate cookie “sandwich” made of two meringue disks and a flavored filling in the middle. Fillings are usually either buttercream or jam with flavors ranging from chocolate, coffee, pistachio, lavender, raspberry and any other variety of dreaminess in between.



A delicious display by the famous pastry chef Pierre Hermé on Rue Cambon



I made an effort at every meal I consumed on the trip, to be of that geographic region's cuisine (aside from  one moment of weakness following an intense confrontation with two people claiming to be customs officers at Gare du Nord [train station], after which I broke down and ordered a cheeseburger). I even tried to take this culinary adventure past my comfort zone. While dining in Monmarte, I ordered cuisses de grenouille (or frog legs) for an appetizer. Though I had heard that "they taste like chicken," I'm sad to report I found this to be an inaccurate description. Instead they were pretty spongy in texture with little taste. I got the most amusement out of the plate's presentation of the frog legs. As the legs are served still attached to the spine, I was essentially served a dish of frog butts.



Bon Appetit!

  
Finally, I had forgotten that a glass of water served with every meal is not common practice in Europe. Instead, it presents itself more frequently in the form of coffee, wine and beer. For the moments that I felt like a purist and was in need of overdue hydration, I learned to ask for a carafe of water instead of a glass (as most cups and glasses are not much larger than our common shot glass). I was especially entertained at the effort made by Cafe de Flore, who not only gave me an entire carafe of water without asking for one, but also a single ice cube to chill the entire decanter.