French Food

With this much bread and cheese, I wouldn’t be surprised if France invented grilled cheese.

The stereotypical image of a French person holding a baguette whilst riding a bicycle surprisingly holds very true. Every morning on the bus to campus I see people ride their bikes to one of the hundreds of patisseries or boulangeries (at times 5-10 on one street alone, rivaling Dunkin' Donuts in Boston) to get their fresh bread. Others, like my host mom will buy a couple loaves of bread and freeze them to have throughout the week. Bread is a dietary staple, almost more than water, and eaten at every meal of the day.

Just as important is cheese. In addition to the multitudes of curd products across the country, each region of France has its own specialty. In Normandy, the four main local cheeses are camembert, livarot, pont l’évêque, and neufchâtel. It's kind of hard to explain what each of them tastes like, because there is nothing to compare them to in the U.S. The FDA bans the sale of unpasteurized milk, leaving the states lacking bit with cheese gastronomy. I’ve tried describing cheeses as either kind-of-brie-or-cheddar-like, but with no success. At dinner when I tried describing a cheese that resembled something close to brie, my host mom quickly corrected my error and bought a 'true' brie cheese the next day to compare. I guess I committed some sort of French gastronomy sin.

Normandy cheeses and Cidre, part of a traditional normandy meal my host mom made

There are so many types of other French cuisine and recipes, that it would be exhaustive to explain them all.  My top favorites are below, and when I come home from class it’s hard not to pick up one treat when you smell them from at least thirty different patisseries.

• French Macaroons (raspberry, chocolate nutella, have even seen lavender and rose flavored)
• Chocolate Pain (really a chocolate croissant, but was promptly corrected after calling it that once)
• Croissants
• Crêpes (two different flours are used for savory and sweet crêpes)
• Tarte aux pommes
• Any fresh bread in general

French sweets, pieces of art 

But the most important characteristic of French cuisine and culture is that meals are meant to be enjoyed.  Food is not just to sustain and hold you over with a granola bar on the way to class or during a quick 30-minute meal. They are made to be beautiful and lasting.  My favorite part of the day is dinner with my host mom. We set the table, toast the bread, and enjoy a full balanced dinner while talking about our day.  For dessert, she cuts fruit and arranges them thoughtfully on a plate.  Meals don’t have to be fancy or last for hours, but it’s the idea that eating is a time for socializing and appreciating food and family.

Standard Meals in a Day

7-9am Breakfast: 
Toast and yogurt with jam. Sometimes fruit. A “cup” of green tea. (Cups for tea and breakfast are actually more like bowls, no handles. Great if you love tea or coffee)

12-1pm Lunch: 
Usually at the University. The government subsidizes student meals at universities, for € 3.25 you can buy a side, huge main plate and dessert. Bread and water are free.

*4-5pm Snack: 
So its not usual that people snack here.  If you are hungry it means that the meals you had were actually not enough.  But, given that it's France and I pass several patisseries on my way back home, it's hard not to pick up a small croissant or macaroon.  A cup of coffee or tea is common around this time or a little earlier.

7pm Dinner:  Meat/Chicken with a vegetable cooked on the stove. Usually the veggie has a little cream. Bread. For dessert, apples with small butter cookies or fruit salad.

9-10pm: Herbal tea with my host mom

*Tips I have learned*

Bread and une carafe d’eau (water pitcher) is always free at restaurants. Also, asking the waiter to split the bill is highly not recommended, it’s a bit of a faux pas.  Talking about money can be seen as - pun intended- distasteful