nom nom nom.

WARNING: The intention of this blog is to make you jealous. If you suffer from uncontrollable salivation or hunger, you should stop here.

ignore the smelly squiggly lines, but the rest is true.

When you think of France, many think of the stereotype of the little old man with the striped shirt, the little chapeau, red scarf, curly mustache, baguette in one hand, wine in the other. People hate stereotypes, but I’ve noticed it bothers them more the more true it is. If it wasn’t rude to take pictures of strangers, I would to show you how common this sight really is. At any rate, the point I’m making is that baguettes are common, cheap, and addicting. They are sooo good, especially with one of the cheeses France is also known for. One of the best meals I’ve had here was a picnic in the park of cranberry juice, baguette, cheese, and sausage.  If you replaced the juice with wine, it would be one of the most French meals you could have. I don’t I can emphasize how many different cheeses there are here. If you go into a grocery store, there is maybe one section of one shelf devoted to milk. There are three entire shelves devoted to cheese, and then several feet of the deli section is packed with fancier cheeses. It’s simply insane, but the cheese is also fairly cheap, considering how much you would pay for it in the States.

I recently made a dangerous discovery. It’s called Speculoos. They are Belgian caramel ginger cookies, which are oh-so-scrumptious. But there is also the Speculoos spread made from I think ground cookies, which currently ranks a close second to peanut butter. I hope it is sold in World Market in Spokane, because this stuff is pretty darn grand! 

For good reason, the French are very proud of their creme brulee. This is evident in the number of products that are creme brulee flavored. Ice cream, chocolate bars, coffee, candles, cupcakes, you name it. You can buy it in packs like you would buy yogurt (which they have a creme brulee flavor for also). They even sell easy packets to make it yourself, if you have a ramekin or two.

Perhaps even more than their creme brulee, it is undeniable that the French love their chocolate. At a church picnic once, I think we had a salad course, a quiche course, and then probably five courses of chocolate. They kept pulling it out of nooks and crannies like it grew on trees. You think I'm kidding. And there's something about the chocolate here that is just better than the typical chocolate you find in the States. Their cheap brands are 10x better than a Hershey bar. I like the chocolate ice cream here too. I don't even like chocolate ice cream. That's how good it is. Also, there is a type of hot chocolate here, sometimes called "ancien chocolat chaude" or old hot chocolate. It is practically a melted chocolate bar in a cup. Although delicious, definitely not something you can drink very often. Starbucks actually sold it for a short time, but it didn't sell. I believe this is probably partially due to American cup sizes. They're bigger than pretty much anywhere else, and if someone tried to down a grande 16 oz cup of this stuff, it's likely he/she would become ill.

As any French person will readily tell you, France is credited with the best food in the world. During my stay in Lyon, I had the opportunity to sample some exquisite gastronomy (the art of fine food) at a restaurant opened by a Michelin chef. The Michelin rating system is based off an annual guide that is published annually for restaurants around the world. Basically, if you get a gold star from Michelin, you are the cat’s meow and you have the right to charge $500 for a single dish at your restaurant. That may be an exaggeration, but it’s a pretty big deal. That lunch was simply amazing. I can’t remember what I ordered exactly, but I do remember it was rich and vibrant. My taste buds are not accustomed to such brilliant flavor, but it was quite a treat.

For those of you wondering “Isn’t Michelin that tire company?” yes. They’re owned by the same company, I think. It’s a weird coincidence and I assumed the two just happened to share a name. But sure enough, in the restaurant in Lyon there was a hearty picture of our friendly Michelin Man (known as Bibendum here in France).

Since Lyon is the center for gastronomy in France, qualifying it to be the center of gastronomy for the entire world, we thought it appropriate for me to have my first kebab there. “Kebab” is not the skewered-barbequed entrée, as it is known in the States. Those are shish kebabs. Wikipedia tells me that the kebab here is called döner kebab, and basically it is meat that rotates on a vertical spit (see picture) that they shave off and put in a wrap or in pita bread. As far as I can gather, its significance is like this: United States is to hot dog, as Europe is to kebab. They are also found in Canada and Australia. I think it’s not found in the States because we have these silly things called “health regulations,” and I’m sure kebabs defy many of those. For instance, you never know exactly what kind of meat you’re getting, but just assume it’s lamb. Often, they’re served with white sauce (also unsure what it is) and French fries (ahem, I mean frites) directly in the pita.They’re delicious, if you ignore the bare hands preparing them, the exposed meat on the spit, and whatever other policies you have in the pristine United States of America which are ignored. However, they’re quite large and often leave you with similar sentiments as eating a hot pocket (“did I eat that, or smear it all over my face?” or “I feel like I’m gonna die.”) But no matter. It’s all part of the cultural differences. 

my first kebab.

Okay, so kebabs are not the height of French cuisine. But let me tell you about the pastries. Or better, let me show you:

these are everywhere.

so light, so FLUFFY!

fresh squeezed orange juice and raisin escargot pastrie.
a most perfect breakfast.

super-duper rich praline something or other.

  flan.

calissons, a very traditional pastry originating here in Aix.

meringue.

scrumptious macarrons. I think these are my favorite. They come in a variety of flavors, and are pretty much the pride and joy of French patisseries. They showcase them like jewelry.

the "old" hot chocolate.

I think it's time for a diet.