Mangez, mangez! – The Culinary World of France

One of the great things about France is their “obsession” with food.  This is a good obsession.  If they are not eating, then they are most likely thinking or talking about it.  In France, the cook takes real pride in each meal; preparation and presentation are very important, and everything is delicious.

Food for the day’s meals is bought fresh from the market, and the French are very concerned about healthy eating and portion control.    Meals are planned; you eat with purpose and rarely snack or idly consume food.  Fresh ingredients are used as much as possible.  Menus are chosen according to the season and what types of produce are readily available.

Even McDonalds is considered healthy as Big Macs and fries are replaced with relatively fresh salads and sandwiches, and the portion sizes are NOT ridiculously huge.  The one liter “Big Gulp” does not exist here.  When ordering a coffee at a cafe, one receives a cup with about two ounces of coffee.

The day starts with le petit dejeuner (breakfast).  The saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” is followed here, too.  Breakfast is supposed to be your biggest meal of the day, with each meal getting smaller after that.  Instead of pancakes, waffles, bacon or eggs, we usually have cereal or tartines (leftover bread from the night before, toasted with butter and jelly or honey) and fruit.

Common fruits are pears, apples, bananas, grapes and oranges, while raspberries and strawberries are considered more of a garnish on a dessert.  Waffles are also considered more of a dessert; they will make really thick, rich waffles for either an afternoon snack or a dessert and put Nutella and whip cream on them. (Delicious!)

Several hours later it is time for le dejeuner (lunch).  As a student, I eat lunch in the cantine (cafeteria) Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.  The lunch is decent but it still cafeteria food (not nearly as good as home cooking or the nearby restaurants).  They usually serve a main dish (which is always some source of protein and a carbohydrate), raw vegetables made into a salad, bread, cheese, yogurt, fruit, and dessert.  The main dishes are things like poached salmon and rice or roasted pork and potatoes.  The other day, they served a whole fish!  I can’t imagine these items being served at North Penn.

I can’t stress enough though that there is always bread.  (Always Always Always!)  At my school there are tubs of bread that are free to take whenever you choose (and not just pieces of bread, but whole rolls/baguettes).  At my house there is always bread.  We even have an “emergency” stash in the freezer in case we run out of fresh bread. 

My favorite lunches are on Wednesdays and the weekend.  On Wednesday, I usually go out with friends from school for lunch.  There are tons of fabulous restaurants within walking distance of my school.  We will get Panini (fresh ingredients on a toasty baguette), crêpes, or try something different like Vietnamese, Moroccan, or Sushi.  Then we go get dessert from the patisserie, the crêperie, the chocolatier, or my personal favorite, ice cream or gelato!

Another thing about the French is there love for desserts!  There’s always a little something sweet or chocolaty to top off a meal. 

On the weekends my host mom goes to the market and we have a big lunch.  For example, last weekend she got all these different ham products and made a big salad.  Then once we finished that, cheese and bread were served.  Grapes after that and our lunch ended with chocolate and coffee.  (It always goes in that order.  Fruit always follows some sort of dairy product, either yogurt or cheese, and then you finish with dessert).

Le diner (dinner) is similar to lunch, but smaller in size.  Dinner is usually served sometime between 8pm and 9pm, so a smaller meal is better for not going to sleep totally stuffed. 

In between lunch and dinner, people usually have a coffee around 5pm and then bread or some kind of petit gateau (little cake).  

As for drinks, wine, water, and coffee are the staple drinks. Once in a while there will be juice with breakfast, but the French mostly drink water. 

The table is always set with an assiette (plate), cuillère, fourchette, et couteau (spoon, fork and knife), serviette (napkin), and a verre (glass).  And with second courses or if your plate is messy from sauces or whatnot, you get a new plate to continue your meal. 

In America, it was not uncommon to plop food on your plate and shovel it down before you had to run out again to your sports practice, music lesson, or whatever.  In France, the meals are never quick, and you always sit down together.  Even when eating the meal, you have to wait until everyone is done to move on to the next course.

I am fortunate as my host mom is an extraordinary cook.  Our house often has the wonderful aromas of foods such as ratatouille, fois gras, terrines, sauces, and stews.  I love sampling all the foods of France!