Food in Paris France:

Prior to studying abroad in France, I had little knowledge of what the French ate. I knew that the French loved their pastries and baked goods, but I was unaware of what other popular foods they enjoyed. I found that they had some foods familiar to me and others that were foreign. While I was abroad in France I not only went out to restaurants, but I also bought foods from their local stores and markets.

            The first French restaurant I went to was chosen by the school for my class’s welcome dinner. The class had several entrees to choose from including a vegetarian and vegan option. I chose a beef roast that came with a salad, and a side of garlic potatoes. I really enjoyed the garlic potatoes and the salad, which had a type of vinegar dressing. I believe I would have enjoyed the beef a little more if it had been cooked longer for it was very rare. Overall this first meal was not my favorite, but it did not taste bad.

            For the first two weeks of my program I mostly cooked at my apartment. Through buying groceries and containers to bring food to school I was able to save money. Additionally, I found it interesting to compare French to American grocery stores. The French grocery stores were not too different from American stores. One difference I did notice was the size of chicken breasts in France. In France the chicken is smaller, so I believe the chicken could be raised more naturally than in America.

     Finally, my last and favorite meal was at our classes fare well dinner. Once again, the class had several entrees to choose from. I chose a salad, chicken with risotto, and lava cake for my dessert. I did not like the salad which mainly consisted of Frisée with a poached egg on top. However, the chicken was great! It was moist and flavorful and went well with the risotto. The lava cake was partially cooked around the edges and gooey in the center with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The lava cake too I enjoyed.

By: Esther Vineyard