Eating In Paris

No, it’s not about gourmet foods served by tuxedo-clad waiters, but the daily adventure of purchasing fresh foods from local vendors and preparing simple meals from our apartment kitchen. Each morning, I am able to find, in the space of less than a city block, small stores: la boulangerie for our daily bread, la charcuterie for fresh meat, les fruits and les legumes (produce), and a small supermarche for delicious dairy products, like yogurt and cheese, not to mention la confiture – the jams that are amazing on French breads. There are also plenty of restaurants and cafes in our little neighborhood, called Le Marais, but we have chosen to take advantage of having a kitchen, for now. For the French, breakfast is bread and jam, with coffee. Lunch is more bread, with cheese, fruit and perhaps some yogurt. For our dinners, we especially enjoyed a roasted chicken, purchased at a fresh air market and cooked with new baby potatoes, and spaghetti, made with sauce containing locally produced spiced sausage. It is very satisfying and economically reasonable to purchase only the food that is needed for the day, wasting little and driving not at all, to bring food to the table. I am inspired to continue reflecting on how we might modify our shopping and eating habits, at home, to include more locally grown foods---less meat and more of the fresh fruits and veggies that will soon be in season in New York…

…Which is not to say that we have not also enjoyed some culinary delights prepared and served in restaurants. We took a break from our Paris immersion experience to travel to Mont St. Michel for an over-night. An impressive abbey built high on an island over the course of several hundred years, Mont St. Michel is, as they say, a place between the heavens and the earth. We stayed in a hotel inside the walls and climbed winding stone staircases to reach our room, tucked behind centuries-old stone walls---looking out at the belfry and down on the pigeons and gulls roosting at the apex of one of the many rooflines below. Here, at Le Mouton Blanc (The White Sheep), we enjoyed our first authentic French repast, featuring the cuisine of the Normany region. Jack’s seafood plate first-course contained species, the likes of which we had never before seen, complete with special tools to dig out the delicacies. I dined on rack of lamb, prepared according to local custom, and a salad with goat cheese. Desserts of crème brulee and profiteroles (ice cream filled puffs drizzled with chocolate and crowned with fresh whipped cream) finished the meal. Did we mention that we are eating well?

Mont St. Michel was a welcome respite from the congestion of Paris. It is awe-inspiring to reflect on the persistence, courage, and faith of those who built this impressive abbey. They gave hours of labor for the sake of a project, the completion of which they would never see. The imagination, ingenuity, and engineering acumen that were required are quite impressive. It is built over-looking the English channel and affords a vista that is truly soul-stirring. Our overnight visit allowed us to experience the setting in the evening tranquility, to see the Mont illumined against the night sky, and to spend a leisurely day exploring the edifice and grounds.

By now, we have returned to Paris, and tomorrow (Friday) we will travel, by train to Nantes. We are grateful for Lindsay, our tour guide….more about that in our next posting. As I bring this post to a close, I would be remiss if I did not mention one more Parisian culinary delight. Yes, we found the best ice cream in town, courtesy of a recommendation from Peter and Andrea, who discovered the place in their visit earlier this spring. Believe it or not, ice cream with liqueur-soaked prunes is not to be missed.

Blessings to all,

Cheryl