Eat then walk

Dearest readers,

I’ve been called out on not blogging since the 6^th, so I thought now would be a good time to update you all on my adventure in Paris. Unfortunately the French translations are now on hiatus, just because I don’t have a lot of time to blog in the first place.

My excuse for not blogging is that this past week and a half has been pretty busy! A month ago today, I arrived in France - I have spent the past 4 and a half weeks adjusting to a new city and trying to fit in as a student. Last Sunday I went to the Chinese New Year celebration at Hotel de Ville (though by the time I left I couldn’t move my legs from being so cold), and on Valentine’s Day the IFE students brought a little America to France with our Secret Valentine gift exchange. Mostly everyone got food or sweets of some sort (I personally got a giant macaron and some candy), and it was a great way to bring our two worlds together. 

For the past couple of days my friend Mari has been in Paris to visit me and a couple other girls from college. She’s studying in Montpellier, France, so it’s about a 3 hour train ride up to the city. Because she had never been to Paris before, we tried to take her to most of the big sites. Although Mari managed to bring some gorgeous (and sunny!) weather to Paris, she also managed to bring the tourists. Granted, it was the weekend right after Valentine’s Day, but I have never seen that many people waiting to get into Notre Dame since being here. Friday night we went to the top of the Eiffel Tower to truly see the City of Light (and the line wasn’t too bad because it was late). That was my third trip up the tower, but actually the first time I had been all the way to the top. If I’m being honest, I was actually underwhelmed by being at the top. Sure, you’re really high up, but you can’t really tell with the wire fencing. The view you see is essentially what you can see at the second floor, but at a different angle. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think it’s worth it :/ Nevertheless, it was really fun to go with friends (especially one who adores France). 

Eiffel Tower at night

View from the top of the Eiffel Tower

Yesterday we tried to go to Notre Dame, but as previously stated, it wasn’t worth the wait in line. For the 850^th anniversary of Notre Dame, they have built a stair structure in front of the cathedral, and the line was winding up and down that structure. Luckily Paris has plenty of other things to offer to tourists (like excellent food!). 

I’ve been meaning to blog about French food (and not just about Orangina and nutella), and now that I’m done venting about tourists I figure now is a great time to do so. I think it’s already well-established that France has wonderful food. But what you might not realize is that you can find wonderful, cheap French food. I’m a college student. I can’t afford to go to fancy restaurants all the time. I’m quite content with my occasional café meals. 

First, I finally had my escargot in Paris! I had had escargot once before on a cruise in Hawaii, but I needed to experience it in France. With my heritage and parents, seafood has always been a regular part of my diet, and the texture of escargot (snails for those who are confused) is similar to that of mussels. There’s not too much taste to them, but the chefs flavor them with wonderful sauces. Escargot is definitely a lighter meal, and you can find them in the entrée (appetizer) section of a menu. Mine were 7 euros, tax included.

Escargot!

Second, crepes. Crepes are like really thin pancakes, filled either to be sweet or savory. Sweet crepes (my personal favorite would be with jam) are great for dessert or a light snack as you’re walking, but savory crepes are filling enough to be meals. I had one last weekend with egg and cheese and I couldn’t finish it because there was so much. If you’re not in a tourist area, I’ve seen crepes to be between 2-3 euros, but it depends on what you put in the crepe. (I'll work on taking a picture of a crepe, but I tend to eat them pretty quickly...)

Finally, the markets. Not like grocery stores, but open air markets where people bring giant rolling shopping bags for their purchases. They’re all over Paris, varying in size and selection. In general, you can find produce, cheese, meat, and seafood at most markets. Sometimes you can also find cooked food there (like rotisserie chicken or international specialties) available. I went to one by Place de la Bastille today, and it spanned a good couple of blocks at least with three rows of vendors. If you go early to a market, you get the best selection. If you go near closing time, you’ll get the best prices as the vendors try to get rid of their products. I’m going on vacation soon so I didn’t buy a lot, but I managed to find 4 apples for around a euro, which is considerably better than what I’d find in a grocery store. I love the markets here, and wish the farmer’s markets in the states were more like them. 

I’m sure I’ll blog about food soon again, but that’s my introduction to a student’s point of view of food in Paris. Maybe next time I'll just write about the wonders of the boulangeries et patisseries?

Dana