Tada! Finally, I've got some pictures to put up of what it's like to grocery shop in Paris, France. These are all from the local Monoprix, which is a chain grocery store... Almost taboo in European culture, yet Capitalism prevails. I had to get really sneaky with the camera to get the photos without seeming like a tourist. I don't have nearly as many photos as I'd like, but I grabbed the most important ones pertinent to my favorite foodies back home. Enjoy!
Dear Mom, look at all those Bon Mamans! And that's just the Bon Maman section of the JAM section!
oh no! Gigi sauté! (***Just figured out how to use Mac commands for accents!)
Yes, mass quantities of Ratatouille! So spoiled, here.
This is the cheese aisle. Pre-packaged cheeses.
Wine AREA/Room, I had to be really sneaky with photo taking, so what you don't see is another two aisles/room of wine.
The fromagerie! Fresh cut and wrapped cheeses by weight.
The charcuterie area...
Is that meat wrapped in fat??? YES.
The haul.
Is it just me, or do these look different in California?
*sigh* The bitter discovery that my Madame had a whole slew of them already! Oh well, looks like I'll have avocado in my sandwiches for weeks!
I can't tell you how hard it is to find dried fruits, nuts or even trail mix! Chocolate, cheese and wine are cheaper than God, but when it comes to the small comforts of home (like dried apricots, oatmeal, or even nuts!) the going gets tough. Things I miss from America: Almonds (still have not found any bulk dried almonds...), Craisins (nonexistent?), peanut butter (which I know does not exist here), Henry's trail mix!, giant cartons of juice (they are so tiny here)... Thank goodness France colonized Martinique and other tropical islands, or else I'd really be upset - no pineapple juice, mangoes, bananas, etc!
The plus side: Soups are better here (well, most everything quality-wise is). Croissants. Fish, cheese, and yogurt are meal staples! Heaven! Chocolate! (Why don't we have dark chocolate with hazelnuts in the States?) Sandwiches - before you get your panties in a twist, it's a tie. America DEFINITELY makes the better sandwich (per region, city, state, etc.); but I am dually impressed with the simplicity and satisfaction of the Parisian sandwiches on baguettes. France has really upped it's game. The typical Parisian sandy is a baguette stuffed with lettuce, tomato, jambon, and hard boiled egg slices on mayo. Simple, yet delicious! **There's a boulangerie right near the Accent Center that sells GIANT sandwiches for only 3.4 euro! It's a steal! I'll take a photo next time I grab one**The variety of meats here is amazing. I've tried all sorts of new foods, like Rillettes (some sort of bread dip) literally translates to "potted meats" ???, Tamara (some sort of fish egg thing that's pink and tastes buttery), and numerous other things I forgot to document.
France just was not prepared for a member of the Carson family. Neither was my Madame. I think she has to buy a new jam and honey weekly. I'm pretty sure she's still scratching her head about it. I feel like she's used to going grocery shopping about once a week for only a few things and only ever had to replace the jam/honey monthly... Suddenly a Carson arrives and the reserves disappear! Zut alors!
2 comments:
Brit - Rillettes are sooooo good but soooo bad for you. Basically, it is meat that is cooked similar to confit - slowly in its own fat (typically this is done by cooking chopped up pork in pork fat, or duck legs in duck fat). Once cooked, the meat is shredded (like you would shred confit), put in a little dish, and then pure clean rendered fat is added back to it. Is mixed up and basically made into a paste. The sheer amount of fat used is borderline offensive to most Americans, but i think its pretty rad. Try making some pasta and taking some duck rillettes and using it as ravioli stuffing. To-die-for!
haha! they are so delicious. I always wondered why they came in the tiniest containers... It's the darndest thing, I eat the fattiest (but most high quality) food here, but struggle to retain muscle mass... what the heck??? you should look up anything you want me to bring back in particular. I'll see if the rillettes will travel well...
Post a Comment