France and Food

Of course, whenever anyone discusses France, the biggest subject is food. And the food in France is truly good in small stores, open-air markets, supermarkets and restaurants. I think we have told you before of our respect, admiration, and even affection for two of the French supermarket chains, Auchon and Carrefour. They are unsurpassed, in our opinion, by any similar chains anywhere, for the quality, freshness and variety of the foods they sell, and we wish they were in the United States.

We find the prices for meats here are about the same as they are in the US, allowing for the fact that they are displayed in euros per kilogram—2.2 pounds. Some kinds of meat are less expensive here. For example, rib or loin lamb chops were less than 7 euros a kilogram, less than $4.00/lb. Can’t buy them at that price in the US. And we have bought the equivalent of NY strip steaks for 9 Euros a kilogram on sale, about $4.50/lb a pound. It is rarely that low in the US.

Bread is inexpensive no matter where you buy it. And French baguettes are the best, even though the French are complaining about a lack of quality in most baguettes these days. They are probably right because a lot of bread is now baked using dough that was made commercially and sold in bulk rather than mixed and baked in the shop. Even in "Artisan Boulangeries", a name which indicates that all bread is made on the premises, some of what we have bought isn’t up to the usual French standard. In fact, the supermarket bread is just as good!

A lot of the least expensive restaurants are generally Middle Eastern rather than traditional French. There are tiny places that sell doner kabobs, couscous, gyros and other such specialties everywhere. That isn’t to say that more traditional foods are not available on the streets. Many places make crepes, for example. Shops that make sandwiches with panninis or baguettes are common.

Although the position of cashiers in supermarkets is not exactly a food topic, we thought about it when we were food shopping. Only rarely do you see cashiers in big supermarkets in Europe standing behind their registers, as all American cashiers do. Partly this is because cashiers usually do not pack the groceries – the customer does. In one brand new supermarket we did see a machine under the counter that opened bags letting the cashier put items in after she scanned them. Then a moving belt transported the bag to the customer. Mostly, customers bag. We believe cashiers sit instead of stand because of the greater emphasis on labor rights in Europe. Furthermore, supermarkets here are reluctant to provide free bags and there are signs in the parking lots asking you whether you remembered to bring your own bags. We did not find this a hardship and were able to adapt to this way of doing business without trouble. But when we return home, we do have a hard time adjusting to the idea of cashiers having to stand, especially when we see elderly ladies forced to stand for hours on end. It is needless. Why do we allow it? (Picture 1 of a cashier sitting at her "caisson" was taken in an Auchon.)

When we visited France in the past, we often ordered a café-au-lait in one of the thousands of outside cafes. This trip we noticed that this beverage was rarely on the menu. We found that prices of a cup of coffee was at least at the level Starbucks charges, but the portions are tiny—demi-tasse size. Two cups of this came to anywhere between 5 and 6 Euros. If you wanted milk in your coffee, the price doubled. And cappuccino was even more. This seems to be a result of the power of the small French farmer. Apparently milk has become quite expensive.

We tried a few pre-made French specialties that are pre-packaged and sold in the supermarket refrigerator cases – but they were not very good. The dishes that are made in the store are better. But our favorite pre-made dinner continues to be the rotisseried chickens and ducks that are sold in every street market. There are huge sections of open-air markets that have rotisseries turning all the time. They must sell hundreds of chickens, ducks, pieces of pork roast and cooked potatoes in one day. (We should explain that the other big seller in these markets, i.e., paella, looks wonderful, but since Adelle cannot eat any food with fish in it, we don’t buy what looks like a popular and delicious dish.) (Picture 2 is a typical rotisserie stall in an open-air market).

The fruits and vegetables we have bought generally have been better than we get in the U.S. except for a couple of pounds of peaches – which were just like the potato-like peaches we often get in America. But the pears, plums, strawberries and melons in particular are spectacular. All kinds of varieties of fruit are available, many of which we’ve never even seen before and they are delicious. Much of these products come from other southern countries in the Common Market – Spain, Italy and Greece – but a lot is grown in France. The small farmer is still king here. The French do not like corporation agriculture. This may have something to do with how good most fruits and vegetables taste. Another factor may be the shorter lengths that fruits and vegetables have to be transported from farm to market. It means that they can be picked riper.

Here in France, as in the rest of Europe, the supermarkets are different in terms of the products that they carry. All supermarkets are freezing cold because they have so many huge, open refrigerator cases for yogurts, cheeses, desserts and pre-made specialties. (Pictures 3 and 4 show the yogurt and dessert sections in a big Auchon. These cases are facing one another on the aisle. No wonder it is cold.) Of course, the bread aisle is long, and the number and type of pastries mind-boggling. That is why Ron took this picture! ( Picture 5: This pastry section is also from an Auchon.) We have tried to eat as many pastries as we can before we have to leave France, but it is an uphill battle. There are more that we haven’t tried than we’ve been able to eat. The big French supermarkets do have lots of paper goods and cleaning supplies, however, unlike smaller stores in other countries.

In closing, we have to admit that the only big problem we’ve had is that there are too many things we’d like to try that we just don’t have time for. And it is a good thing that we walk a lot, because the combination of delicious bread, good food and wonderful desserts is bad for the bod.

Bye for now.