On Food
It seems kind of crazy that I’ve been here for almost two months and haven’t yet written a post on food. But also, it feels very daunting to write about. There is SO MUCH to be said about French food and the traditions and culture surrounding it. But I am not planning to write any recipes or my reviews of food I’ve eaten thus far. Having been to France for the first time when I was 9 and visiting perhaps a dozen times following, I feel I’ve been exposed to the cuisine itself a fair amount. I really want to talk about the attitudes around food.
For starters, there is the shopping associated with food. While big grocery stores like the ones we have in the US exist here, the culture relies heavily on specialized stores and markets and visiting each several times a week. Food isn’t genetically modified or treated here to last a long time, so it’s not abnormal to get new groceries every other day. The markets tend to happen in different towns on different days, and in bigger towns they may happen more than once a week (or in my case in Avignon, be a permanent daily fixture, only closed on Mondays). Getting groceries here is no quick thing. I go to the boulangerie for bread, the boucherie for meat, the laiterie for cheese, the markets for veggies and fruits (which only sell what is in season), and the patisserie for sweets. Anything I missed I get at the grocery. But honestly, while farmer’s markets in the US are often more expensive than going to the grocery, here shopping at the markets is often cheaper (if you get what’s local and in season).
Another thing is that food is just sold in smaller quantities here. There’s no judgment if you just want a single stalk of celery instead of the whole bunch (me, two days ago). It’s not uncommon to see people walking around with three baguettes, but see those same people with three more baguettes the next day. I personally average one baguette every two days. And everyone is so nice. If you have questions about a product or how to cook something, the vendors are more than happy to talk to you. Also, free samples. I always ask to try the cheese in case I don’t like it. And it’s not weird to ask. I think since I’m also not in a major metropolitan area, there’s a much more small town feel, and the vendors know the customers, and it’s all a very convivial and warm vibe. In quarantine, I have found Les Halles, the daily covered market in Avignon just two minutes from my apartment, to be my actual happy place. Sadly it closes at 2, so if I need some warmth or infusion of excitement in my life, I have to get moving early. But it’s a really special place.
Mealtimes are a whole other aspect. As I touched on last week, they are a time to disconnect and savor the food and time spent with each other. I actually made a comment to one of the teachers in trying to explain Thanksgiving and what it represents. Slowing down, sharing time with family, and eating good food are things most French people do every day. She almost didn’t understand why there needed to be a celebration for that. Hah. Little does she know how often I ate while working for the past two years. I remember breakfast with my host family/army of 9 in Angers was an independent affair. The mom put out cereals, milk, juices, bread (and a toaster, which yes, the little children were trusted to use), yogurt, and all manner of spreads. Everyone got what they needed.
Lunches are often a big meal, especially on weekends. But for me what is interesting is the lunches taken at school. For the teachers, we eat in the lounge. Most people bring their own food and heat it up (as one teacher bought a kebab last week, she told me it was kind of frowned upon). It’s not uncommon to see one teacher with a whole baguette that we all share. They are often multi course - they start with a small microwave soup, then some main dish, then end with fruit and yogurt. These are also lunches eaten over the course of an hour, and no work is done. Since the break is two hours, they tend to grade papers and work on afternoon planning after that.
At one of my lunches with the teachers, they explained to me how lunchtime works for French kids. There’s one vendor who makes the same meal for all the elementary school kids each day and distributes it to each school. The teacher told me this was no American dining hall lunch, but rather an opportunity to introduce young French minds to the importance of gastronomy and food appreciation. There is a cheese course and an appetizer. And they almost always have fruit for dessert. How novel compared to the Wednesday pizza and Thursday chicken nuggets I had at Bellows (though I wouldn’t change it for the world of course). The teacher also told me how the teachers used to eat with the kids and there would often be a bottle of wine for the teachers (and a long time ago it wasn’t uncommon for the kids to partake in a taste). On the other hand, I see French high schoolers always buying to go food in Avignon. For them, the grab and go option is probably less weird because due to globalization and social media, they watch American TV shows where they see the same thing happening. That being said, they’re also smoking cigarettes and way better dressed than any American teenager I’ve seen, so it’s not totally the same.
When I read one of my favorite books ever, Bringing up Bebe, they touched on this idea that kids are treated as little adults. Even at night, they often don’t get a special meal. And adults don’t cater their tastes to be what kids would like. It’s truly fascinating and makes a lot of sense. I’ve also noticed that the schools seem to have a focus on food as part of the curriculum in a way; one of mine has an event called Taste of Christmas. And I’ll never forget the first time I was introduced to one of my classes, and after Swim, they each came in and had their compote snack. I think it makes a lot of sense to have kids grow to appreciate food from a young age.
There’s also something to be said about the preparation of food. My lovely French mother Cathy claims she is no gourmet cook, but she also spends a lot of time working on preparing the meals. Because French people go to the market every few days, they are always cooking fresh things. Everyone knows that French haut cuisine is very particular and orderly, but I do think this principle extends in a way to a regular home chef. And there are certain things everyone knows how to make without measuring or reading a recipe. The teachers were teaching me how they each make their béchamel and all the different variations. Since I don’t have any sort of food scale (how the French measure things) or measuring cups, I’ve been forcing myself to go out of my perfectionist comfort zone and eyeball recipes. It’s good for me because it builds confidence as a cook. Perhaps that’s why the French are so good at it.
One last observation about food. Since I’m living alone, I do not have a French family to push me to try new things. French people don’t seem to be picky about food, and when I’ve lived with families in the past they’ve pushed me out of my comfort zone and forced me to try new things. I’m trying to take some of this mentality in my solitary life. I try to buy new cheeses or try unfamiliar to me veggies at the market. It’s harder when it’s just me telling myself to try it, but it reminds me that going out of your comfort zone is one of the best ways to grow, and I truly learned that from French food. Now escargots are one of my favorite appetizers, and I’ll never turn down duck confit.
