Food and Booze!

Today has been one of those days that I realize holy shit... i live in Paris. Possibly because today was the first day I ventured outside, after having quarantined myself to my bedroom for two days because I was feeling a bit swiney. But I'm all better, the sun was shining today and I actually saw little teeny plants starting to pop up out of the soil, which means (drumroll please) SPRING is here! Well its almost here at least. Tomorrow is the one month anniversary of me getting to Paris, and for all this month I have been anxiously awaiting the days when its no longer gray and freezing. Finally, the ever cliché springtime in Paris is just around the corner! I foresee an array of picnics, strolls, and time spent basking in the sunshine. Ahhhh it will be quite delightful!

Anyway, things around here have been pretty good! I've been going to classes (although I feel like I'm on vacation), going out, and exploring Paris. Although, I have not been very good at going to museums and churches, I need to start doing that more often!

So, I have realized that I have yet to talk about the food in Paris! I found French cuisine to be EXTREMELY paradoxical. Some of the richest, most fattening and delicious food is made here... but everyone is skinny. How, you ask. Well, I think I have found the answer! So, since I've come to France... I've been hungry, a lot. First of all starting with breakfast. Now everyone knows this is them most important meal of the day bla bla bla, but more importantly this is my favorite meal. I am a breakfast person. As my father would say "el mal comido no piensa," so I take my breakfast seriously. However, in France, breakfast is bread. Yes, its a baguette and its nice. But bread just doesn't cut it for me. Where are the eggs?! But I digress. So, after having had my breakfast of bread I am usually STARVING once noon rolls around. So, I eat usually street food or sandwiches from adorable boulangeries. Its all quite nice, BUT dinner at my house (like the rest of France) isn't until 8:30 - 9:00. That's a looooong time without eating! So behold, the secret to French skinnyness, they don't believe in snacking. Seriously, they look down upon any sort of snacking! Fruit, granola bars, nuts? Nope, not for the French. I however, can't hack it. So everyday at around six I have to have an apple. Seriously, I don't think I've every consumed this many apples in my lifetime. But they are delicious, portable, and filling... so an apple a day it is!

Now that I'm done complaining about the food... let me tell you all the things I have loved about it! My family believes in courses. Every single day we have a starter, a main dish, cheese, sometimes dessert, and fruit. Now this sounds like a lot of food, doesn't it. But its not. Its the perfect amount of food. You know that feeling after you've gone to the Cheesecake Factory and you have to unbutton your pants because you can't breath... well that has never happened to me here. My madame is a wonderful cook and I'm really NOT picky at all. So this has made for wonderful meals!

Now back to the French paradoxes... Before coming to France, I have never in all my life eaten any sort of frozen meal (if you know my mother you would know why). I am the only American that doesn't have a microwave in the house. However, after I've come to France, the capital of fine dining, I have had soo much frozen food... and you know what, it's delicious! They literally have a store entirely dedicated to frozen meals. You can walk down your neighborhood and see your local boulangerie, fromagerie, charcuterie, and Picard (the store that can meet your wildest frozen food dreams).

Now to my favorite part of eating... drinking! I feel like I've been permanently dehydrated since I came to Paris. Seriously, people don't drink water with their meals. When you go to a restaurant and ask for a pitcher of water. They bring you the water with a bunch of teeny glasses and don't expect a refill. So I've made do with wine. Everything is expensive in Paris, EXCEPT wine and cheese. You can find perfectly delicious bottles of wine for two euros. Last week, I bought a bottle of champagne for 1.33 Euros. Ridiculous, I know. However, booze at your local watering hole is sooo expensive! Cocktails are all at least ten euros, and they suck! They are neither strong nor delicious. So, I have been doing some heavy duty pregaming with wine before I go out so I don't go broke.