Food, What is it Good For?

Chicken with lemon and potatoes

I have not eaten a meal thus far that has disappointed me. I don’t know why the food is so much better, but it is simply
amazing.

Before this trip, I had been exposed to a few myths regarding the food in Europe.

1.     It is weird.
2.     Small portions

Let me just clarify these two points. First off, the food can be weird, but for the most part it is not. There is a lot of cuisine that has been inspired by different areas and regions of the world, but there is also “traditional” French food. Some things that the French eat regularly are amazing. My favorite “French” meal so far has been a croque monsieur, which is essentially a grilled ham and cheese sandwich topped with cheese. I think I could eat that sandwich as a regular meal for the rest of my life. It is that good. Because of the physical closeness to Italy, there are also a lot of really good Italian restaurants, but there is a French twist to all the Italian food. For example, most pizza will come with a sunny-side-up egg on top.

Amelia enjoying a crepe in the streets of Paris

Now, there are weird things that the French eat that I’m not too open to eating. Beef tartar is probably the single weirdest thing I’ve seen people eat. IT’S RAW BEEF. Why do the French think it’s safe to eat raw beef? I honestly will probably never get over that.

Other than eggs being on everything and raw beef being an actual meal here, the food is top notch.  I’ve had a tour of the world’s cuisine just by walking around town, and there is nothing wrong with that. I’ve had some of the best tiramisu in my entire life while here from this place called Pompeii; I’ve also had amazing four-cheese rigatoni there that was so good. I’ve eaten sushi, dumplings and noodles only using chopsticks (a feat not possible for me until this trip), and I’ve even gotten a hotdog smothered in cheese.

One thing that I find extremely interesting is that hamburgers are “on trend” right now in France. I’m not complaining, because I’m the kind of person who loves hamburgers and French fries, I just find it cool that American food can cross the pond and become trendy in Europe.

Why can’t European food make it across to the states? I would be thrilled to be able to eat a croque monsieur while in Tuscaloosa! Since that dream may never come true, I’ll just live in food heaven for a while longer until I get brought back to reality.

*This is just an excuse to post pictures of all the food I’ve eaten this trip. Sorry not sorry.