I eat totally different things here than when I am at home. Right downstairs from our apartment, there is a great boulangerie 'bakery' which has croissants, pain au chocolat and warm baguettes if you go at the right time of day. If you go anywhere else, they're just not as good. Their baguettes are great with butter or pesto but apparently you are only supposed to eat these with your meal and not as a snack. I have generous portions of fromage each evening such as Camembert and this comes after a plate of dinner. I also eat a ton of 'compote', known to Americans as applesauce, or as we call it... our favorite 'pomme fraise'. Funny thing is that I never ate it before I came to France. I didn't even like it so I'm not sure how I got so into it.
Another snack I like is the croque monseiur. They make it different everywhere and it can be very simple. It's a ham and cheese sandwich, sometimes with Bechamel sauce, except the cheese is melted on top. I remember the first one I had at the boulangerie behind the apartment was by far the most delicious. It wasn't a typical sandwich, it might have been on different bread instead of sandwich bread. Another time I remember having them was after a night at Cosmo. The kebab place was closing but roomie and I convinced them to open the door for us. All they had was croque monsieurs and that was good enough for us! I really want to try a croque madame too because it has an egg on it.
Saucisson is a savory French delicacy. If you want something with your wine, this is an alternative to cheese or you might have both. It's also good to munch on before dinner. I also have to mention that almost every meal is served with some sort of mustard! Another note, salad in France doesn't necessarily come before the entree. I think I prefer it before though, especially because after a salad I still want to eat more, even if I already had my entree!
I wanted to mention one traditional Lyonnais dish that I tried during a nice dinner with our advisor who came to visit from Northeastern. Remember that Lyon considers itself the gastronomic capital of the world. It's no doubt being home to chefs like Paul Bocuse and Marc Veyrat. France prides itself on having the highest and most particular standards for food quality and processing. Quoted from the official website of Lyon: The local culinary specialties are plentiful and varied: pork products and "Cervelle de Canuts" soft cheese with herbs, "bugnes" beignets, fried pork fat, Lyonnais salad, "tablier de sapeur" tripes, "gras double" tripes, "petit salé" ham with lentils, "quenelles" dumplings (a mixture of butter, semolina and fish), black pudding, "andouillette" chitterling sausage, "paillasson" fried hashed potatoes, and more, if you're still hungry!
You have to be aware that I am a very adventurous eater. Refer to my post about Barcelona. I can try almost anything... pig's blood, chicken heart, tripe... Usually, I like it. I can't think of anything I haven't liked. Except chicken feet! I do not like the feeling of a claw in my mouth. Anyway, I present to you... andouillette.
Andouillette is a type of French sausage which is made out of pig stomach, colon and intestine. Lyonnais food is known to be made out of parts of the animal which are usually discarded. (This should have been a red flag.) When I read tripe on the menu, I wasn't so turned off because I've had it before. Okay, maybe tripe at dim sum isn't the same but I was surprised when I found that I really like it. I can't say that this was my favorite French thing ever. Actually, it's the complete opposite.
You cut open the sausage and you can see the intestine as if it had just come out of the animal. Graphic, I know. But let me tell you, it's not even half as bad as seeing it in real life. I'm not big on 'marketing' as mon bebe d'amour calls it when it comes to food. I'm not picky. The one thing that really made it hard for me to eat was the smell. As Wikipedia says, the 'feces-like aroma can be attributed to the common use of the pig's colon in the sausage'. Yeah, delishh. Even when I tell French friends that I have tried andouillette, they give me this grossed out 'oh-you-shouldn't-have' look.
Before I kill your appetite completely, let me end with something sweet! The apple tarts that maman makes on Sundays is very good. The tarte au framboise at the boulangerie downstairs is also amazing. I wasn't a fan of raspberries until mon cheri came along. He's a huge berry fan... He loves cassis which is also a popular flavor here for jam or glace 'ice cream' ! I don't think it's as popular in the States and for a long time we weren't sure what it translates to but it's black currant. Very yummy. And then last but not least, my favorite... macaroons! I've only had them from Paul bakery and I love it. Soft but crunchy cookies filled with flavorful creme. I'm afraid to try it anywhere else because I don't want it to disappoint me! Must try Laduree though! Paris in just two weeks! Can't wait!
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