Since French gastronomy is now on the UNESCO Intangible Heritage list, I’ve been wondering if I really do like French food.
I love French cheese. I love French bread. I love French wine. I love French home made salad dressing. I love French pastries.
Raclette! Delicious French cheese that you melt onto potatoes (and cold meats).
Tarte au citron! My favorite French pastry! It's lemon flavored.
My most recent bottle of Bordeaux. It was delicious, and only 3 euros!
I also love how much time the French spend on a meal. They really enjoy their food and take the time to savor every bite. This, too, is one of the reasons French gastronomy made it onto the intangible heritage list. It’s not only their dishes, but also how they eat them that makes them exceptional.
But as far as enjoying every meal that French people have made me, it’s definitely a no. Living chez FBF has given me ample opportunity to taste the dishes the French make, and I haven’t been impressed. This might have to do with being vegetarian, because most French meals are heavily meat based. However, if all French food was delicious one would think they’d have good side dishes as well as main courses.
So when I’m cooking, I take certain aspects of French gastronomy and add them to my own creations. I almost always include some French cheese, whether in the meal itself or eating it separately, drink some French wine (or Belgian beer), and I definitely take more time to enjoy my meal than I did before.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog via expat-blog.com and had to comment on this post. I'm not in love with all French cooking either! I love the bread, cheese, and pastries, but not every meal here floats my boat.
Happy Blogging!
Linds
http://americangirlsare.weebly.com
Food is tricky. I don't know anyone who likes everything of one style French, Italian or Chinses. Notwithstanding the fact that we Americans invented fast food - I agree a meal should be enjoyed as a pleasure not rushed as substance.
ReplyDeleteSo, I have the same experience with my students asking me if I like Korean food, but a completely different account of the food itself.
ReplyDeleteThe cheese, bread, and wine here is terrible, and some of the dishes are very strange, but nowadays I get cravings for kimchi and spicy ricecake. Weird, I know...
This is Becky, btw
Linds: I'm glad I'm not the only one! I know lots of people love French food, but a lot of their food is just unappealing to me. Also sometimes I get grossed out by how much cream and fat there is in a lot of their dishes. But I think the cheese, bread, and pastries make up for it!
ReplyDeleteMike: Yeah, I know it would be asking a lot to enjoy every dish from a single style excusively, but as I'm currently being fed exclusively French food (except for pasta once a week), my not enjoying every meal has become more apparent. I can't wait until I can cook my own dinners again! Also I want to make that tortilla soup while I'm home!
Becky: Becky!!!! I don't know if I've ever had Korean food now that I'm thinking about it. I can't imagine living without good cheese! That must be a challenge, although spicy ricecake does sound delicious. As far as Kimchi... I have no idea what that is.. haha.