Day 3 of France Trip 2010
We're in Paris! I can't understand a damn thing! And it is fucking GLORIOUS! I have been baby-fied. Basically I'm staring at everything from signs to windows to buildings to fast food restaurants. I mean, it's all new to me at this point. Day 3 was a travel day from Brittany to Paris, so it features less food because we had to hustle a little. The TGV was working although news reported that south of France had no trains at all. Sucks to be them I guess. Lunch however, was awesome. It started with cornichons. Homemade cornichons. Yum.
It was paired with some veal pork andouille. It was peppery and smokey, and pairs really well with the cornichons. I could eat these things all day and wonder how you find this in New York...
Then we had some rillette. For the uninitiated like myself, it's meat butter. Well, meat spread more like it. Just think about it... instead of butter, you spread meat on your bread. Kinda awesome you know? I was into that as well. Damn, France is pretty great!
Oh look. Cheese! We had some Camembert from Normandy and some Roquefort. I learned some common sense when it came to eating cheese... which is to eat the mellower cheese first. So Camembert ahead of Roquefort so it doesn't dominate your taste bud. I'm starting to like cheese more and more as a person who didn't grow up eating any cheese. Seriously, I've never had Kraft macaroni and cheese.
THEN WE HAD MORE FOOD! I think normally they don't eat so much, but when a fat American is there, it's a little different. It was roast pork loin with some of the most amazing potatoes I've had. I guess they're roasted in the same pan along with some vegetables and the potatoes soak up all the flavors. Little round nubs of tasty pomme de terre. That's potatoes if you didn't know. Which I didn't...
And we were in Paris! Just like that, magically delicious. Leaving Brittany took about three hours and I wanted to show you all the landscape which was full of cows, horses, and sheeps. But alas, the train moves too fast and the cool animals too far away. Learning to ride the metro is pretty interesting. They got these things that tell you when the next train is, and then the train after that. Oh MTA, when would you add that beyond just the L line? And the doors have to be opened manually. haha. Gotta love that too. Hey, who's that idiot Asian guy standing in front of the door? Oh, it's a tourist! Yup, I'm a tourist.
I'm running out of time b/c hell, I'm in Paris. Gotta get out and eat. So I'll leave you with two pictures. One is a blood sausage... mmmm.. Actually we at that in a Cuban restaurant because I made the mistake of wanting to trek out and find some Frenchy places... and guess what, lots of places don't open on Mondays. CALL AHEAD. CALL AHEAD. CALL AHEAD. Fuck, I didn't do my research enough. Now YOU can learn from my mistakes.
We capped the night off with Desperados. It's a beer that's flavored with tequilla. Haha. Gotta love it. It's fizzy, sweet, and citrusy with the lime that comes with the glass. It's really tasty and probably not for serious beer lovers. For serious tasty alcoholic drink lovers, this is great. Also they do regular beers with a fruit syrup if you want. Like they take a regular lager and add some peach syrup of some sorts. I'm guessing all bars in the world can do this, but since I'm tasting it for the first time in Paris, it's Frenchy and awesome. Yes! Day 4 here we come!
awesome photos. how long are u staying btw? you will be missing my visit to NYC on Thur-Sat
Steve
April 14, 2010 12:54 am
Bienvenue à Paris !
Perhaps we met yesterday in the metro...
If you can buy some cheese try the "SALERS", a kind of wonderful cow-milk cheese produced in Auvergne (center of France). And a good french restaurant is "L'ami jean".
Enjoy your stay.
la flore et la faune
April 13, 2010 5:11 am
Man, it's fun reading your Paris/France posts. Reminds me of how much I enjoyed it when I first arrived.
FN
April 13, 2010 9:05 am
Sounds like you're having an awesome time. World just seems a little brighter.
Jonathan
April 13, 2010 10:00 am
I'm glad you're blogging daily about your trip. Can't wait to read more!
Ang
April 13, 2010 10:16 am
I'm loving how much you're loving France - It's one of my heart-homes and it brings a tear to my eye to read about your adventures and see your photos. Onward!!!
Try a cheese from the Jura Region called Comtè.
martha
April 13, 2010 10:24 am