Top Ten-- Paris

Welcome to my Top Ten Food Related Things I Experienced, Ate or Drank While I Vacationed in Paris, France (too long?). I'm not going to continue with some long, confusing and occasionally funny spiel, so here it is: My Top Ten of Paris, France! Special Mention/11.) Ham: I swear, I ate ham almost every day, and while it was great and filled with flavor, I got absolutely sick of the stuff by the end of the trip. If you do happen to go to Paris, try the ham (even put it in a crepe or baguette if you'd like) but steer clear of it or you will go insane. Seriously. Luckily my detox only involved getting locked in the bathtub for a fortnight. Oh well, I dealt with worse in the Chocolate Chip Fiasco of '02 (don't ask about it). 10.) Double espresso: It sounds odd to put, but yeah, have you ever had double espresso in Paris, France? In two words, I can describe it: wonder drug. You will be filled with energy for literally hours no matter what you do in the city. Even after a day of walking and visiting museums, a shot glass sized amount of this stuff will wake you up in a matter of minutes. Not only that, but it is extremely high quality and is quite good for you. Just don't drink it more than once a day. Bad idea. Very. Very. Bad. 9.) Escargot: Good gosh, I love these little nuggets! They have no icky taste and aren't even slimy like many would think. In fact, there's almost a fine art behind them. Every time I ordered the dish I received a few tiny, specific tools to eat them, which usually consisted of what essentially was a pair of tongs and an extremely small fork to scoop them out. You would hold the snail with the tongs while you would use the fork to, well, eat them (pretty hard to figure out). The snails were always cooked in garlic butter which is absolutely perfect to dip your bread in (well, save for olive oil, which is God-sent). The only downside is the whole thing clogging your arteries, but as long as they are not deep-fried you should be fine. Or wrapped in bacon. Or dipped in chocolate. Or anything Americans do. Yeah. Period. 8.) Produce: Another odd thing to put on this list, yes, but the produce (fruits and vegetables) were delicious almost everywhere I was in Paris. The category of salads can also fall under this, as I enjoyed a majority of the salads I consumed in France. Lightly yet efficiently dressed, with multiple, colorful vegetables, the salads were easily some of the best I've ever had. Specific examples include strawberries (which were fresh and packed with flavor) and lettuce (which had a great crunch and consistency). It may seem simple, and it may seem odd, but this was easily one of the best F.R.T.I.E.A.O.D.W.I.V.I.P.F.. Yeah, way too long. 7.) Duck confit: Yet another fattening thing goes on the list. Duck confit is this: duck preserved, submerged in its fat, before poached-- in its own fat. So it is definitely not for dieters. But it is delicious. It is usually served with a salad (which as I mentioned before is AMAZING) or a potato, but the duck by itself is rich and mind-blowing, especially the skin. Although I did not have this many times (which is why this entry is so short), it is worth the cost-- and the nutritional value-- to have for dinner. 6.) Tartare: Do not be afraid by the idea-- the product is great. If you don't know what this is, tartare is a preparation of meat, usually with some seasonings or some sort of sauce. Oh, sorry, let me modify that: a preparation of raw meat. Yes, that's right, R-A-W, raw meat. But keep in mind, the chefs are taking some ground chuck and giving it to you, it's much more than that. It's hard to describe without trying it for yourself because the taste is so specific. It wasn't overpowering, yet it wasn't bland either. But however I can describe it, the facts remain: that plate was clean when the waiter finally took it away. The only thing I regret was having it only twice-- not even close to the amount I wanted when I left. 5.) Roasted chicken: This is classic French comfort food, and I can see why. Every time I had roasted chicken, it was fall-off-the-bone, mouthwatering deliciousness, a culinary masterpiece. I've spoken about roasted chicken in the past, so I don't want to repeat myself, but let me tell you, if you have ever had roasted chicken in the past and want the best chicken in the world, come to Paris. I don't care how or what it takes you, in four words: it is worth it. 4.) Service: The service at restaurants (any restaurants, anywhere) is one of the most important aspects to eating out. I've seen all types of service, from great to friendly to mediocre to downright dreadful. I easily had some of the best service I ever had in Paris. A big portion of that comes from the fact that in France, being a waiter or waitress is a real profession. In the United States, what does one think of when they think of a waiter? A teenager or college student, trying to scrape together some money on the side. In France, that is far from the case. Waiters/waitresses in Paris are of all ages and were almost always nice and charming. They have plenty of energy and drive and work their hardest. Plus, it doesn't hurt when you know you will always get tips/money (they're worked into the bill). Maybe that's incentive. Whatever the reason, the service is Paris is terrific. Period (I'm probably overusing this, aren't I? Am I? Huh? Anyone?). 3.) Tomatoes and mozzarella: These two foods, which I ate always together, never separated, were the foods I ate the most in Paris. There are two reasons for this: one, they are in every restaurant/cafe in the entire city and two, they are delicious. I mostly ate them in the form of a salad (very similar to Caprese salad, in fact, almost identical in some places). It was served on a place, usually with the mozzarella as an unsliced hunk with about five or six slices of tomato with salt and pepper. Sometimes it was served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, other times it was already drizzled on it. Either way, it was a perfect starter. The two were always fresh as well packed with flavor and pure deliciousness. But what made the combination even better was cutting open a small baguette and stuffing it in there. OH MY GOD! An amazing sandwich to say the least. Combined with a thin slice of ham and maybe a bit of olive oil, it was a flavorful, (somewhat) nutritional combination that was perfect for a lunch. I can only hope to replicate it here in the States. 2.) Bread: Never mind, this was the thing I ate the most in Paris. At every lunch and dinner the waiter brings a bowl or basket filled with bread before (or maybe with) your starter and main course. However, the interesting aspect about it is that you're not supposed to eat it before hand; you're supposed to eat it with your meal. No matter when you ate it, for me, it was always delicious. I honestly cannot describe my enjoyment of French bread in words. It can only be experienced when/if you taste it, and you cannot experience it by munching on an American-made baguette or boule. You have to have it in France. No exceptions. Bread is so simple, something our minds skip over, but bread really does make a difference as it did for me in Paris. 1.) Cafes: Not just the food/drink in cafes, not just the atmosphere, not just the service, it's just the idea of the French cafe that I love the most. In the United States, we have a "go go go" attitude; we are always on the go, getting our Starbucks, moving, eat your breakfast in the car, never stay in one spot, getting to work on time. In Paris things are so much different. Cafes are not for drinking or eating or moving, they are for talking and relaxing and mingling. It's a place to talk and meet people for hours on end. You could come have coffee at four in the afternoon and stay to eat dinner at eight and then leave at ten if you really wanted. Essentially you are renting the space, renting the table, you could do whatever the heck you felt like. I have not found one place wherever I have gone in Boston, or in New York, or in anywhere in America where I felt like that. French cafes really bring up a good question about us: why can't we have that same attitude? Why can't we have things like French cafes? Why can't we just chill out and stop being so "go go go"? So much history has happened at French cafes (I'm serious, look it up); whatever happened at a Dunkin' Donuts or a McDonalds or a Papa Ginos?