This post is dedicated to food. I LOVE good food and Aix certainly has it! Nom nom nomAlso, I'm going to gain sooo much weight wahhh but the food is worth it!
First of all, everything is freshh to death, and yes I just said that. The fruit is sooooo good!! All of it is ripe, sweet, organic and local. Nothing is polished with chemicals as far as I know. The vegetables are just as good, however both foods do taste different. When I tried a cucumber here, it tasted completely different than the ones in the US. I wonder if it's due to the water or the soil content? Whatever it is, I'm eating delicious, healthy food! They have these fresh produce markets everyday from early morning to around noon. At these markets there's fruits, veggies, cheeses, meats, seafood, soaps, confitures and spices! They're extremely reasonable prices! I bought a head of lettuce and two grape tomatoes for 1,07 euros!!
Of course the bread is phenomenal!! There's a boulangerie/patisserie on practically every corner! A baguette costs 0,80 euros. Whatta bargain! My host brother is not a big fan of bread at all..how weird is that haha. The pastries are delicious! OMG. If you haven't checked out my fb, I've posted pics of some macarons and they are to die for! Calissons are a speciality in Aix. They're a triangular cookie made of almond paste with orange peel flavoring. YUM YUM YUM. I also tried some navettes which are another cookie. They are a hard cookie but with a hint of sugar baked within. They come in citron (lemon), orange, and almond flavors. Galettes are another cookie that taste sooo scrumptious. They're native to Breton a Northern province of France. They're a buttery sugary cookie. If you ever come to Aix, you must try all these desserts. Today, I went to a Tunisian bakery just for the heck of it. I don't remember the names of the cookies but I tried something with fig and another made of couscous. I loved the fig one but not the other. FYI, if you want to win my heart with desserts, get me anything with raspberry (macarons, cookies etc). Hands down anything raspberry flavored is my fave.
Now, I'll describe a typical french meal and its customs:
French people DO NOT SNACK. Gaspppp this is au contraire to the american way of living. Back at home, I would snack all the time! Every once in a while I still snack but mainly I eat a lot at dinner. And by a lot, I mean a lot. Will be explained.
I learned that it's rude to hide your hands under the table before you are served, didn't quite catch the explanation behind this. It's also rude to start eating before everyone else is served, this is the same in the US. Don't shovel food in your mouth because a) it looks tacky b) enjoy the food c) engage in conversation. A french meal can last for 2-3 hours depending on who you're eating with. Luckily, for me there is a 2yr around so the meal lasts about an hour. The French love their food! They love talking about it and savoring it. I don't blame them. They also like to have 3-4 courses in one sitting.
Usually a meal starts off with a vegetable or a fruit, then there is the main meal. After that comes cheese bein sûr and finally dessert. By the time it comes to the cheese meal, I am stuffed!! Every dinner I've had thus far has been accompanied by carbs...basically my downfall. It's either pasta, rice, or bread or a combination. I need to control my carb intake! As I said before, the vegetables and fruit are very delicious. I've had fresh spinach, asparagus, carrots, lentil beans, green peas, broccoli, tomatoes and olives.
My host dad loves his sorbet. There's a few gelato places here but I've mostly eaten sorbet which I prefer. After each meal, my host dad offers me sorbet and each time I have to decline because I am so full. FYI don't say "je suis plein(e)" because that translates to "i am pregnant" lol. "J'en ai assez" or 'Ca me suffit" or "non merci" works.
I mainly eat the appetizer and the entrée and occasionally i'll have some cheese and dessert. I can't decide what has been my favorite meal. It might've been salmon and some sort of salad. Ohhh the lettuce here is to die for. It's sooo tasty and healthy. I actually hate iceberg lettuce and the french don't eat it thank god. The lettuce is completely different from romaine, arugula, spinach and others found in the US. I don't know what the proper names for the lettuces are. Every salad I've eaten has been covered in olive oil or vinaigrette. My host family loves those two things. A really good salad has tomatoes, french lettuce, black olives,fresh garlic, olive oil and vinaigrette. It's veryyyy good!! I could actually live on a salad, grape and peach diet. Weird combo but yummm!
**Oh I forgot to mention above that the grapes are insanely good and completely, absolutely different than the US. No wonder their wine is extraordinary! The grapes are smaller and almost look like blueberries. They're waterier (if that's a word?) and naturally sweet. It's like nothing I've tasted before. I could live on grapes here.
I could go on and on about food. There's sooo much to talk about as you can tell by the length of this post!! I think I'll end with things I've tried here so far.
1) Mussels- I had some at a fancy restaurant in Nice and they were exquisite! When I tried some at home, they were alright...not a big fan of them but they're tolerable. I don't like looking at them when I eat them..gross
2) Boudin- A type of sausage that I do not prefer at all. It's a mixture of pig's blood, pig fat, spices and onions. Blood and fat are two things I don't eat and of course that's what makes up the majority of Boudin. I tried it and politely denied it. French love their sausage!!
** I am not a huge fan of sausage because of how it's made and what it's made of but I gotta suck it up and try.
3) Chevre chaud- This is hot goat cheese which is very delectable. I prefer this cheese hot rather than cold.
4) Les Galettes- yes, it's a cookie but also a dinner. It's sort of like a crepe but the crepe is made out of black wheat, so it has a darker look. These are a specialty found in the North of France (Bretagne). It consisted of ham, cheese and egg. It was sooo good, one of the best meals I've had. You add some salt and butter and then it's complete. Very delicious!!
5) Quinoa- a type of grain found in South America. It looks like rice but it's a grain. Very small and soft but extremely tasty! try some soy sauce with it, because it is phenomenal.
6) Betterave- A vegetable that I have never heard or tried before. It's taste is soo unique too, hard to explain. The look reminds me of cranberry sauce but more firm. It doesn't taste like cranberry though. It was pretty good.
7) Kaki- A fruit that looks like identical to a tomato but doesn't taste like one at all. It's very sweet inside. Very good! You only eat it when it's soft because that means the inside is ripe, you don't eat the skin.
8) Farcis- a specialty in the South of France. Stuffed vegetables (meat). YUM.
9) Gibassié- a french pastry made of olive oil, butter and citron (lemon). Very good when it's warm. It tastes like a cookie but not as sweet.
10) La Pâté- a paste like substance of ground pork and seasonings. It looked a lot grosser than it tasted. Wasn't too bad. It tastes really good with cornichons which are pickles.
11) Mafé au poulet- A bunch of us decided to eat at a Senegalese restaurant. It was interesting to say the least. My dish which is the mafé au poulet was pretty tasty. It was a chicken thigh in a tomato sauce with eggplant, cabbage and white rice. However, the other dishes weren't as tasty. The couscous, salads and shrimp had a twist to them which no one was acquired to. At least we tried!
I have not tried frog legs, escargot, foie gras (duck liver), cerveau (brain) or la langue (tongue). I don't think I could...
France is the cuisinère of the Occidental world. In other words, French cuisine can be compared to China in which the people will eat anything.
More to come about food, because there is too much to mention!
First of all, everything is freshh to death, and yes I just said that. The fruit is sooooo good!! All of it is ripe, sweet, organic and local. Nothing is polished with chemicals as far as I know. The vegetables are just as good, however both foods do taste different. When I tried a cucumber here, it tasted completely different than the ones in the US. I wonder if it's due to the water or the soil content? Whatever it is, I'm eating delicious, healthy food! They have these fresh produce markets everyday from early morning to around noon. At these markets there's fruits, veggies, cheeses, meats, seafood, soaps, confitures and spices! They're extremely reasonable prices! I bought a head of lettuce and two grape tomatoes for 1,07 euros!!
Of course the bread is phenomenal!! There's a boulangerie/patisserie on practically every corner! A baguette costs 0,80 euros. Whatta bargain! My host brother is not a big fan of bread at all..how weird is that haha. The pastries are delicious! OMG. If you haven't checked out my fb, I've posted pics of some macarons and they are to die for! Calissons are a speciality in Aix. They're a triangular cookie made of almond paste with orange peel flavoring. YUM YUM YUM. I also tried some navettes which are another cookie. They are a hard cookie but with a hint of sugar baked within. They come in citron (lemon), orange, and almond flavors. Galettes are another cookie that taste sooo scrumptious. They're native to Breton a Northern province of France. They're a buttery sugary cookie. If you ever come to Aix, you must try all these desserts. Today, I went to a Tunisian bakery just for the heck of it. I don't remember the names of the cookies but I tried something with fig and another made of couscous. I loved the fig one but not the other. FYI, if you want to win my heart with desserts, get me anything with raspberry (macarons, cookies etc). Hands down anything raspberry flavored is my fave.
Now, I'll describe a typical french meal and its customs:
French people DO NOT SNACK. Gaspppp this is au contraire to the american way of living. Back at home, I would snack all the time! Every once in a while I still snack but mainly I eat a lot at dinner. And by a lot, I mean a lot. Will be explained.
I learned that it's rude to hide your hands under the table before you are served, didn't quite catch the explanation behind this. It's also rude to start eating before everyone else is served, this is the same in the US. Don't shovel food in your mouth because a) it looks tacky b) enjoy the food c) engage in conversation. A french meal can last for 2-3 hours depending on who you're eating with. Luckily, for me there is a 2yr around so the meal lasts about an hour. The French love their food! They love talking about it and savoring it. I don't blame them. They also like to have 3-4 courses in one sitting.
Usually a meal starts off with a vegetable or a fruit, then there is the main meal. After that comes cheese bein sûr and finally dessert. By the time it comes to the cheese meal, I am stuffed!! Every dinner I've had thus far has been accompanied by carbs...basically my downfall. It's either pasta, rice, or bread or a combination. I need to control my carb intake! As I said before, the vegetables and fruit are very delicious. I've had fresh spinach, asparagus, carrots, lentil beans, green peas, broccoli, tomatoes and olives.
My host dad loves his sorbet. There's a few gelato places here but I've mostly eaten sorbet which I prefer. After each meal, my host dad offers me sorbet and each time I have to decline because I am so full. FYI don't say "je suis plein(e)" because that translates to "i am pregnant" lol. "J'en ai assez" or 'Ca me suffit" or "non merci" works.
I mainly eat the appetizer and the entrée and occasionally i'll have some cheese and dessert. I can't decide what has been my favorite meal. It might've been salmon and some sort of salad. Ohhh the lettuce here is to die for. It's sooo tasty and healthy. I actually hate iceberg lettuce and the french don't eat it thank god. The lettuce is completely different from romaine, arugula, spinach and others found in the US. I don't know what the proper names for the lettuces are. Every salad I've eaten has been covered in olive oil or vinaigrette. My host family loves those two things. A really good salad has tomatoes, french lettuce, black olives,fresh garlic, olive oil and vinaigrette. It's veryyyy good!! I could actually live on a salad, grape and peach diet. Weird combo but yummm!
**Oh I forgot to mention above that the grapes are insanely good and completely, absolutely different than the US. No wonder their wine is extraordinary! The grapes are smaller and almost look like blueberries. They're waterier (if that's a word?) and naturally sweet. It's like nothing I've tasted before. I could live on grapes here.
I could go on and on about food. There's sooo much to talk about as you can tell by the length of this post!! I think I'll end with things I've tried here so far.
1) Mussels- I had some at a fancy restaurant in Nice and they were exquisite! When I tried some at home, they were alright...not a big fan of them but they're tolerable. I don't like looking at them when I eat them..gross
2) Boudin- A type of sausage that I do not prefer at all. It's a mixture of pig's blood, pig fat, spices and onions. Blood and fat are two things I don't eat and of course that's what makes up the majority of Boudin. I tried it and politely denied it. French love their sausage!!
** I am not a huge fan of sausage because of how it's made and what it's made of but I gotta suck it up and try.
3) Chevre chaud- This is hot goat cheese which is very delectable. I prefer this cheese hot rather than cold.
4) Les Galettes- yes, it's a cookie but also a dinner. It's sort of like a crepe but the crepe is made out of black wheat, so it has a darker look. These are a specialty found in the North of France (Bretagne). It consisted of ham, cheese and egg. It was sooo good, one of the best meals I've had. You add some salt and butter and then it's complete. Very delicious!!
5) Quinoa- a type of grain found in South America. It looks like rice but it's a grain. Very small and soft but extremely tasty! try some soy sauce with it, because it is phenomenal.
6) Betterave- A vegetable that I have never heard or tried before. It's taste is soo unique too, hard to explain. The look reminds me of cranberry sauce but more firm. It doesn't taste like cranberry though. It was pretty good.
7) Kaki- A fruit that looks like identical to a tomato but doesn't taste like one at all. It's very sweet inside. Very good! You only eat it when it's soft because that means the inside is ripe, you don't eat the skin.
8) Farcis- a specialty in the South of France. Stuffed vegetables (meat). YUM.
9) Gibassié- a french pastry made of olive oil, butter and citron (lemon). Very good when it's warm. It tastes like a cookie but not as sweet.
10) La Pâté- a paste like substance of ground pork and seasonings. It looked a lot grosser than it tasted. Wasn't too bad. It tastes really good with cornichons which are pickles.
11) Mafé au poulet- A bunch of us decided to eat at a Senegalese restaurant. It was interesting to say the least. My dish which is the mafé au poulet was pretty tasty. It was a chicken thigh in a tomato sauce with eggplant, cabbage and white rice. However, the other dishes weren't as tasty. The couscous, salads and shrimp had a twist to them which no one was acquired to. At least we tried!
I have not tried frog legs, escargot, foie gras (duck liver), cerveau (brain) or la langue (tongue). I don't think I could...
France is the cuisinère of the Occidental world. In other words, French cuisine can be compared to China in which the people will eat anything.
More to come about food, because there is too much to mention!