So for this post I am going share what we experienced in Paris with food and dinning......then later I will talk about DLP dinning in another post...
So on arrival day we grabbed a early quick lunch at McDonalds which I know isn't the way you want to start out your Paris food journey, but we were absolutely starving, and my sugar level was getting really low and I had to use a glucose tablet to bring it back up.... What I needed was lots of carbs and coke. Which they delivered quickly... we ordered from the large screen it was pretty simple, you can choose your language to read the menu in, the terminology is a bit different, once you choose your meal or items, look down at the bottom to see if this is really what you want, select choice of payment we paid at the counter, as we wanted some smaller euros... When they say they do not put ice in anything it's really that, after a few try's back and forth we scored a large cup of ice...yippie... this would be our last fountain drink for a few day....( refills are not free and I believe they are full price, or close to it. I will say that the burger meat did taste a lot better, more like hamburgers that you would make at home, fries were hot and not greasy or overly salty... It was pretty dang good.. now we had been up for almost 30 hours so...and starving so not sure if it was really good or just the hunger and sleep deprivation setting in....
Later on after we took a 4 hour nap we were up and ready to go...
Our first real meal in Paris... Our concierges suggested a spot right around the corner from the hotel... We asked for somewhere for a true French meal and experience... Our concierges made dinner reservation and we were off... Thankful I had read up on what to expect, and proper etiquette. The French enjoy their manners and expect everyone else to adhere to this behavior, which is a good thing. It was a very relaxed atmosphere, but traditional manners and proper etiquette is followed... For dinner expect 2 hours at least leaning more toward the 3 hour mark... which here in the US, people would/and will absolutely freak out over a 2 to 3 hour meals, and we sorta started to but then DH and I decided to sit back and enjoy the meal and experience, when in France do as the French... relax and enjoy....Once we settled in and down... Eye contact is very important, I made eye contact with the server, and with a slight nod he would come to the table, and when clearing plates each time the asked if we were done, or okay to take before removing the plates, glasses and such. It was an amazing meal, food, wine and most of all the company... DH and I sat and talked and talked, laughed and held hands at the table... I asked DH what do you see that is missing.... He looked around the room?.... can you guess?... Yep ... no cell phones, they are not laying out on the table nor was anyone's nose stuck to the screen... People were doing something that here in US is fading into the ether of our society...Talking..... Yes I said Talking to each other at the table. Really? Yes really.... I saw one lady check her phone, she pulled it out of her bag, for only a moment, and checked it, it never was pulled out so other people could see it, then she apologized for checking it. Once dessert was finished... we enjoy being able to sit and finish our wine... then you must ask for the bill...
L'addition s'il vous plait ( the bill Please) this is an important phrase that you will need when dinning out, anywhere in France. It is considered rude to bring bill, so you must ask for it.. Every dinner meal followed this manner of dinning. We absolute loved it...
Even lunch is enjoyed in much the same way...not as long as dinner but much longer that what we here in the states are use to... again you must ask for the bill.
Breakfast, We did have some trouble with breakfast, if something more that pastries, and café (coffee) is wanted... You will need to look around for a more American style meal... We did find a few spots that offered a "menu" which included, a hot "Boisson" (drink), Café, hot chocolate, or tea, as well as fresh squeezed orange juice, 2 eggs fried, bacon, and a croissant.. for around 14 to 17 euros... If the menu say ham and cheese omelet that what you will get, no sides... just the Ham and cheese omelet.... like here when we head to Cracker barrel, Denny's, I hop, or your local diner, you get potatoes, meat and some type of bread... there its not the case... Due to the fact I have issue with bottoming out with my sugar levels I need something more than café and pastries for breakfast...this was challenging but we did manage to find 2 spots that offered the "menu " and this is where we grabbed breakfast each morning...
When ordering a coke they come in glass bottles... we would get a smile every time they brought them to the table... One server asked have you not ever seen these, then we explained, of course we have seen them, but in the US, fountain drinks, cans and plastic 2 liter bottles are mostly found...he was like why? I was like that just the way it is... he just shook his head...which of course made DH and I laugh...
There are not free refill so if you want another coke, it will cost you the same price... Oh here's something for you diet coke drinkers... Coke light is what is offered no diet coke...
What we found worked for us, is ordering a large bottle of water for the table( depending on what you order anywhere from 5 to 10 euros), then savoring our coke. Also another thought on the water, they will ask you with or without gas...meaning bubbles... I laughed when they asked my DH with gas... his face was priceless....
Another thing that we noticed was the noise level in restaurants is much quieter than here in the US. There was one table in a restaurant that was quite loud and the manager asked them to quite down, or leave... they started up a few minutes later, and the bill was given and they were made to leave( the waiters gathered around the table and made it clear to them they were leaving... Absolutely no nonsense... We asked our server does that happen often, she responded " Yes of course... this behavior is non-sense and rude... This type of attitude and behavior is never acceptable". The manager came by and offered apologies for the interruption of our meal...
We found that once you got to the dessert course the servers would talk to you more, ask you were your from, and ask questions and tell you a little about them and their families, we even had a few servers that showed us pictures of their families, and even one shared pictures of his garden at home... We were given lots of good tips on where to go, and a lot on where not to go... They talked about the strikes, and why it was happening... We did have one server, said English? then... what do you want, and basically threw the utensil on the table and walked away... which we just looked at each other and said waffle house... and laughed.... its just part of the experience... so roll with it...
You must sit outside of a café and watch Paris go by, head into a bakery for snack and take some extra's for a late night snack...
Walk through the market... It was one of the many highlights of our trip... the food is absolutely beautiful... The produce was so perfect, at first I did not think it was real... Fish so fresh and no smell as you normally get when walking into a fish market... prawns bigger than my hand... the cheese shop was just sinful... People buying fresh flowers, they to were so perfect and smelled so wonderful... for just a moment you wondered if the were real. When walking into a shop, make sure to address the person with "Bonjour Monsieur, Madame, or Mademoiselle" and when leaving the shop make sure to thank them, "Merci". Also ask if they speak English... in French Parlez vous anglais S'il vous plait (do you speak English please)
We found what would be a grocery store of sorts.. Monoprix - here we bought a 10 pack of cokes and 6 pack of water for the room, and we stopped in the night before we headed to DLP for some items for our room there. We did walk around and check everything out. So different from our stores.
Overall thoughts
The food was absolutely amazing, the food is not over done... its cooked to showcase the ingredients... so you can taste each item on its own merit, then add in other ingredients to create another experience working toward the perfect bites.... prepared simply but with passion... The thing that I took away is the French have created the art of savoring the meal, not only the food but the entire meal, making it about family or friends, and being present in the moments...So when you visit and its time to eat...just stop... put down your maps, phones, and be there... be present, leaning back into your chair, and looking forward to meal... do not rush... enjoy... this is what traveling is all about...