My observations of Paris...in point form
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Things the French do well:
1. Not being fat. Despite eating cheese and drinking wine and om-noming on pastries all day long, French people are pretty svelte. I'm not sure if it's the fact that they walk everywhere, or that their foods are so fresh and wholesome compared to our processed-food-heavy diets, but it's working for them!
2. Coffee. I didn't have a bad cup of coffee the entire time we were there. I don't know if it's the beans or the technique but they've got le cafe down to a science!
3. Wine. It's cheap and tasty and you can get it almost anywhere. Plus, it's not frowned upon to drink it at any time of the day.
4. Scarf tying. Everyone wears a scarf--boys and girls and everybody in between--and all of them are scarf tying experts!
5. Eating crustaceans. Specifically, escargots. Why have I never eaten these luscious little snailies before? So, so good. I was a little creeped by the fact that they're snails but really it's no different than eating, say, mussels or clams. They're slimy and live in a shell. Samesies.
6. Architecture. I could have taken a photo of every single building we saw.
Things the French do not do well:
1. Quitting smoking. EVERYONE SMOKES IN PARIS. Everybody! I think I inhaled a pack a day just passing people on the street.
2. Convenience. Stores are open at random hours of the day, and a lot of shops are closed between 1-4pm. Because why would anybody ever want to buy something during the afternoon? PFFT.
3. Being affordable. It's a friggin' expensive city. We went to Sephora and the stuff cost more in Euros than it costs in dollars here! No thaaaaanks. Paying $50 CAD for a BeneFit bronzer is a little rich for this girl.
4. Eating an abundance of ham (aka worst meat of life). Soooo many otherwise amazing sandwiches and salads were ruined with the addition of ham (often RAW ham). As a result I veered toward chicken a lot, which Peter told me was pigeon. I ate it anyway.
5. Picking up dog poop. It's not a bylaw there and you definitely have to watch where you walk.
6. The Metro. It reeks, there is only one machine to buy tickets at per stop, and once you get under ground you have to walk like a mile to get to the train. Plus a sketchy old man will try to sell you tickets that have already been validated. Just say no to the sketchbags!
4 comments
Ohhh Paris.
ReplyDeleteI love that he told you the chicken was pigeon. My theory is that there was a war long ago between the French squirrels and pigeons and that is why there are no squirrels and a surplus of fat pigeons.
Sounds absolutely wonderful. Congrats on getting married, by the way!
You're so right, there were no squirrels! I didn't realize that at the time.
ReplyDeleteSome tickets are not validated in France.. I mean there ARE crooks, but they like to buy in bulk and then sell singles to tourists (as per BF)
ReplyDeleteAs for super svelte Frenchies, it's because they eat high fat stuff but they eat less of it.
They just eat less, period.
You will notice that they don't like a lot of processed foods (even the McD's there is of better quality) and their "cans" are homemade meals you pop in the oven and serve, not like this super processed junk you get here.
BF also says that French women DO get fat, they just starve themselves to stay thin to keep their man, as many of them may also be stay at home wives who don't want to go out and work...
They also drink those diet shakes instead of eating. As per BF.
As for smoking, it's true... I am dreading going to France because of the smoking.
Here in Montreal, people love to smoke too and it annoys me because I get hacking coughs when I inhale
Congrats again! Welcome back :)
FB The food did seem healthier, even though it's fatty, everything is fresher and more wholesome. I do like the way the French shop for fresh ingredients every day.
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