La gastronomie francaise

Today (Aujour'hui) we learned all about eating and culture in Paris, it's really one in the same. We all know that they love their wine (le vin) and cheese (le fromage), but honestly, the Parisians are more passionate about the bread (le pain). Une baguette is one of the most affordable (1 euro) and favorites of Parisians. The rules of the baguette are: 1) it must come from a boulangerie (bakery) 2) it must be made by an artisan du pain, 3) it must be fresh and have a strong crust, 4)you must eat it with anything, everything, or just by itself. Each person has their favorite boulangerie, it's almost like the most hardcore Starbucks drinker walking past a Dunkin Donuts, they scoff. I will start to explore the boulangeries near my house and my school, because the baguette will quickly become a staple in my diet.

At school, we sampled food from each region of France. Quickly my highlights-
Il de France (Paris):
LOVED: Chèvre (goat cheese)
"Je suis allergique aux rillettes (pork pâté- it seriously looked like Jack's food)" (It's very impolite to dislike something or refuse to try it, so I am allergic to Pâté for this trip.)

Franche-Comte
We had some dried meats and pastries, but I LOVED the wine, 2006 Chardonnay. As for red, they need to grow on me. The Bordeaux was too robust and the Côte du Rhône was too bitter.

Normandie
They make a lot with apples (des pommes) like Chausson aux pomme (pastries with apples) and Cidre brut (sparkling cider). Also, we tried pasterized Camembert from the grocery store (no, no, no) and Camembert fait a coeur from the Fromagerie (cheese shop), AMAZING!

Aquitaine
LOVED: Fourme d'Ambert- a bluer blue cheese
LOVED LOVED LOVED: My first, of many, chocolate eclairs.