Yummm

Alright. So I’ve covered one of the topics that all American women wonder about when it comes to France (men). Now for the other one.

Let’s talk food.

There are 3 staple foods in France: bread, cheese, and wine (yes, I’m considering wine as a food). And trust me, I’ve made sure to have my fill of all three. On every street corner in Aix, there are Boulangeries where you can find pre-made sandwiches (ham, chicken, vegetarian, salmon, you name it) on a baguette for around 4€. In those same Boulangeries is the most beautiful assortment of tartes (raspberry’s been my favorite so far), éclaires, and other little desserts. I’m determined to try one of each by the end of my stay here. Oh. And they sell pieces of pizza in Boulangeries. They sit out in the window, cold, and then they’ll throw them back in the oven to warm them up. And each piece has an olive on it. Provence is known for its olives and olive oils, so they like to incorporate olives into as many dishes as they can.

Speaking of Provencal dishes, I WILL cook several of them as soon as I get my hands on either a cookbook or an internet connection in my apartment. There’s this thing called Ratatouille (no, it’s not just a Disney movie) that involves throwing as many vegetables as possible into a pot and essentially creating a thick vegetable stew. However, the two ingredients that need to be included are zucchini and eggplant. It’s SO good! There’s a place in Centreville called Crêpes-a-Go-Go that makes Ratatouille crêpes, and you can get it with either egg, cheese, or ham for less than 5€. It’s an entire meal. In a crêpe.

So I WILL be making that someday. And it’s perfect because every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, there are several Farmer’s Markets here in Aix. Fresh vegetables for WAY cheaper than going to Monoprix (our version of Target…kind of). When I went, I got an ENORMOUS red bell pepper, a zucchini, 2 shallots, 2 tomatoes, 4 little potatoes, an eggplant, 3 avocados, 4 bananas, and 3 apples for 6,40€. I died.

I’m so excited to cook!

Oh. And I found this wine shop around the corner from my apartment that sells wine from this region (red, white, rosée) for 2 or 3€ a bottle! And, honestly, it tastes better than the wine that I would pay 8$ for in the States. Again. Goal is to taste each one by the end of my stay.

There’s also a cheese shop right next to it, and apparently they put on wine and cheese tastings every once in a while, so I very much want to look into that.

What’s my favorite thing I’ve had to eat so far?

Ratatouille and Ham Crêpe

Mozzarella, Pesto, and Tomato Crêpe (in Marseille)

Nutella Crêpe (I’m waiting impatiently to try to Nutella and Coconut one)

Pain au Chocolate (Croissant with Chocolate in it)

Croissant aux Amandes (Almond Croissant)

I haven’t been eating out a lot just because it’s so expensive, and I love cooking, but some of the girls have been talking about trying a new restaurant every week, so I’ll hopefully be adding to that list very soon J

Happy eating and drinking!

À Bientôt!