In this Paris video, I want to share the thing I loved most about Paris. It was the culture of food and specifically the café culture. If you have the chance to do some Paris traveling, make sure you pay attention to the healthy eating taking place everywhere you go.
In fact, I’m starting to notice a big difference in the flavor of items in Paris. The real butter in the croissants has so much more flavor than I’ve ever tasted.
Why does food just seem so much better in Paris?
The Louvre museum was a fantastic afternoon of viewing the world’s greatest art treasures. But you know me, I’m more interested in a search for the greatest French Food Finds.
The Vendor Baguette Sandwich
The amount of open space is impressive here. The Parisians use the open space and leisurely pace to great benefit. In this park, there are families, joggers, men playing chess, boys playing soccer, and babies feeding ducks. But, I’m most interested in the vendor selling baguette sandwiches for lunch.
This sandwich, like everything I’ve eaten so far is very simple, but tastes better than anything I’ve ever had. What made it so wonderful? It was simply a great baguette, one slice of ham, one slice of cheese, and a thin swipe of Dijon mustard. It wasn’t slathered in sauce and tasted more like healthy eating than anything I expected from a street vendor in my Paris travels. In fact, I’ve yet to see anything food “super sized” or advertised for a very cheap price here in Paris.
Surrounded By Art
The dome of Sacre Cour cathedral is on the highest point in Paris, in Monmartre. This artist’s town is also the home of famous Moulin Rouge nightclub and many artists like Toulouse LeTrec, Vincent Van Gough, and Pablo Picasso.
For me, the art was in the café as Heather and I sat down to the best pizza I’ve ever had, but again it was too simple to be believed. A basic, delicate yeast dough crust, crushed fresh tomatoes, a few slices of cheese and whole basil leaves. The flavor of that basil stayed in my nose for hours! More healthy eating for my Paris videos.
The Patisserie
And then, there were the bakeries, the patisserie. I wasn’t in Paris long enough to taste every single bakery item, but I sure tried. And what I remember thinking was that each one was the work of someone’s hands, not a machine. And, when I bought an extra croissant that afternoon, it was hard and stale by the next morning. No preservatives. Get it simple, get it fresh, eat it now.
All this food exploring made me tired, so it’s time to find another café. In the market of Rue Cler, we enjoyed a great, light snack with some wine and cheese plate at Café Du Marche.
More Art
There was a feast for the eyes at the Orangerie Museum where we got to view Monet’s Water Lillies. But the beauty doesn’t stop there. You can’t toss a croissant without hitting a cathedral in Paris. Our quick tour of the beautiful stained glass of St. Chapel only made me hungry for dinner.
More Healthy Eating in our Paris Travels
That evening, we went to the smallest restaurant I’ve ever seen. It was so small, that I couldn’t get photos of every part, or I’d have to stand outside. In fact, the kitchen only served 5 tables. But here’s the key…they served some of the most amazing and artistic food I’ve ever had.
The frogs legs were ever so lightly dredged, not deep fried in a beer batter. The escargot was in a parsley butter that just HAD to be mopped up with fresh baguette.
Paris Videos
What a great day of food in Paris, everything so flavorful yet so simple. I hope you’re enjoying our Paris videos as we travel enjoying the wonderful art both visually and through taste sensations. The most amazing aspect of it all is that for as wonderful as the food tastes, it also looks and feels like healthy eating.
What is the French secret to great food?
“Burn Your Recipes” and Cook Like a Chef at Home with my cooking DVDs!
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