Eating in Paris

By Amy

Let's talk about food. Figuring out what and where to eat was so much fun in Paris. For breakfast we would usually get something at a bakery. It was always amazing. For lunch we tried to eat something that was fast because we were usually on the go. This was a chicken gyro. And yes that's the diet version of coke. I think I had a total of 12 of these bottles. They averaged between 3 and 10 dollars. Yes 10 dollars. My sister paid that at a cafe that had views of Sacre Couer. Location, location, location.

We refused to go to any place that we have here. We saw a lot of McDonald's and Subways. I do believe we even saw a Domino's pizza.

Although at one point I did crave a burger. So I ordered one. It looks the same but didn't taste the same. I guess I'm used to that good ole Nebraska beef.

We would try to eat outside because the inside of cafe's were usually very small with only eight or less tables. Although outside you do run the risk of sitting by a smoker. But it was usually worth it because half the fun of Paris is people watching.

For dinner we would try to find a place that was half way affordable. This was typically what I got for dinner.

I thought I would have been more adventurous but the truth is, it's very expensive and I wanted to make sure that I got something that I liked. So I stuck with chicken.

Water is not free. They always give you a bottle of it and it's between 5 & 10 dollars. It's almost cheaper to get a coke. Or wine. We did try to eat some veggies while we were there. One time for supper I got this. Instead of a hard boiled egg the salads come with a fried one.

And you don't get a choice of dressing. No ranch in France. But the vinaigrette was really good.

We did go to two "nicer" places. One was a restaurant where almost every dish had some sort of fruit in it. I just told the waiter to choose for me. It looked scary but it was actually really good. The more I ate it the more I liked it. It had halibut, rice, tomato, fruit in a light coconut sauce. Sounds gross even as I type this but I finished it all.

The other place we went to served alot of french food. Again I stuck with what I know. The steak was ok. I guess I'm spoiled with beef. The potatoes and salad were perfect.

Eating is a big deal in Paris. It's not uncommon for Parisians to spend two hours for a meal. In fact you have to flag the waiter for your check because it's considered rude for them to give it to you before you are done. It's also true that the portions are smaller. Probably one of the reasons why French women are thin. They probably also don't order dessert after every meal like I did. Oh dessert. That will be a whole other post.