Food is something I’m very passionate about and I spent months looking forward to eating delicious food in Paris. In the pictures are just some of the amazing things I’ve eaten while in France: almond milk and mocha ice cream, an applesauce filled pastry, crème brûlée, and a mocha eclair. Some of my other favorite things I’ve had so far that I was too excited to take a picture of were a Nutella filled crêpe, some cheese and spinach filled ravioli with a creamy sauce, and falafel. A lot of these things are food I love getting at home, but here they’re some of the best I’ve ever had. Also, I honestly don’t even like eclairs at home because of the texture of the filling and the overall taste, but I decided to give them a try while in the country that they’re originally from and it was one of my favorite things I’ve eaten here so far. But to contrast to this, I’ve never cared for macaroons and the one I tried here didn’t make me change my mind so I guess I’ll have to miss out on those. 

I’ve formed a bond with another vegetarian student from a different program, and it’s been fun to find meat free food with him and talk with him about the differences we’ve observed. Yesterday we found a vegetarian kebab wrap from a cafe on the same street as Cité that was very good, very cheap, and very likely to be something I get more than a few times.

Being a vegetarian, the deserts are always safe to eat so those have been my favorites, but French main course dishes have been harder to find without meat. I contemplate going vegan a lot and it would be much more difficult to do here than in America, from a culture prospective. Here, so many dishes that are rooted in French culture contain dairy. I’ve seen a few places offer vegetarian or vegan alternatives. There was a pastry shop that had a sign for a vegan option but I was passing by and couldn’t stop to try it but I hope to go back before the end of my stay. Also, the almond milk flavor of ice cream I had may have been vegan, but I wasn’t sure. In America, it’s much easier to avoid eating animal products if you cook for yourself. In most large grocery stores there are sections or entire aisles dedicated to vegan alternatives and meat substitutions from countless different brands to cook with. Here, I’ve only found a few items in one store, but maybe I missed more options. Why are there these differences? Are there less vegetarians and vegans in France than in America and therefore the demand for the alternatives is lower? And are there less people with this lifestyle because it’s not accepted as well here because using meat products is so rooted in the culture and it’s dishes? Or are there just as many people who don’t consume animal products as there is in America, but the companies in France just don’t make many alternatives available? These are some of the questions I hope to find answers to as I explore more meat free options in France, I hope to look into all vegetarian restaurants around Paris, as I’ve found quite a few good ones back home. 

Palaces and Viruses

It’s been over a week since arriving in Paris and I’m still in awe over everything. Every time we turn a corner I look up and see a building that’s more beautiful and more interesting than the last. We went to the louvre with MICEFA on Thursday and the art went a little over my head but the building itself was amazing. We would walk into a room and the guide would describe the paintings on the wall but I would still be distracted by the ceilings or the columns. I’d look around and see some of my classmates were right along with me staring up instead of at the paintings and it made me feel a bit better about it.

We also went to Versailles on Saturday and it was truly amazing. We went on another tour with those silly headphones where the guide has a microphone but for half of it you’re standing close enough to her where she was speaking louder in person than through the headphones. The art there was more interesting to me than in the louvre because all the art and details in palace was related to the king and the royalty. The gardens were spectacular and we explored them and got to go on row boats. Sitting on that boat I was thinking about how great the trip is and how lucky we are to be on it because what else can you think about on a boat at a palace in France than how lucky you are. Though one part of Versailles that equal parts confused and interested me was the Greek gods and goddesses that were featured in so much of the art and two story Christian Chapel in the same palace. It seemed like a contradiction to me but was still beautiful artwork and I guess when you’re the king you can do whatever you want till you get beheaded.

These past 9 days have been great. I’m still so interested in everything about the metro and definitely more confident in it than I thought I would be at this point. We even figured out how to get home on the 4th of July when our RER stop was closed before 11:30pm. The food is still delicious and the menus are getting easier with more use of my google translate app. This trip is flying by and I’m trying to soak it all up, like the sponge Holly wanted to turn into. Being sick one day (I was just happy we didn’t have class that day so I didn’t feel guilty about staying inside all day)and not eating for almost two days didn’t bring me down, whereas back home it would have ruined my whole week. Even a stomach virus can’t ruin Paris for me.