In the land of baguettes and an entire course of cheese between dinner and desert, France is a magical gift for a foodie like myself. However, no matter how good the food is, adjusting to how and when we eat these immense amounts of baguettes and cheese and missing the ability to order pizza at two a.m. remains a difficult transition.
Breakfast, to begin, is more simple than stateside. We eat one to two slices of bread with butter or (my favorite) jam. My host mother makes her own jam and she has shelves and shelves of different kinds of jam so that I can try different jams each day. We often will eat one or two types of fruit with the bread. I also discovered on my first day, much to my surprise when my host mother handed me a bowl rather than a mug, that tea is typically taken in a bowl at breakfast.
Lunch is often something quick from a restaurant in town or near school. This semester, Georgetown has 18 students in Strasbourg and we like to discover the local eateries together including everything from a Leo’s pasta line-reminiscent risotto to go (you read that right) to our favorite boulangerie where we all have customer loyalty cards.
Dinner is the most traditional meal of the day. Dinner is eaten quite a bit later here, anywhere between 7-9:30 depending on the family. We usually eat with our host families, even though this picture was taken while on an excursion in Alsace with the other Georgetown students. Alsatian food typically consists of sausage, sauerkraut (it’s sweeter here), ham and potatoes. speciality of the region is the Tarte Flambée which resembles a pizza but is made with lardons (a kind of small french bacon strip) and fresh creme. Due to our proximity, and history of occupation and changing of hands, Strasbourg is the best of both worlds for those who love the respective cuisines of France and Germany. Dinners at home don’t always consist of Alsatian foods but a mix of French and German influence. We almost always start with a salad, then eat the entre which is often some sort of baked tarte, such as a wonderful salmon and zucchini tarte we had the other day. Then, we have a course of cheese and bread. This might be controversial but I’m starting to lean towards Cambert as my favorite cheese. My host mother explained to me that the reason cheese in France is so much better is because it is made with non-processed milk or “lait cru.” I think the citation of Charles de Gaulle says it best, “How is one supposed to govern a country where there exists 246 varieties of cheeses?”
Finally, desert is usually plain yogurt with the option to stir in your favorite jam. However, my host mother also makes a wonderful apple crumble and recently tried a new recipe for whisky bread. When I asked her what her favorite food was, she shared that for her it is less about one food or the other, but she loves the ability to try a little bit of everything. Her joy comes from variety.
Pictured here is a crepe made with Banana and Nutella. Yes, there’s Nutella here.
