Ode to French Food

So, now that my time in France is (all too quickly) coming to an end, I figured I'd post on a topic I can't believe I haven't talked about all year: French food.  Confession: this post was originally going to be about the amazing (surprisingly gourmet) food truck that sits in the center of my city selling delicious food to passersby, and which actually isn't scary or health-compromising like any American equivalent would be... but then I decided that since I haven't really talked about French food at all this year, now would be the time to do it.

For starters, French meals are a little different than American meals.  Breakfast is fairly light (but not really a skip-able meal, like it often is in America), and always sweet.  Leftover desserts and other good things like that often get put out on the breakfast table, while American classics like eggs and bacon are unheard of as breakfast food.

Lunch is the largest meal of the day, and is eaten at home with one's family whenever possible.  Schools and workplaces generally give about two hours for lunch to give everyone the time to commute back home, prepare a meal, eat with their family, digest, and return to work/school.  The meal generally consists of a first course of salad or vegetables, then a main course of meat and/or grains, a bread and cheese course, and then fruit for dessert.  The French definitely eat much more slowly than Americans, which has been enjoyable, and I also feel like they put more effort into each meal- cooking is really a pleasure here.  Also, everything is less sweet here.  Every time I eat "American-style food" like sandwich bread, American cheese, juice, milk chocolate, peanut butter, or anything, I find myself almost overwhelmed with the sweetness.  It's strange, but once your palate gets used to lower doses of that stuff, too much of it can honestly make you feel really sick.  Makes me wonder how I'll do readjusting to American food (all day, every day) when I go back home.

Around 4:00-6:00 pm, we have tea time, a custom that I've really grown to love here, and I've officially decided I'm never going back to that "old life" that didn't involve drinking 3-4 cups of tea per day (breakfast, tea time, after dinner, and sometimes seconds).  This is also the time of day when we eat sweet desserts, biscuits, or other baked goods, rather than just fruit like we do after meals.  This little break sort of marks the end of the school/work day and the beginning of the evening, and it's a nice time to stop what I'm doing, relax, chat with my host family, and... well... bask in the hot, delicious splendor that is tea.

Dinner is late- around 8:00, and is quite a bit smaller than lunch.  It generally involves soup in winter, salad or vegetables in summer, and whatever leftovers we've been wanting to clear out of the fridge.  For my fellow Americans out there, it's easier just to think that lunch and dinner are kind of reversed here, compared to the way it is at home.  The meal doesn't last as long either, but if no one's in a rush, we typically stay around the table a bit longer to chat and drink coffee or tea.  Then, after a while, that conversation and those caffeinated beverages tend to make their way into the living room, where we sit for a while in front of the TV before all going to bed.  Since we eat so late, my host family and I are generally already showered, done with homework, and in pajamas by the time we sit down to dinner, so it all works out pretty well.

Anyway, there's my spiel on food- one of the best parts about the country, and really just because of the time and attention that goes into meals.  I know that once I go back to America, I'll have to take some time to readjust to my family's (and my country's) cultures and norms, but I'm hoping these long, careful French meals are something that I can hold onto and introduce to others back home.  It's one of those great day-to-day things that I know I take for granted here, but with a little luck, maybe I won't have to leave it behind with my exchange after all.


(Also, if any of you ever find yourselves in Montbrison, France, for some strange, unpredictable reason, please take my advice, and check out the food truck ;) )

To My Host Families :)

One of the special benefits of being a Rotary Exchange Student in high school is the opportunity to experience life in a number of generous, welcoming host families.  Personally, I think this is one of the things that really sets Rotary's experience apart from other exchange programs, in which exchange students live on campuses with a crowd of other foreigners, or with an exchange group of people from their native country- speaking their native language, carrying on with their native traditions and practices.  Living in a total immersion situation isn't always easy- that's for sure- but I feel like it truly is much more rewarding from a cultural perspective.  So, in honor of upcoming Mother's Day and Father's Day in France, I've decided to dedicate this blog post to my three host families who have taught me "life in French."

First, I'll thank the Paracuellos family, who first taught me my way around the city that would become my home; who introduced me to people who would become my close friends through thick and thin; and who were the first to show me that a family so vastly different from my own could have it's very own way of functioning, getting along, and caring for each other.

Next, to the Perrin family, who welcomed me into their home for the three months that included Christmas and my birthday and who were always there as a shoulder to cry on whenever I needed it; who appreciated my American cooking to a point I never would have expected; and who helped me get involved at the local hospital, as a way of giving back to the community that had given so much to me.

Finally, my current host family, the Defaux, who got me interested in the wonder that is French cinema; who reluctantly stuck (at least) their feet into the freezing Mediterranean when I just had to go swimming; and who have given me so many amazing (hilarious) memories.

All of these vastly different families have made my dream of living in France come true, and I know that when I return home in a few weeks, I'll do so with brilliant memories of wonderful moments spent with all three of them.

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."
-A. A. Milne

Vacation in France

Hi everyone!  I've just recently gotten home from a two- week spring break, spent traveling and relaxing in the south of France with my wonderful host family.  This isn't really a cultural post (one of those coming soon though, I promise!), just a chance for me to update you on some of the great things I've done and seen over the past few weeks.

We spent most of vacation at a beach community in the town of Sete, France, right on the Mediterranean!  I actually swam in the ocean twice- freezing, but worth it!  There, we got to see the sights, sample the local cuisine, and visit historical sites and landmarks.  Funny enough, doing all this really reminded me how I've done relatively little "sightseeing" and "tourist-trap" type things here in France.  Weird how after just a few months, this place has really just become another home to me. Anyway, the fun vacation-type things were all the more enjoyable because of it.

Proof that I actually swam in the Mediterranean :)

 



Awesome old cathedral we saw while walking along the Canal de Midi.

 

Funny story about these guys: up until two weeks ago, I didn't actually know the French word for duckling (you know, just not one of those words you think of learning until you need it), so when I spotted these guys while taking a walk, I stood there pointing and shouting "Small ducks, small ducks!  Look everybody, I found duck babies!!!"...And then asked what they were called.

 

 On an empty beach at sunset with my host sister.

 

We climbed up a ridiculous number of stairs to get this view, but it was totally worth it.

 

This cool painted church at the top of all those stairs.

 

So, that's my update for now!  I'll be back with another post ASAP.