Apero Addiction and The Perfect 'Crap'

One of the first questions I've been asked about Paris is "What's the food like?"  Well considering we were watching our budget to some extent, we avoided the restaurants with the Michelin stars and felt no need to submit to the ones beneath the well hidden golden arches and stuck to street food and good cafe fare. Frankly Parisiennes and Italians know how to eat. There's little difference in the produce available but they stage their eating, do it moderately and with class and variety.


The supermarkets are incredibly varied with many different brands and styles of cheeses, cold cuts, etc. so you are spoiled for choice and they have this wonderful idea of "Apero" an abbreviation of Aperitif where at about 6pm, there's a savoury plate and wine to be enjoyed whether on the balcony of a hostel in Toulouse or in the centre of Paris. A simple plate of Corcherons, pickles, prosciutto, salamis and of  course the obligatory cheese. We soon became used to this little aperitif and began eating it daily. Dinner comes much later.


Let us not forget affordable wines, Rose became our wine of choice, reasonable beers and awesome, awesome coffee. I really miss my little sweet espresso heart-starter.


So the hit list . . Crepes (pronounced craps) without a doubt the Monteguile crepe stands are exceptional with simple additions such as lemon, Grand Marnier, lashings of Nutella or the savoury options of ham, mushrooms and cheese in any combination or the lot.


Bread is the heartbeat of France. It's not unusual to see executives with bread under  their arm, baguettes in bicycle baskets or being lugged along the street in large paper bags. The French love their bread. How Marie Antoinette could suggest they eat cake amazes me they'd have clocked her with their long baguettes. You won't find sliced bread easily and a 'sandwich' means a panini baguette.


We also tried to eat the foods of the region. In Paris pretty much anything goes. In Bordeaux it's definitely duck, the Basques love their chillies and Basque Cake as well as some of the Spanish influenced dishes such as Moules and Paella,  in Provence its as you'd expect, fresh delicious food of all types including fois gras and those hearty flavours, Nimes have their own little line of pastries and Nice . . here begins the Italian influence. Everywhere, the French love macaroons.


So yes, we managed to eat our way across France, relatively inexpensively and I'm sure its only the walking we did that prevented significant weight gain thank goodness.

Homespun Seafood at Cap Ferret Andonos du Bains

Espresso in Biarritz

 Breakfast and Streetscapes

 

Aperativi in Florence, same same but different

Beer in Nimes

Crepes and Churro, Catacombs build an appetite

 Scampi Pasta

Gelato in Montemarte

 

Cafe Beneath our Paris Window

 

 Liquid Lunch

 

Petit Fors with grande calories

 

Apero with Pate de Fois Gras and Camembert on one of Paris' Bridges

 

Nutella Crepe