Emily in France 🇫🇷 French Grocery Stores Are Weird and Wonderful
French grocery stores are not like American ones.
When I first moved to France, I knew that some things – OK, quite a few things – would be different from in America. And while I was right... I was also terribly, terribly wrong.
I had expected France to boast a unique media culture that somehow mirrored America's while also remaining distinct and culturally singular. But instead of a French analogue for Friends or Gossip Girl, I discovered dubbed versions of shows I knew. Instead of a panoply of French popstars, I found that my fellow ninth graders merely sang Britney Spears "en yaourt" (literally: in yogurt; making the sounds they thought they heard without quite conveying the true meaning.)
And while some things were more similar than I ever could have dreamed, at least one thing I never expected to be different was, and that was the grocery store.
While we'd all love to believe that all French people still shop at local greengrocers' and fromageries (much like in Amélie), in truth, they do have supermarkets and even hypermarkets here, with aisles full of chips and sandwich bread and candy, just like back home. But French grocery stores are home to dozens of things you won't find in the States: a phenomenal selection of different mustards, criminally inexpensive endive, jars of duck fat and goose fat and duck confit, hand-churned cultured butter, a world of wine, incredible cheese.
Conversely, French grocery stores are also devoid of more than a handful fo American staples: things like crushed red pepper or 6-packs of halfway decent beer. Painkillers can be found only at the pharmacy; peanut butter is sold almost exclusively in the "American" section, alongside packs of pre-made chocolate chip cookies, off-brand boxed mac and cheese, and Marshmallow fluff.
But the absence I found most baffling? Cartons of chicken broth. Used with reckless abandon in the States, this staple is nowhere to be found in French supermarkets. And the reason, contrary to what you might believe, isn't because the French are necessarily making it at home, but rather because they prefer an ingredient I've been told for my entire "foodie" existence I should shy away from: bouillon cubes.
There are a lot of differences I've gotten on board with here in France, from tiny refrigerators to room temperature eggs. But I've yet to embrace bouillon, and to be quite frank... I'm not sure that day is coming any time soon.
What I'm Eating
1. Mediterranean small plates like "angry" hummus and melt-in-your-mouth accras on the terrace of Petit Navire.
2. The sweetest cantaloupe I've ever had from La Ruche Qui Dit Oui.
3. My very first cup of Indonesian luwak coffee (yep, that's the one that's been partially digested). It's delicious.
What I'm Writing
1. If you're stuck at home with the kids and looking for a way to distract them, try one of 10 cooking projects that will teach math, science, and more, for AllRecipes.
2. Compton has embraced vegan food thanks to Lemel Durrah, a local who is cooking plant-based soul food for the masses. Find out more in this story for Organic Authority.
3. I'm late to the game with Running with Scissors, but I finally discovered this bizarre, beautiful memoir. Read more on the blog.
What I'm Reading
1. I just finished Americanah (for the second time) for my feminist book club. I highly recommend it – and this TedTalk from author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about the dangers of telling a single story.
2. I was devastated when I learned that Boulinier, an historic used bookstore in Paris' 5th arrondissement, was closing. Luckily, it is reopening just a few blocks away. Find out more for Paris Secret (in French).
3. A handful of memorable restaurant experiences from food writers like Ruth Reichl and Sloane Crosley was collected in the New York Times. My favorite is Reichl's story about her experience at l'Ami Louis, here in the Marais.
A bientôt !