Okay,on to part two of my France trip postings-I don't know how many more it will take-I can go on and on....
Today's topic is:FOOD!
Yup,you hear that the food in France is really good and believe me,that statement isn't an exaggeration .
Every third store on any street is a boulangerie-a bread store,the next one is a charcuterie and the last one is a patisserie-so if you like bread fresh from the oven,tiny tarts and an assortment of hams and sausages-you are in heaven!

Oh, the rest of the stores are mostly delis,pharmacies and Mom and Pop grocery stores which carry more food-juices,prepared food,salads,baked goods...

A deli close to Rue Lepic

The salads are a class unto themselves-the perfect combinations of greens and meat and dressing-they all seem remarkably similar yet distinct.

The meal you see was assembled with ingredients purchased within a 10 minute walk from the apartment we lived in-chicken from a deli specializing in all kinds of cooked meats,greens,olives and tomatoes from a grocery store and wine from  a shop nearby .

Early every morning,my husband used to walk to the nearby boulangerie nearby and buy some fresh croissants and pan au chocolat fluffy,buttery,gooey and still warm.A good cup of coffee brewed at home and voila!petit dejeuner was done!

A florist near Rue Lepic

Oh,I forgot the creperies!!A small narrow storefront and all that you can see is a humungous crepe pan 18 inches wide,a bowl full of batter and assorted fillings.Choose a plain crepe,or a sweet or savory one-nutella makes an excellent filling as do ham and cheese.The crepe is made right in front of you ,wrapped in a paper cone and handed to you-eat as you walk home!!For South Indians-the crepe is like a huge dosai made with APF ,all soft and pillowy.
Oh,people buy baguettes fresh from the boulangerie every evening on their way home from work and eat as they walk-hopefully the bread lasts until they get home!

For the finicky eater who insists on familiar foods from back home,Paris abounds in McDonalds and Subways-so fear not-your BLT and McNuggets are waiting for you!!

Now onto serious eating-cafes abound in Paris and pretty much every city or town or village you step into that you begin to wonder if people cook at home at all-but that beats eating at Burger  King everyday-because the food is absolutely delicious.We ate at one such cafe /brasserie in the little village of Azay Le Rideau -we had  cochon au lait and it was fabulous-but the weird thing I noticed was that it seems everything is served with fries-everything!We did not do much of this on account of traveling with kids-I mean eat out in cafes,not eating fries with everything .
Cafes spill onto the sidewalks after 5.00 in the evening  and one needs to step off the curb to accommodate the crowd.Dinner is a long languorous affair-it can last way past midnight even on working days.
Last thing-ice creams-you can buy them everywhere but speciality stores where you can buy 20 different varieties  are also pretty common and they seem to use waffles-the sugary  kind one sees in Costco -as a base to put scoops of ice cream and toppings on-yum!!

Display at a boulangerie.

So if you seriously need to gain weight healthfully-go to France!!