There was something in that cheese...

Well, I guess my stomach isn't so invincible after all... Yep, sorry folks, I finally experienced my first spell of food poisoning in four years. It was long overdue. I am way too trusting of food I should not be trusting, and it was bound to happen. But, all in all I am vertical and keeping down food for the first time in two days. And what did I do with this new found freedom? I sought out Paris' best home cooked, spice-filled, hot, cheesy, smothered in guacamole MEXICAN FOOD!! I know what you're all thinking... Syd... take it easy, you've got another 3 months there, enchiladas can wait. But no, I am sorry folks, they cannot.

I'll start from the beginning. It has been a crazy two weeks over on this side of the ocean. Last weekend I flew to Prague to see some homies, but decided to skip a food blog for that weekend because while I may be adventurous, I'm not suicidal. Czech food is not for the faint hearted... Czech food as in goulash, hot sausage masses the size of my forearm, and beer. Instead I enjoyed pizza and sushi, thanking the heavens (and the Italians and Japanese) for the contributions of globalization. Unfortunately I did not escape Prague completely unscathed. I allowed a fellow friend studying abroad in Prague to convince me into trying one of Prague's staple late night snacks. Here is the run down:

It was around 4 am on Friday evening/Saturday morning... whatever... and we were some of the last stragglers on what I am assuming is the closest thing downtown Prague has to Times Square. Meaning there were three McDonalds in the spanse of one street. Outside sit a few food stands, although I hesistate to even say food stands, as I lean more towards "late night food vending machines" where the food is too cheap and the portions are too large. Being the only vegetarian of the bunch, I allowed Jake to order for me. He told me he was getting me a "grilled cheese."But what I got (no joke, I wish I had taken a picture) was a brick of cheese.. A BRICK... the size of softball slammed between a hamburger bun. It was the most disappointing, confusing, and greasy food I had ever seen, but I was not going to waste the 25 czech koruna (about $1) and go hungry for the rest of the night. But, as you all can imagine, it was terrible... a greasy mess shoved between two pieces processed white flour mush. It was truly disappointing, but I earned a valuable lesson: not all late night food is good food. After that I stuck to the trundelnik, a Czech staple. A delicous mess of hot dough, spun into a pipe shaped cylinder, rolled in cinnamon sugar and filled with chocolate. I bought one off the street, and was told by my hosts and friends that it was the best they had had yet. Go me.

So, one full week after my adventures in Prague I found myself bedridden, lucky to not be traveling this weekend.

It all started with a cheese...

Full disclosure, my host mom is an AMAZING FRENCH COOK. She makes me some of the most creative and delicious food five nights a week and for one month has not repeated a dish once! Yes she prepares salmon frequently with simply butter and lemon, but that's just because it's delicious and easy, not because she's lazy. After each meal we enjoy whichever cheese she has picked up from the markets that week and discuss their origins. So far my favorite has been a Saint Nectaire, a soft cheese made in the Auvergne region of central France. This week we had a brie, milder than most but the rind felt peculiar... and i noted small spots of mold on the rind once we got to the end of it. But being my impulsive self, I said to hell with it and popped it in my mouth. Two hours and one glass of wine later at a friends house near the Champps, I could feel my meal gurgling in my stomach. I'll spare you all the nasty details but suffice it to say my host mom's toilet and I became the bestest of friends all day Friday<3

I told Evelyn the next day, fearful she would be worried it was something she had cooked that had made me so sick, but she believed I actually had had the 24 hour flu, as it is common around this point in the year. (Although she did pause to giggle and subtly ask me if I had drank too much the night before at my friends') Either way on Saturday I was feeling well rested and less queasy so I made my way to see the Catacombs of Paris, a truly remarkable site of 8 million human remains buried beaneath the city in the 14th arrondissement. Check it out:

And finally... the Mexican food. This place was no joke, a tiny dive called "Fajitas" steps away from the Pont-Neuf bridge in Saint Germain de Pres, the type of place you would find in the Southwest of the States. Its run by a Mexican-American couple and their food is no joke. I couldn't believe the size of the menu, and the quality was really surprising. I had some of the best guacamole I've had in a long time, filled with plenty of cilantro and lime. My host mom thought I was crazy for delving into Mexican food for my first meal back in the game, but I went easy, starting with the rice and ordering something without any cheese in it. I forget the name but it was basically a corn tortilla topped with roasted vegetables, refried beans, guacamole and homemade salsa. I will definitely be back here before my semester is up!