Eating While Abroad (Warning: this post does not contain weight-loss tips)
- sgarfinkel
- May 19, 2016
- 8 min read
I decided to make one last post about my abroad eats, before I turn the blog into a permanent foodie destination. That’s right folks, I’ve decided to go full rogue and keep the blog up and running, to detail my foodie wannabe adventures throughout my upcoming summer, semester, life and so on…
But for now, I’m going to take everyone on a journey throughout my experience with food as a whole during my semester studying in Paris (and throughout various parts of Europe) as well as donate some insider tips on what it’s like to love food, how to find it, and how to sustain your obsession while traveling.
As you all may know, I love everything that revolves around eating. And not just the part where I shove the edible part down my gullet… I love the atmosphere around food, and how it varies from culture to culture. Eating is an experience, a vehicle for bringing people together for various celebratory occasions, or simply to just say “how was your day.” I learned the power of simple conversation an appreciation for hearing about another person’s day with my host mother, Evelyn. I don’t have the words to explain how much this woman had an affect on my experience abroad because she was the most caring, understanding, laid-back mother I could have hoped for.
We dined together around 4 nights a week (my program required 5 nights but usually one of us ate with friends so we played our schedule by ear). Evelyn would come home from work around 8 or 8:30, put down her bags and immediately start cooking for us. At first it was a little difficult, well, more awkward than difficult, to immediately come out of my room and talk to her while she cooked. I spoke French well enough that we could carry an engaging conversation, but it wasn’t until we sat down at the table to eat what she had prepared where I truly felt most at ease while communicating. I drilled her on questions about France, its politics, social situation, economy and most of all: food culture. She would always laugh, call me “ma cherie” (my dear) and delve into some explanation about the origins of different butters and how it mattered which cow produced which type of cream in which region in France AS IF it were general knowledge for the entire French population. Now, trust me, if you stop some regular American joe-shmo on the side of the road and ask him what region and what type of cow his butter that he slathers on his bread each morning comes from, I’d guarantee he’d either 1. Say no, you communist or 2. Probably have no idea. Anyway, Evelyn worked so much that I could see the fatigue in her eyes as our evenings wore down, but I always made a point to ask her about her life at that moment, both of us needing some sort of constant, familiar comfort to come home to each night. We appreciated each other’s company, and because she worked so much our only time to talk was at dinner. I am so thankful for these dinners and will never forget her hospitality. On our last night together in her apartment, I cooked her dinner (shown below), using her own techniques that she had taught me over the 4 months to prepare it. And if this woman wasn’t enough of a saint, I forgot to buy a lemon for the salmon, so she went out at 9 pm at night to the nearest fruit merchant and bought me one… even when it was me doing the cooking… We sat for 2 hours talking and eating, finishing the wide array of cheeses in her fridge that she had been buying periodically for me to try. Although I loved having Paris as my foodie playground for 4 months, these dinners with Evelyn are what I will cherish the most.
There’s a different dynamic while eating in Europe, and at first it can be a bit frustrating. Service is not based off of tips, so servers are not at your beck and call like they are the States. Being a server myself, it was a bit surprising, but I learned to appreciate it. You are left along to enjoy your food after ordering, and aren’t being constantly badgered if you’d like to add a side or upgrade to a nicer glass of wine. But, I, being impetuous, was not quick to embrace this slow, elongated way of eating that is so deeply rooted in European culture.
I’ll never forget one experience I had while dining at Bistro Paul Bert, a renowned and famous French bistro…
At bistros such as this, meals are typically 3 or 4 courses: a starter, main dish, desert or desert and cheese, followed by a cognac or espresso. For this meal, my party started dining at around 9 pm, and by dessert it was nearing 11:30 and we were ready for our bill. I softly flagged the server to ask to pay, she acknowledged my notice, nodded, and continued what she was doing. Now, in the States if you ask your server for the bill, it’s at the top of their priority list, being that this is a signal the guest is seemingly ready to leave or has another place to be. (This is engrained in the American way of life. We are constantly ready for the next thing, and not quick to embrace and enjoy whichever experience we are in at that moment). After two flags to my waitress, it became clear to me that she was not going to bring me the bill until SHE was ready to do so. At this point, I got a little frustrated and fidgety in my seat, very worried I was going to miss the last metro home. Then, I felt a soft tap on my shoulder, and I turned to look at the woman next to me, who had been dining next to us with her husband before we started, and were on their second round of espresso and cognac by the time my party was ready to leave. In French she told me (abbreviated and assuaged for my own memories) to stop asking, calm down, enjoy my evening, and that my waitress would bring the check over when she was felt we were done. My jaw dropped; I was appalled, angry and confused. I looked at the woman with outrage, in awe that someone of whom I did not know would tell me how I should be dining when I was the one paying for it. But, as my seething subsided I became a bit embarrassed, knowing that she was actually a bit right. I had been having a wonderful evening before I tried to get up and leave and I was quick to abandon that enjoyment the second our plates left the table. This was a turning point in my dynamic when I dined in Europe, and mostly Paris. I began to take every second to enjoy every taste, pick out the precision of flavor in each dish, breathe in each sniff of wine, and sit back and relax to reflect on my meal and my day with whomever I was dining. So, wherever you study, travel, or live, I would suggest trying to adapt to the speed and dynamic of food in whichever country you are in, and figure it out a bit earlier than I did. I appreciated that I was able to have this chance to grow as a person, and increase my patience, all through food. It is one of the most important lessons I am bringing back to the States with me.
I won't bore you with my revelations any longer so here is my list of tips (in no particular order) :) Enjoy!
10 Things to Keep in Mind While Eating Abroad:
1. More expensive does not always mean better food
If anything I felt that the places that were most reasonably priced were better, because they were a bit off the beaten track and more authentic
In the case of fine dining in Paris, do research before you spend $400 on a meal, there ARE places that charge this and aren’t the best (shocking, I know)
2. Take the time to do your research
In my opinion, If I’m spending my money on food, it better be worth it
Check on yelp/trip advisor/guide books/ask locals etc…
LOOK UP ANYWHERE ANTHONY BOURDAIN HAS EATEN IN WHICHEVER CITY YOU’RE IN **THIS IS NOT A DRILL**
There is TONS of information out there, go find it!
3. Try to avoid places with plastic menus that have been printed, or ones that have 300 items on the menu
This usually means that their menu changes rarely, and they’re making food for the masses
Most (good) Parisian bistro’s write their menu on a chalkboard that changes almost daily, and I usually found this meant their food was fresher and more original
4. Look for places that use locally sourced food
If you’re in a foreign place, you should be enjoying the food that is being harvested at that moment! This is where you can taste new flavors or dishes that are products of the different climates, geography, animal production etc…
5. Don’t be afraid to try weird, ugly, and unappetizing things
Even if you don’t like it you can still say you’ve tried it… aka talking points on dates amiright?!?!?!
It’s fun
I won’t detail some of the things I ate, and granted they’re not THAT weird considering I don’t eat meat. But still, weird.
6. Watch how the locals eat
This took my friends and I a LONG time to figure out… aka we thought the bread was our appetizer and since it was free we usually finished 3 or 4 baskets by the time our food arrived. Then, after looking around and noticing our surroundings a bit more, we realized that the French only really eat the bread as a vehicle for other things (i.e. sauces, cheeses, meats).
7. Try the foreign cuisine of whichever country you’re in
Globalization can be pretty devastating, but its also had pretty cool effects when it comes to food
Aka don’t JUST eat traditional French food while in France. Try any Maghreb cuisine, like Moroccan or Tunisian. If there’s a strong representation of one community of foreigners, chances are good that they’ve brought their cuisine along with them.
8. DRINK whatever specialty a country has to offer, in as many different places as possible. Each place will have a different take on their country’s famous drink.
i.e. Sangria in Spain, Lemoncella/ Aperol Spritz in Italy, Port in Portugal, Beer in Germany … you get the point
9. Make reservations from time to time, it makes a meal more special
Made this mistake too many times…
10. Try to eat alone
This took me a long time to embrace, I always felt that being alone was a sign of weakness and loneliness but after a while I learned to enjoy it
You can better focus on your food if you’re not also concentrated on communicating
Its revitalizing, and empowering
Who knows, you might make a friend or two!
Saying au revoir to Paris, it marks just the start of my journey with food as I carry my new infatuation back with me to the States. This part blog may be the end of my Parisian adventure but not the end of the blog as a whole. Check back in once and a while and maybe I’ll have stopped and eaten in a city near you! Thanks for reading!
And lastly, just a few pics of my all-time favorite food moments:
Comments