A request for food info...

It has occurred to me that it will be impossible to write about everything we experience. It was brought to my attention that even though we've been in the country known for amazing food, we hadn't posted anything about it. We haven't eaten at any 4 star joints, but we have loved everything we've tried. So here goes nothing: 

We've walked all around two French cities and eaten quite a variety of food. I have to say, it is amazing how true the baguette and cheese stereotype is. People walk around with a whole baguette sticking out of their bags and munch on it. There are a lot of Sandwicheries, creperies, saladeries, boulangeries, patisseries and brasseries. There are also, to our surprise, a lot of pizza joints. We had one pizza in Paris, 3 pork pizza: ham, salami, coppa with a fried egg in the center. Delicious! The egg (oeuf= uff) was questionable at first but was a perfect compliment to the meats. We had a second pizza in Montpellier, at a cute little joint run by one guy of Italian descent. We had a pie with ham, cheese, asparagus tips and whole olives. 

The second night in Paris we had two courses, a cold salad with egg, tomato, olives and viniagrette. We also had a slice of bread with chunks of Camembert cheese, pieces of ham and slices of boiled potato all baked in the oven and melted. I believed Linn's comment was "If I eat like this every night, I'll be as big as a house."

Lunch is usually the big meal, dinner being lighter fare. We haven't gotten used to that yet as we've had a lot to do during lunch time. Most people have a sandwich, some sides of veggies, salad, more bread. Tea and coffee are common drinks as well as mineral water. The sandwiches are light weight, usually a demi-baguette with a few slices of ham, salami, tuna or veggies and cheese. Today I had a delicious sandwich with krab, hard-boiled egg, tomato, lettuce and mayo on a sesame baguette. Linn stuck to the more simple Ham, Camembaert and mayo option. We've been having or even sharing sandwiches every day for lunch as they are cheap and easy to find. 

Since we've arrived in Montpellier we've been exploring for good restaurants. The first night we ate at a creperie, I had a norwegien crepe. It was a wheat crepe with smoked salmon, lemon, lettuce and herbed creme fraiche. Linn had a salad Nicoise with Tuna and a ton of veggies. The were both full of fresh produce and were beautiful colors. Last night we had beer and a plate of charceuterie and fromage with a basket of bread. 

Breakfast can be quite exciting as the breads are amazing. There are pastries everywhere, croissants, pain au chocolat, popovers, muffins, apple fritter-type things and much more. Again the idea of eating those every day sounds horrible but it is a regular thing. We've had espresso each day, one shot is just enough! 

We've also had quite a bit of wine since arriving. Most restaurants offer glass pours, 1/4, 1/2 or full bottles of wine. The 1/4 and 1/2 are served in a carafe. You don't save a ton of money but it allows us to try several different wines. However, wine in general is a lot less expensive over here. Something Linn is very excited about. 

Today we had made a visit to the local supermarket, to stock our mini-fridge. They had a great selection of everything from packaged crackers and snacks to fresh fruits and vegetables. Some things to note, their milk is super pasteurized and doesn't have to be refrigerated. They have more of a selection of bagged lettuces than not. Their wall of yogurts go on forever with plain yogurt being a favorite. I managed to find a peach yoplait carton... my favorite. Linn was again excited about the wine selection. Everything was very cheap and apparently it was a very good selection.  I noticed the extensive selection of boxed wines of which were labeled in different bright colors based on the flavors represented within. Very interesting!

We'll post pics of our city and dorm next.