# French cuisine = uninteresting? 0.o



## Hyperion (Nov 13, 2011)

ok before people start to flame me, I must say that I have very little experience with French cuisine. I have been to Paris, and had a lunch in downtown which was thyme grilled lamb chop with fried potato, alone with 6 escargots with basil sauce. It was good, but for some reason I can hardly see how it's "French".

So I did some research on list of French dishes. Apart from pastry (I don't like desserts/pastry) and the fancy study like horse meat, foie gras, escargots, and all those expensive delicacies that's not eaten everyday, I found the "normal", day to day french dishes quite uninteresting... OK I used to cook coq au vin and many times, but still can't get over the poultry+red wine combination which I dislike. Other dishes like boeuf bourguignon, which is very similar to coq au vin and still has the cooked red wine taste that I don't like, fish stew (bouillabaise) is fine, mushy-looking pate and terrine really can't bring up my appetite, not to mention those stewed vegetables and common sausages and pork....

Maybe I'm being ignorant here, but from what I read, there's really nothing exciting about French cuisine. In comparison, every country in Europe other than France have some really well-defined style and signature dishes that are amazing just from the way it sounds like (as in, by reading the description).

What are the common french (savory) dishes we see in America?
Coq au vin
Beouf bourguignon
Bouillabaisse
French onion soup
Steak and fries
Duck confit

Is that it... come on, there got to be more, since French cuisine is always celebrated as the most refined food in the world, but really, what am I missing here?


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## buckytom (Nov 13, 2011)

Hyperion said:


> ok before people start to flame me, I must say that I have very little experience with French cuisine...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

you answered your own question in reverse.


france has a huge range of regional cooking much like italy. it reaches from the north atlantic to the mediterranean. that should be interesting enough, but read this: French cuisine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


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## Hyperion (Nov 13, 2011)

buckytom said:


> you answered your own question in reverse.
> 
> 
> france has a huge range of regional cooking much like italy. it reaches from the north atlantic to the mediterranean. that should be interesting enough, but read this: French cuisine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


already read that, very boring. first of all it doesn't give me a list of dishes (I did see the wikipedia page about french dishes, which is very uninteresting), secondly, after reading it, I still don't have a clue about what French cuisine is about. It seems almost like, French food is more a way of cooking than a collection of defined dishes. I just don't get it.


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## buckytom (Nov 13, 2011)

boring? the article tried to show all of the different regions and local foods, and that a unifying attitude toward "fresh and local" makes each of them great.

a range of cuisine reaching from the simple seafood of brittany, to wine and cheese, to cream and fresh herbs, to a sauce for everything, to roasts, to the citrus and semi-tropical cuisine of the southern coast boring?

if you want actual recipes, take a look at julia childs' books.


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## Hyperion (Nov 14, 2011)

buckytom said:


> a range of cuisine reaching from the simple seafood of brittany, to wine and cheese, to cream and fresh herbs, to a sauce for everything, to roasts, to the citrus and semi-tropical cuisine of the southern coast boring?
> .


this is very vague. Every country near sea has seafood. wine and cheese is everywhere in the European continent, so are cream and herbs. French cuisine does use a lot of sauces, I guess that's typical french. citrus and semi tropical? Central and southern american cuisine totally take that on.

Seriously, what is really special about french cuisine that other cuisines don't have? If you look at, say, German cuisine. you see less spicy food, lots of sourness, lots of pork and varieties of sausages, etc. Look at Italian cuisine, you see lots of pasta (of course), very simple/cheap yet fresh ingredients done perfectly to produce tasty dishes, the use of hot oven to bake highly hydrated dough. I mean, they both seem very defined.


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## buckytom (Nov 14, 2011)

so, you didn't actually read the wiki article. you got bored and skipped through it, lol, didn't you. 

it's ok to admit it...


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## Steve Kroll (Nov 14, 2011)

It sounds to me like you are trying to encapsulate an entire culture's cuisine into a single soundbite (pun intended). When you think Italy, you think pasta. When you think German, you think sour foods and pork. I think those are more the Americanized ideals of those cuisines. German food is much more complex than just sour and pork, and I've tasted some amazing dishes in Italy that have nothing to do with pasta and red sauce.

If you want French cuisine encapsulated, then I would have to say that, at its most basic level, it's simple peasant food that's been elevated.

Think about it. The French take all of these leftover bits that other cultures typically toss aside and make something delectable. Who would've ever considered taking garden snails or frog's legs and turning them into haute cuisine? Or how about Aspic, which is made from collagen? Even Coq au Vin (which you obviously don't care for) is traditionally made from a tough old rooster.

The dishes you are calling "expensive delicacies" really aren't expensive items at all, but are really the heart of French cooking.


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## Hyperion (Nov 14, 2011)

buckytom said:


> so, you didn't actually read the wiki article. you got bored and skipped through it, lol, didn't you.
> 
> it's ok to admit it...


lol I did... it didn't happen with Italian cuisine though! I read every word of it


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## Hyperion (Nov 14, 2011)

Steve Kroll said:


> It sounds to me like you are trying to encapsulate an entire culture's cuisine into a single soundbite (pun intended). When you think Italy, you think pasta. When you think German, you think sour foods and pork. I think those are more the Americanized ideals of those cuisines. German food is much more complex than just sour and pork, and I've tasted some amazing dishes in Italy that have nothing to do with pasta and red sauce.
> 
> If you want French cuisine encapsulated, then I would have to say that, at its most basic level, it's simple peasant food that's been elevated.
> 
> ...


I agree with you. I love rustic food and in my understanding, many Italian dishes are the same way, elevated from dishes of the poor. 

However, the culprit here is, many of those "toss-away" ingredients back then are now highly priced items and thus have lost their true "color". frog legs, large duck livers, snails, old roosters (where can you find that lol) are no longer readily available today so they are no longer "rustic". I just don't know what we can make today that's still French and yet not expensive, besides those few ones listed above lol.

I guess one may try to follow the "spirit" of French cooking like you said which is turning cheap, readily available ingredients to something good. But guess what's cheap and readily available today? processed, manufactured, preservative-ridden junk food lol.


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## cmontg34 (Nov 14, 2011)

Blasphemer! Julia Child would turn in her grave if she read this!  Okay, I understand your confusion, because, let's face it, French cuisine is put on a rather high and mysterious pedestal. You, Bucky, and Steve are all somewhat correct in what you say. However, you do not need all of those "expensive, toss-away" ingredients in order to make a French meal. First off, the spices and herbs the French use are not very powerful like Mexican and Indian cuisines use. French herbs and spices are meant to add subtle layers of flavor. Also, it really does matter what region you are in. If you go to Marseilles, then you will encounter LOTS of seafood, whereas if you go North, you will encounter more game. I really suggest getting Mastering the Art of French Cooking, if not only to see a reliable source of examples of French cuisine, then also to have bragging rights that you have it in the first place. Here's a quick French meal that you could make:

Season chicken breasts with a bit of thyme, pepper, and salt and saute them on the stove. 

Thinly slice potatoes, and layer them in a baking dish, alternating between potatoes and Gruyere cheese (yes I know Gruyere is not a traditionally French cheese, but it's delicious and we live in a time where you can get any cheese you darn well desire) Season each layer of potatoes with a small dash of salt and pepper. Once you have filled this dish, drizzle a bit of heavy cream over them, cover with foil and bake at 425 until the potatoes are tender. Remove the foil and allow the cheese to brown.

Saute some fresh spinach and garlic with butter, season with salt and pepper.

Voila, you have a French meal. What makes it French? Je ne sais pas, mais c'est la vie 

P.S. If you really want to be French, eat a salad after your main course, have cheese for dessert, and drink prodigious amounts of wine. Bon appetit!


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## Hyperion (Nov 14, 2011)

cmontg34 said:


> Blasphemer! Julia Child would turn in her grave if she read this!  Okay, I understand your confusion, because, let's face it, French cuisine is put on a rather high and mysterious pedestal. You, Bucky, and Steve are all somewhat correct in what you say. However, you do not need all of those "expensive, toss-away" ingredients in order to make a French meal. First off, the spices and herbs the French use are not very powerful like Mexican and Indian cuisines use. French herbs and spices are meant to add subtle layers of flavor. Also, it really does matter what region you are in. If you go to Marseilles, then you will encounter LOTS of seafood, whereas if you go North, you will encounter more game. I really suggest getting Mastering the Art of French Cooking, if not only to see a reliable source of examples of French cuisine, then also to have bragging rights that you have it in the first place. Here's a quick French meal that you could make:
> 
> Season chicken breasts with a bit of thyme, pepper, and salt and saute them on the stove.
> 
> ...


funny that it sounds very much like a typical week-day meal that my family often have. since nothing in it makes it particularly "french" except the simple way of cooking and subtle use of flavoring, I guess I'm eating french food every day lol. it's true that "serious" french food outside french has become all the fancy stuff, while the spirit of it has already permeated throughout our daily eating habit, without us even knowing!


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## Whiskadoodle (Nov 14, 2011)

Tart Tatin =  US calls it Apple Pie
Cassoulet =  US calls it barbeque baked beans,  a savory dish with meats and beans,  ours is historically blessed by every range cowboy who ever rode into camp at sundown,    theirs is blessed by the village priest.

Or maybe it was the village priest who blessed Crepes on Shrove Tuesday ,  which we call Pancakes and we enjoy many times a year.  I don't know Who invented butter and maple syrup.   

Baguettes.  I believe there are still french bakeries in every neighborhood in Paris,  not 7-11's selling wonder bread.    What I would do to Find a quality bakery in Any neighborhood that makes good bread in my city !!

Herbes de Provence, et al.   We use a lot of parsley and call it good.  

Bechamal sauce,  one of the Mother sauces,  don't know if it was invented in France,  but it is known by it's French name.   We call it Cream sauce and use it to enrich many dishes.  

I would suggest you read or re-read Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking.   A treasure chest of information which may awaken your culinary imagination,  not just to French cooking, but to any cuisine that is beyond our own kitchen and what we call everyday cooking.   Maybe I need to Re-Read my Julia Child too!

Most of all,  I think you hit it, French cooking is a Cuisine, it is not a series of dishes.

Its influences are based on centuries of developing its own Flavor ( which are many flavors)  and is enhanced by including homogenous components from the regions surrounding it and incorporating what they have locally to make it part of their own culture.    

Fred


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## Bolas De Fraile (Nov 14, 2011)

French Cuisine, years ago I did some Patisserie training in Paris then worked for a time in a bakery in Frejus.
One of the keys to French foods then and today are the village markets, the difference today is  transportation, I can by seafood in a market in the Perigueux region as fresh as in Bordeaux.This has to a degree eased the grip of regional cuisine.
Some time ago there was a huge scandal re bread, complaints from the public about the bread they bought at lunch time going stale by dinner time, this was debated in parliament, the reason was that some bakery's had moved to using factory produced dough. A new law was past that meant the only bakery's that could use the word artisan were those that made bread ect from scratch.
For rustic french cooking read Elizabeth David, her early works were short of measurements except for Pat, for the classic's there is only one book Escoffier complete works on the revision of French cuisine.

Perigueux is my culinary heart. within 10 mls of where we stay are 6 villages each  has a market on a different day.
The local bakeries, butchers and fishmongers open on christmas morning does that tell you something.


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## buckytom (Nov 14, 2011)

and then there's catherine de medici, and how she brought cooks from italy to france which began a lot of what is now known as french cuisine.

(just to stir the pot.)


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## Bolas De Fraile (Nov 14, 2011)

Catherine Deneuve gripping a wooden spoon wearing pink rubber gloves is my random thought for the day.


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## Hyperion (Nov 14, 2011)

I'm reading Julia Child's book right now lol


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## CharlieD (Nov 14, 2011)

ah, french cuisine, french cuisine, big deal, I agree nothing special. If I had the best wine in the world, if i had the best butter in the world, if i had best chcolate in the world, if I had the best meat in the world (ok maybe not The Best, but pretty darn close) I would also make some fancy, awesome tasting dishes. Try to cook when all you have is maybe a carp, maybe some syroppy, vinegary wine, and maybe chicken fat at best instead of butter.


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## TATTRAT (Nov 14, 2011)

CharlieD said:


> ah, french cuisine, french cuisine, big deal, I agree nothing special. If I had the best wine in the world, if i had the best butter in the world, if i had best chcolate in the world, if I had the best meat in the world (ok maybe not The Best, but pretty darn close) I would also make some fancy, awesome tasting dishes. Try to cook when all you have is maybe a carp, maybe some syroppy, vinegary wine, and maybe chicken fat at best instead of butter.



A good majority of classic French food is NOT based on the best of anything. Like most great cuisines, it is based on poverty and fundamental technique. A lot  of great french food is all about elevating a waste cut or offal, and taking it to a new level, something that may cost pennies, yet sells for $35 a plate in "fancy" restaurants.


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## CharlieD (Nov 14, 2011)

Because I put a smily there i thought everybody would understand I was joking.

But in every joke ..., well you know.

One can hardly argue that one of the best wine producing country in the world is France, one of the best dairy producing country in the world is France, one of the best ... , well so on and so forth the list goes on.


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## jennyema (Nov 14, 2011)

French is probably one of the most interesting cuisines of them all.  And my personal favorite.  Besides Spanish.


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## cmontg34 (Nov 14, 2011)

Also, remember that a lot of American cuisine has been influenced by French cuisine too. Biscuits and gravy? The gravy is simply bechamel with sausage. Most egg custards are derived from French cuisine, as well as many other desserts. That said there's also German, Spanish, and English influences, to name three of many. Although I am a francophile, it would be hard to say there is one cuisine better than the rest. Let's face it, if it wasn't for some hunchbacked caveman thousands of years ago discovering fire, we wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place.


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## qmax (Nov 14, 2011)

All I can say is that if you don't get French cuisine, it's your loss.


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## Andy M. (Nov 14, 2011)

I think you're trying to make it much more complicated than it has to be.

Around the world there are a limited number of ingredients.  What makes it French or Italian or Chinese or Hyperion's is what you do with the chicken - how you prepare it, season it, cook it and what you serve it with.  

So you can have Coq au Vin from France, Chicken Cacciatore from Italy, Butter Chicken from India.   All dishes of sauced/stewed chicken from different cultures.  If you taste each you would never confuse one for another.


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## buckytom (Nov 15, 2011)

cmontg34 said:


> P.S. If you really want to be French, eat a salad after your main course, have cheese for dessert,


 
i always thought my family was weird because we ate salad after the main plate, and then often had cheese with mustards and raw veggies (onions, radishes, carrots) a little bit later as an evening snack. 

i never realized how french we were being. i'm going to have to ask my parents how we came upon those traditions.


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## ChefJune (Nov 15, 2011)

Hyperion said:


> this is very vague. Every country near sea has seafood. wine and cheese is everywhere in the European continent, so are cream and herbs. French cuisine does use a lot of sauces, I guess that's typical french. citrus and semi tropical? Central and southern american cuisine totally take that on.
> 
> Seriously, what is really special about french cuisine that other cuisines don't have? If you look at, say, German cuisine. you see less spicy food, lots of sourness, lots of pork and varieties of sausages, etc. Look at Italian cuisine, you see lots of pasta (of course), very simple/cheap yet fresh ingredients done perfectly to produce tasty dishes, the use of hot oven to bake highly hydrated dough. I mean, they both seem very defined.


 
If you are truly interested in learning what is so special about French food, I suggest two books for you:  Waverly Root's "The Food of France," and Richard Olney's "Simple French Food."  Both are available in paperback.


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## ChefJune (Nov 15, 2011)

cmontg34 said:


> Thinly slice potatoes, and layer them in a baking dish, alternating between potatoes and Gruyere cheese (yes I know Gruyere is not a traditionally French cheese, but it's delicious and we live in a time where you can get any cheese you darn well desire) Season each layer of potatoes with a small dash of salt and pepper. Once you have filled this dish, drizzle a bit of heavy cream over them, cover with foil and bake at 425 until the potatoes are tender. Remove the foil and allow the cheese to brown.


Actually, I have never seen a potato gratin in France made with that much cheese.  It's much more milk and/or cream, with a bit of cheese browned on top at the end. One of the richest and most delicious potato dishes I have ever eaten, but not much Gruyere (and actually, more often Comte than Gruyere) in the mix.


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## ChefJune (Nov 15, 2011)

Hyperion:  here's a really tasty chicken dish that does not use any fancy ingredients, and is very easy to make.  Why don't you try it and tell us what you think? 

*Chicken in Red Wine Vinegar Sauce*
I include this divine Lyonnaise dish in a class I have taught many times featuring four (and sometimes five!) chicken dishes from different parts of France.  Many of my students are put off by the title of the recipe, but when the class is over, they almost unanimously declare this dish to be their favorite!
makes 6 servings
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
one whole chicken (about 4 pounds) cut into 10 pieces—you could use all breasts or all leg portions if you prefer, but the meat should be on the bone)
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 shallots, finely chopped
1 cup top quality red wine vinegar
1 cup crème fraîche (or heavy cream, preferably not ultrapasteurized)
finely chopped fresh (flat-leaf) parsley for garnish
 
1.  Mix salt and pepper together in a small bowl.  
2.  Heat the oil and melt the butter in a deep-sided 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat.  (If your pan isn’t large enough to hold all the chicken in a single layer, use 2 smaller pans, and put half the chicken, oil, and butter in each one.)  Rub the chicken pieces with the salt and pepper mixture.  When the oil is hot but not smoking, use tongs to add the chicken, skin side down.  Brown on both sides until the skin becomes beautifully golden brown, and the chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 12 minutes on each side.
 
3.  Remove the chicken to a serving platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.  Pour off about one-half the fat in the pan.  Add the shallots to the remaining oil and brown over medium high heat.  Slowly add the vinegar to the skillet and boil until reduced by half.  (The fumes will definitely clear your sinuses—great for a cold!!)  Add the crème fraîche and cook until the mixture is well blended and has turned a nutty brown color, about 5 minutes.  Return the chicken to the pan to coat thoroughly and heat briefly in the sauce.
 
4.  Return to the platter, garnish with parsley, and serve immediately.  If there is extra sauce, pass it in a small bowl.


*Teacher’s Tip:*        Be sure the vinegar has boiled down enough before you add the crème fraîche or you’ll end up with a beige, watery sauce.


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## ChefJune (Nov 15, 2011)

CharlieD said:


> ah, french cuisine, french cuisine, big deal, I agree nothing special. If I had the best wine in the world, if i had the best butter in the world, if i had best chcolate in the world, if I had the best meat in the world (ok maybe not The Best, but pretty darn close) I would also make some fancy, awesome tasting dishes. Try to cook when all you have is maybe a carp, maybe some syroppy, vinegary wine, and maybe chicken fat at best instead of butter.


 
You've never been to Lyon (or the Franche-Comte) Charlie, or you'd know they can work wonders with carp, too!

Chicken fat is nothing to sneeze at.  And in the southwest, they cook with duck and goose fat rather than butter or olive oil. (And they live to be 100 years old around there, too!)


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## CharlieD (Nov 15, 2011)

qmax said:


> All I can say is that if you don't get French cuisine, it's your loss.


 

I am sorry but I disagree. Escargot, snails? Get it? Really? They are most disgusting things that come to mind as far as food goes, well, after McDonalds, how can anybody get it? I bet there are pretenders there who would eat it and say how wonderful those things are just to be on a par with everybody else who thinks that French cuisine is the best. But in their minds they think that frog legs are just repulsive. 
I'm sorry one can say what you want about how much a person likes a cuisine, any cuisine, but you can't argue about taste of  a person. Never. You like one thing another person likes something else.


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## Andy M. (Nov 15, 2011)

Escargot are often cooked in tons of butter and garlic.  Pretty much anything would taste good cooked like that-maybe even cauliflower.


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## CWS4322 (Nov 15, 2011)

I lived with a German family in Northern Germany and eaten what folks eat at home...delicious pork roast rubbed with mustard, browned and then baked with 1 bottle of beer, onions, apples, raisins. Liver sauteed the same way. We ate a lot less meat than one eats in North America. Sometimes we'd roast a chicken, but not often. My housemate at grad school was from Rouen, France. She made a fantastic sauerkraut dish with local sausage and seasoned with juniper berries. She also made a great rabbit dish. She mixed her own fines herbes...and we ate our salads first. A lot of how people eat at home has to do with personal preferences. We ate a lot of soft cheeses when we were in grad school...in Germany, we ate a lot of Quark and Quark-based desserts. Quark on Schwarzbrot with sour cheery jam is a favorite of mine (when I can find Quark and Schwarzbrot). And, Pinkel with kale stew in the Spring when Pinkel was available...a Northern German dish. I think of the "sauerbraten" foods to be more common in Southern Germany. I remember great sausages, great fish, cheeses, various "one pot" dishes (Eintopf) and the yellow potatoes. Check out Laura Calder's recipes French Food at Home French Food at Home - OnTv - Shows - Food Network Canada. I love her pork in milk recipe...


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## GLC (Nov 15, 2011)

I think you're expecting "French cooking" to deliver so sort of focused cuisine, distinct from all others, and easy to spot wherever you might see it. But a large nation is just too big to have that. In fact, it's more unlikely than not for any region of any large nation to produce what you're expecting. Efficient transport and communication has provided almost all people with options far beyond the regional traditions that were very often simply making the best of limited resources, even if some of them are very good indeed. For simple examples, in in the 1980's, the prize for best foreign food restaurant in Paris went to a Tex-Mex place. And in the 1960's, iced tea, ubiquitous in the Southern US, was such an unknown in the Northeast US that my aunt had to ask for hot tea, ice, and water, and the whole place gathered to watch her make iced tea. 

Each region of Italy has distinct practices (and it's not all pasta - rice dominates in some regions), while all know of, make, and eat the same things available throughout Europe. You might find cassoulet a big deal around Carcasonne in France, just as you find specific dishes in New Orleans or Jamaica of any other place with a distinct cooking style. But you can't characterize any nation's cooking except in some very broad principles, and that often doesn't represent the best of that nation. And it's easy to make serious errors. "Mexican food" is often thought of as in terms of US versions of "Mexican." Mostly, it's not even "Mexican," as the dishes arose and are typical of Texas or California or New Mexico, rather than Mexico itself. (Real Mexican cooking is among the most sophisticated in the world.) Even vastly farther from the truth is western "Chinese." 

There are, however, some principles that apply in French food. One is an emphasis on freshness. It takes me a while to get over the shock and disgust of the typical American produce section when I come back from France. Much of what we buy would be thrown out as spoiled in France. And if a fisherman out of Nice doesn't sell some of his catch the same day, it can't be sold, and the police - not the "food police" but the regular criminal police - will enforce it. There is also a much different attitude toward meals and the time taken to enjoy them. And that tends to translate into greater care in preparation. I will agree that French cooking has been so often represented as a sort of international gold standard that it's not unnatural to go in expecting the whole country to sit down three times a day to a unique array of meals, all very different from other nations. But that's not true of many places on Earth, and, again, the places where it's true are generally those with little choice. 

So, what's the big deal with French food? For a small nation, a remarkable range of foods and a willingness to do wonderful things with almost everything edible. But, exactly like anywhere else, you have to actively seek out really good food, and you have to seek harder for really good food unique to the region. And, like in the US, you're not going to find it every day at the average urban family table. 

It's also true that, if you are looking for what you expected to be especially refined cooking, you no longer need to be in France. The same forces that have shrunk the globe have made it possible to find restaurant cooking to a nicely refined French standard in most large cities in the US and elsewhere. But, while that's true, the fundamental difference in the relationship with food means you very rarely find in the US the amazing performances found in so many tiny and very rural French eateries. 

Also remember that the French reputation dates back (not so long ago) to when you almost had to go to France for anything like it, and absolutely had to go if you wanted the best. The ready availability of a wide range of international foods or even interregional foods is a very recent phenomenon, one that you won't realize unless you're maybe 50 or older. Of course, if we really want to go way back, the Italian Medici chefs taught the  French to cook, so maybe it's not surprising that Italian cooking meets more of your expectations.


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## GLC (Nov 15, 2011)

Andy M. said:


> Escargot are often cooked in tons of butter and garlic.  Pretty much anything would taste good cooked like that-maybe even cauliflower.



That's what I figure. You could cook an art gum eraser in butter and garlic, and it would be delicious. Oh, wait a minute. That's kind of a lot like escargot, anyway.


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## ChefJune (Nov 15, 2011)

GLC said:


> That's what I figure. You could cook an art gum eraser in butter and garlic, and it would be delicious. Oh, wait a minute. That's kind of a lot like escargot, anyway.


 
You guys are _BAD!_  Escargot are delicious.   and they're easy to fix.  I like them best done in their traditional garlic/parsley/butter sauce, and then tossed with bucatini.  Or just take cocktail picks and spear them off a pile of them. Delicious with sparkling wine or cold beer. *REALLY!*


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## Andy M. (Nov 15, 2011)

ChefJune said:


> You guys are _BAD!_  Escargot are delicious.   and they're easy to fix.  I like them best done in their traditional garlic/parsley/butter sauce, and then tossed with bucatini.  Or just take cocktail picks and spear them off a pile of them. Delicious with sparkling wine or cold beer. *REALLY!*




I never said I didn't like escargot.  I do.  I was just commenting on how preparation can effect results.


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## buckytom (Nov 15, 2011)

i love snails. i love them prepared the french way with butter, i love them chinese style in black bean sauce, and i love them simply grilled -foot side up so all of the delicious liquor stays in the shell. they're delicious when uou pull off the foot pad, then suck out the meat and liquor. yummmm.

and just like shrimp or squid, if you overcook them for even a minute or two they turn to rubber. so, if you've had rubbery snails, whomever cooked them for you screwed it up.


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## Dawgluver (Nov 15, 2011)

I love snails too, even rubbery!  Learned to love them in high school, we had a student-run international food fest.  Lovin' the mollusk ever since.


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## pacanis (Nov 15, 2011)

buckytom said:


> i always thought my family was weird because we ate salad after the main plate, and then often had cheese with mustards and raw veggies (onions, radishes, carrots) a little bit later as an evening snack.
> 
> i never realized how french we were being. i'm going to have to ask my parents how we came upon those traditions.


 
I wonder how I came by such traditions. My parents and sister always ate their salads first, while I pushed mine off to the side until last  I even ordered it last when eating out, preferring bread before my meals.


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## Rocklobster (Nov 15, 2011)

Snails are a great pizza ingredient. Put them on top of the cheese so they get a bit crispy.


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## Dawgluver (Nov 15, 2011)

Rocklobster said:
			
		

> Snails are a great pizza ingredient. Put them on top of the cheese so they get a bit crispy.



That sounds good, Rock.  I've used them in pasta sauce too.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 16, 2011)

Andy M. said:


> Escargot are often cooked in tons of butter and garlic.  Pretty much anything would taste good cooked like that-maybe even cauliflower.



Nope, you can't make me eat cauliflower.


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## buckytom (Nov 16, 2011)

pacanis said:


> I wonder how I came by such traditions. My parents and sister always ate their salads first, while I pushed mine off to the side until last  I even ordered it last when eating out, preferring bread before my meals.


 
we are bread freaks!

i wonder to what extent our opinions of restaurants were formed based on the very first thing served, bread and butter (or olive oil).


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## pacanis (Nov 16, 2011)

Hey now... don't hate on the cauliflower 

I think eating snails is a texture thing, because like said, they are usually drowned in a garlic sauce. They remind me of clams, slightly chewy. You either like the texture or you don't. And it's good to keep in practice with that spring loaded snail grabber thing


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## Robo410 (Nov 16, 2011)

the best of French cuisine is the same as the best of any cuisine: simple local fresh ingredients cooked perfectly.  French omelet, Italian fritatta   both egg dishes, both delicious, each quite different from the other. (and I'm not talking about those flat browned things made by "chefs" at buffets)  the differnce besides the method, might be in the butter and the herb...tarragon for French and basil for Italian.  et voila


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## ChefJune (Nov 16, 2011)

Rocklobster said:


> Snails are a great pizza ingredient. Put them on top of the cheese so they get a bit crispy.


 
How could that be bad?


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## CWS4322 (Nov 16, 2011)

I am in the "I love escargot" camp as well. Some of the best escargot I've ever eaten was in restaurants in Montreal. I've had them prepared many different ways, but butter, garlic, parsley is still my favorite. At one time, there was an "escargot" bar in downtown Montreal. I seem to recall there were 33 different escargot options on the menu...one of my other favorites is Escargot Provencal which is a tomato-based sauce.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 16, 2011)

buckytom said:


> we are bread freaks!
> 
> i wonder to what extent our opinions of restaurants were formed based on the very first thing served, bread and butter (or olive oil).



When I was a kid, any restaurant that had saltines and butter on the table when we sat down was "Top Shelf."  Cracker and butter sandwiches were the best appetizer.


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## pacanis (Nov 16, 2011)

The first place I ate escargot was in Montreal as a kid.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 16, 2011)

pacanis said:


> The first place I ate escargot was in Montreal as a kid.



Mine was on my 21st Birthday, in Laramie, WY.  The Chefskeller. They were okay, I was waiting for my rib eye steak and was totally freaked when my date poured catsup on his.  

Shrek and I were an item shortly after, he likes salt and pepper on his rib eyes.


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## ChefJune (Nov 16, 2011)

Mine was in Milwaukee, WI in 1969, in a restaurant (no longer there) called "Beneath the Sea." A bunch of us went there for drinks and snacks after a community board meeting, and my boss ordered a double order of snails.  They arrived all garlicy and steaming in a pile with small fish forks to spear them.  Can still see that platter as I write this.  Soooooo good.!


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## Steve Kroll (Nov 16, 2011)

Nothing wrong with snails at all. I love them. Though if you took away all that garlic and butter, I sometimes wonder what you'd be left with. 

Do you ever wonder who the first person was to look at a snail and think, "Hmmm... I wonder how THAT tastes?"


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## pacanis (Nov 16, 2011)

Steve Kroll said:


> Nothing wrong with snails at all. I love them. Though if you took away all that garlic and butter, I sometimes wonder what you'd be left with.
> 
> Do you ever wonder who the first person was to look at a snail and think, "Hmmm... I wonder how THAT tastes?"


 
I'm convinced it was the same person to see something roll out of a chicken's butt and eat it.


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## CharlieD (Nov 16, 2011)

Exactly my point, cannot argue about taste.


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## GLC (Nov 16, 2011)

buckytom said:


> we are bread freaks!
> 
> i wonder to what extent our opinions of restaurants were formed based on the very first thing served, bread and butter (or olive oil).



Not quite the bread you have in mind, but it occupies the same place in the serving sequence. I find I can predict the quality of a Tex-Mex restaurant by the quality of the tortilla chips and salsa that's the first thing to hit the table after you sit down. Best chips are made in-house and fried in-house, although tortillas bought from a good tortillaria and fried in-house can be as good. They should be hot, thin and very crisp but not brittle. Cold chips bought already fried in giant bags of some food service brand is not an auspicious sign. (No complimentary chips at all is the kiss of death.)  I'll forgive some later sins if the chips and salsa are both good and local. One of the best I know of drops an array of six different house salsas on the table. 

As for bread, a good, traditional corn tortilla later is a very good sign, too.


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## TATTRAT (Nov 16, 2011)

Steve Kroll said:


> Nothing wrong with snails at all. I love them. Though if you took away all that garlic and butter, I sometimes wonder what you'd be left with.
> 
> Do you ever wonder who the first person was to look at a snail and think, "Hmmm... I wonder how THAT tastes?"



or Oysters. . .good lord, one would have to be pretty darn hungry.


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## Timothy (Nov 16, 2011)

TATTRAT said:


> or Oysters. . .good lord, one would have to be pretty darn hungry.


 
Or an Artichoke! man, how did the very first person eat one of those?


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## TATTRAT (Nov 16, 2011)

Timothy said:


> Or an Artichoke! man, how did the very first person eat one of those?



That is one hell of a flower! BUT, I think far easier on the senses than looking at a gnarled funky shell, cracking it open and seeing that _thing_ in there. . .then putting it in your mouth :shivers: 

But, back with the French, even some of the best oysters I have had are done a la Mignonette. SOOOOOOOOgoood!


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## no mayonnaise (Nov 16, 2011)

I've made escargot a million times but I've never once had it with the traditional butter/garlic/parsley.  I mostly do cream-based sauces, and escargot is so excellent with mushrooms.
Ever deep-fry escargot and serve it like calamari?  Nom!

One of these days I'll try it the traditional way but it seems so boring.


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## Timothy (Nov 16, 2011)

Sauces and gravies...what's not to love?


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## Silversage (Nov 16, 2011)

Escargot & wild mushrooms in a true bordelaise (with the marrow) served in puff pastry shells.


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## buckytom (Nov 17, 2011)

CWS4322 said:


> one of my other favorites is Escargot Provencal which is a tomato-based sauce.


 
i had something similar recently. snails in a tomato-ey herb sauce. italian, not french though, but still great. not chewy at all.
they weren't in their shells, just a small pile with sauce in the middle of a plate with a depression in the center. the snails must have been trimmed a bit since they were served that way. when i've had them in their shells either grilled or chinese style, you realized that you're essentially eating a little slug because of the antannae and such.


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## Bolas De Fraile (Nov 17, 2011)

One of the treasured ingredients within french cuisine is the humble gizzard.
I was amazed to view an American Diner that specialized in this fragrant offal
I like snails but real men eat gizzards.


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## ChefJune (Nov 17, 2011)

Timothy said:


> Or an Artichoke! man, how did the very first person eat one of those?


 
I don't know, but I'm sure glad they did!  

Artichoke and Pea Ragout!  one of my favorite springtime veggie dishes! 

but in this weather, my mind is on Boeuf Bourguignon.


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## taxlady (Nov 17, 2011)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Nope, you can't make me eat cauliflower.



Have you tried it raw? Whole 'nother thing raw.


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## ChefJune (Nov 17, 2011)

taxlady said:


> Have you tried it raw? Whole 'nother thing raw.


Interesting . I LOVE cauliflower cooked -- in whole bunches of ways, but really dislike it raw!  Just another good example of "different strokes for different folks!"


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## Andy M. (Nov 17, 2011)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Nope, you can't make me eat cauliflower.




I'm with you 100%!  It seems no one eats plain cauliflower.  It's always in a cheese sauce or some other collection of ingredients that mask the actual taste of the stuff.


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## FrankZ (Nov 17, 2011)

Andy M. said:


> I'm with you 100%!  It seems no one eats plain cauliflower.  It's always in a cheese sauce or some other collection of ingredients that mask the actual taste of the stuff.



I do eat it raw and plain, though I tend to like to put a little ranch on it too... Can't stand it cooked though.


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## Timothy (Nov 17, 2011)

ChefJune said:


> I don't know, but I'm sure glad they did!
> 
> Artichoke and Pea Ragout! one of my favorite springtime veggie dishes!
> 
> but in this weather, my mind is on Boeuf Bourguignon.


 
I figure that the only way anyone would have tried Artichokes is by just throwing one on a fire and roasting it. I like them that way too. they must have been very hungry to try that.


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## mudbug (Nov 17, 2011)

I think people--early people, that is--probably starting eating a lot of things because they saw animals eating them first.


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## Timothy (Nov 17, 2011)

mudbug said:


> I think people--early people, that is--probably starting eating a lot of things because they saw animals eating them first.


Must have been a Billy Goat eating a raw Artichoke. Nothing else could digest it.


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## pacanis (Nov 17, 2011)

Andy M. said:


> I'm with you 100%! It seems no one eats plain cauliflower. It's always in a cheese sauce or some other collection of ingredients that mask the actual taste of the stuff.


 
You say mask, I say enhance. 

I too prefer it raw, even though I eat it cooked, also... with flavor enhancers


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## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 17, 2011)

taxlady said:


> Have you tried it raw? Whole 'nother thing raw.



It is the only way I will eat it, but I prefer to just not have it around.  I have a story, I'll have to PM it to you.


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## Timothy (Nov 17, 2011)

One of my favorite dishes is broccoli,cauliflower and baby carrots  in bite sized pieces, steamed with only salt added at the table.

Yum City!


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## powerplantop (Nov 17, 2011)

pacanis said:


> The first place I ate escargot was in Montreal as a kid.



My first time was in Mombasa Kenya at a Chinese / French restaurant.


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## Andy M. (Nov 17, 2011)

pacanis said:


> You say mask, I say enhance.
> 
> I too prefer it raw, even though I eat it cooked, also... with flavor enhancers





pacanis said:


>




A couple of years ago when SO was deep into low carb dishes, she clipped a recipe for me to make that included             Cauliflower, Sweet Italian Sausage, Cream Cheese, Smoked Gouda.  It was delicious!  I couldn't taste the cauliflower at all!  I think I could grind up styrofoam cups and use it in place of the cauliflower and this combination of ingredients would taste great!


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## pacanis (Nov 17, 2011)

Boy that does sound delicious.


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## qmax (Nov 17, 2011)

ChefJune said:


> I don't know, but I'm sure glad they did!
> 
> Artichoke and Pea Ragout!  one of my favorite springtime veggie dishes!
> 
> but in this weather, my mind is on Boeuf Bourguignon.



That is on my agenda for Saturday's dinner.


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## Andy M. (Nov 17, 2011)

pacanis said:


> Boy that does sound delicious.



Give it a try.  Use the cauliflower if you must.

http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f18/smoky-cauliflower-and-sausage-76111.html#post1072449


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## Dawgluver (Nov 17, 2011)

pacanis said:
			
		

> You say mask, I say enhance.
> 
> I too prefer it raw, even though I eat it cooked, also... with flavor enhancers



I love mine roasted with baby carrots and fresh rosemary, as well as raw, and with flavor enhancers!


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## pacanis (Nov 17, 2011)

...or roasted with Greek seasoning and lemon juice.


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## TATTRAT (Nov 17, 2011)

lightly steamed, salt and pepper, and some browned butter for me.


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## Dawgluver (Nov 17, 2011)

pacanis said:
			
		

> ...or roasted with Greek seasoning and lemon juice.



Oh my.  Penzey's Greek seasoning.  Need another head of cauliflower.

And browned butter.


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## Rocklobster (Nov 17, 2011)

Why are they called "French " Fries, when they are fried in Greece???


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## taxlady (Nov 17, 2011)

Timothy said:


> One of my favorite dishes is broccoli,cauliflower and baby carrots  in bite sized pieces, steamed with only salt added at the table.
> 
> Yum City!



Yup, that's a good one.


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## TATTRAT (Nov 17, 2011)

Rocklobster said:


> Why are they called "French " Fries, when they are fried in Greece???



How can it be Hungary when it is next to Greece and Turkey?


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## spork (Nov 17, 2011)

... and I was thinking Andy might be on to something to smoke those flower heads.


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## pacanis (Nov 17, 2011)

Dawgluver said:


> Oh my. Penzey's Greek seasoning. Need another head of cauliflower.
> 
> And browned butter.


 
I'm replenishing my Penzey's Greek seasoning this weekend 
I finally went through the two samples I had. Good stuff.


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## Rocklobster (Nov 17, 2011)

This is a pretty interesting thread for such an uninteresting cuisine


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## Margi Cintrano (Feb 11, 2012)

*France: Enlighten the Unenlightened*

@ Hyperion,

Firstly, to comprehend a country`s epicurism, one should first understand each zone´s ( province´s ) seasonal product specialties.
For starters, in brief, France may appear small on a world map, however, it is one of the richest countries in sustainable argricultural product availability.

1) Provence: this southern province is highly regarded for its grapes, figs, melons, honey, Green Beans, olives, anchovies, wines, tomatoes and garlic for starters.

2) Bordeaux, Poitou and Charentes: This is another wine producing designation of origin, oysters, shallot, Sauternes, Beef and goat cheeses are some of its local and exported products.

3) Burgunday and Lyonaiss: Highly acclaimed for its Charolis Beef Cattle 
and Chocolate, it is also renowned for its Dijon Mustards.

4) The Loire Valley: This is violet and white, and green Asparagus country in addition to vinegar turf.

5) Normandy: Dairy country and apple orchards beyond one´s imagination. The apple cider and apple brandies ( Calvados ) are world renowned in addition to its Camembert Cheese of fame. The shellfish on the northern coasts are recognised for their blue Lobsters to die for.

6) Auveregne: This countryside province exhibits blue cheeses, veal and lamb, and green lentils that are unsurpassed.

7)  Île de France: Besides Champagne, grapes, violet garlic, quiche and its products to make it, endives and the home of the waffle, this is a not to miss province close to Paris.

8) Languedoc Roussilon: This region produces roquefort from its sheep, chestnuts from its forests and peppers of every imaginable form, shape, type and  heat factor. 

9) Alsace Lorraine: The grape varieties here flourish as do river fish, sausages, pears and brandies that are exported worldwide since time memorial.

10) Brittany: This is a seafood and fish lover´s paradise. 

11) Comté and the Alps: Cheeses, walnuts, rasberries, wild mushrooms galore and trout right out of the mouth of the rivers.

12) The French Basque Country: Famed for its unusual red fiery chili peppers.

I am inclined to believe, that perhaps, you hadn´t done your checking homework on France  ... that means, your research was faulty, NOT France. 

Greece, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Sweden, and Turkey in addition to other countries in both Northwestern and Central Europe, have uncountable cuisines, within their countries differing from the mountainous regions to the seashores. 

Since 1934, France has had more starred restaurants than any other country. Like the USA, the way one eats in Louisiana is quite different from California or North Carolina or Wyoming. There is Michelin Star Tom Keller and there is Mc Donald´s ... 

It is a shame that you have found fault with Paris. It is a paradise for dining out without Michelin stars.  

M.C.



9)


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## CraigC (Feb 11, 2012)

Just remember, Andouillette has nothing to do with Cajun food! Don't make the same mistake I did and order it off the French only menu thinking it has anything to do with Andouille sausage.

Craig


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## Margi Cintrano (Feb 12, 2012)

*Phone with Word Ref. or A Mini Dictionary French-Eng.*

A huge lesson learnt. However, from my viewpoint, it does not excuse the negativity about the whole country. You had a difficult experience at one restaurant if I recall from the thread. 

French is the official language in France, and those travelling there should:
It is wise that when travelling thru Europe or outside the USA, to bring along a cellular Android phone with Internet ( for word reference dictionary ) and / or a Mini Dicitionary, English and the other language and a gastro dictionary installed in your Android would work too. 

I would not have had this issue, I speak French. 

I would look at this as a lesson learnt, and not to be repeated when travelling outside of the USA. Preparation as if you are doing a presentation for your job or an interview --- research. 

Best of luck on your next trip ! 
M.C.


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## CraigC (Feb 12, 2012)

Margi Cintrano said:


> A huge lesson learnt. However, from my viewpoint, it does not excuse the negativity about the whole country. You had a difficult experience at one restaurant if I recall from the thread.
> 
> French is the official language in France, and those travelling there should:
> It is wise that when travelling thru Europe or outside the USA, to bring along a cellular Android phone with Internet ( for word reference dictionary ) and / or a Mini Dicitionary, English and the other language and a gastro dictionary installed in your Android would work too.
> ...


 
I know there are cultural differences between the US and other countries. Humor and slang might get lost in the mix. Just a little advice, folks realy don't like being lectured. 

Craig


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 12, 2012)

Hyperion said:


> ok before people start to flame me, I must say that I have very little experience with French cuisine. I have been to Paris, and had a lunch in downtown which was thyme grilled lamb chop with fried potato, alone with 6 escargots with basil sauce. It was good, but for some reason I can hardly see how it's "French".
> 
> So I did some research on list of French dishes....
> 
> ...



IMO it's irrelevant what French dishes you see in America. I've never been to France but I presume what you see in America will probably have been Americanized. They may be good (or not) but I don't see them as any valid indication of French cuisine as served in France. (Perhaps I'm wrong. As I said I've never been there.)

French cuisine doesn't just stop at the borders. It's simply a regional cuisine, and has many regions inside, and shares many things with other European cuisines and influences them and is influenced by them.

I like the ideas that Julia Child presented in her classic cookbook _Mastering the Art of French Cooking_. More than a cookbook it presents a way of cooking. More than just recipes with ingredients and methods you learn how to make simple food taste delicious. When I think of French cooking that's what I think of, making the most of simple foods with sophisticated techniques. Those techniques may be as simple as making one of the mother sauces from pan scrapings.

I think before you dismiss French cuisine as boring or indistinct you should read at least part of Child's book and cook a few meals from it. I don't cook a lot of French cuisine but I find myself often using ideas I've learned from _Mastering the Art of French Cooking_.


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## Hyperion (Feb 13, 2012)

So for this year's valentine's day I went to do my homework. I went to a popular french restaurant in Dallas with my gf. I think the menu items they have are quite french and not so much americanized.

She had mussels with saffron sauce (after some tasting I believe it has lemon, saffron, scallion, tomatoes and creme in it), and for entree peppered beef tenderloin with fries.

I had a venison terrine for appetizer and for entree a cassoulet with beans, sausage, braised lamb and duck confit. (I have been gassing for more than 24 hours now)

When I finished eating my cassoulet I found it amusing how both dishes she got are rich, classy ones while the ones I got are both peasant dishes lol.


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## buckytom (Feb 13, 2012)

if you plan on marrying her, hyp, get used to that.


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## vitauta (Feb 13, 2012)

the class or the gas?


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## Margi Cintrano (Feb 13, 2012)

*@Craig: Not Lecturing, Just Some Wise Advice*

@ Craig,

Certainly, not lecturing, just some wise advice. I know France quite well. Had some maternal family there as well. My daughters and I had also studied ( and lived there for 6 months ) for an Advanced Certificate in the language there. 

Even if a French person does speaks English, and everybody with a Professional position in a Miulti National Corporation does speak English, and quite well; they do not like speaking English outside their work. 

To top it off, the dude who started this thread went with his lady for French cuisine at a French restaurant in an American city !  

Have a nice Valentine´s Day. 
M.C.


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## Rocklobster (Feb 13, 2012)

To me,  I think French cuisine is about attitude, approach and techniques. I find the classic recipes feature the ingredients and their natural flavor by lightly enhancing them. Not masking them in spice or any strong overpowering flavors. Just good quality food enjoyed in all of its natural glory. Even the sauces aren't heavily flavored outside of what the natural main ingredients are. Flavorful, yet delicate. My mother, who is French(both my parents are) was always considered an excellent cook by many, cooks very simple dishes. Lightly seasoned, so you actually taste the flavor of the ingredients.  I notice that even more now that I have gone on to explore many types of cooking. I think us North American's overdo our food and add way too much spice and salt and I think our tastebuds, as a culture, have become desensitized due to over spicing, and salting food. Processed food and overuse of spice has caused this. I think people expect more from French cooking but aren't looking at its subtleties.  It's like Jazz or Classical music. On the surface it may not seem like much to some, but when you actually get into it, you realize how much it has to offer. 

It's not as foxy as Italian
Nor as dramatic as in Spain
But what they do is so hard to copy
It's something that they can do with something plain....Jonathan Richman

I'm not saying it is better than other cuisine, but like many kinds of art or culture, it deserves some in depth experience to appreciate the qualities...

Bon apetit!


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## Greg Who Cooks (Feb 13, 2012)

Rocklobster said:


> To me,  I think French cuisine is about attitude, approach and techniques. I find the classic recipes feature the ingredients and their natural flavor by lightly enhancing them. Not masking them in spice or any strong overpowering flavors. Just good quality food enjoyed in all of its natural glory. Even the sauces aren't heavily flavored outside of what the natural main ingredients are. Flavorful, yet delicate. My mother, who is French(both my parents are) was always considered an excellent cook by many, cooks very simple dishes. Lightly seasoned, so you actually taste the flavor of the ingredients.



I think that pretty much expresses the ideas in Julia Child's book on French cooking.


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## Margi Cintrano (Feb 13, 2012)

*@ Rock Lobster and Greg Gourmet*

I agree with the Rock Lobster´s post and Greg´s post answering Rock Lobster. 

The products. This is a quintessential in France. The cuisine of the French is steeped profoundly in history too. Many dishes hail from former invaders, numerous immigrants, former Royalty, foreign voyages east and west and their seas, mountains, forests and orchards. Their products are sustainable and simple. Perhaps you are right. The products are so fine, one does not need to over spice nor over sauce --- 

Each region  has such brilliant products. 

Margi. Cintrano.


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## CraigC (Feb 13, 2012)

Margi Cintrano said:


> @ Craig,
> 
> Certainly, not lecturing, just some wise advice. I know France quite well. Had some maternal family there as well. My daughters and I had also studied ( and lived there for 6 months ) for an Advanced Certificate in the language there.
> 
> ...


 
You just can't grasp that I was being humorous. Some people just can't get over themselves and take things way to serious. Since you just can't figure it out. I was making fun of myself, you know, the dumb American who wished he was able to read the menu. I have never expected anyone should speak english when I'm in their country. If I moved to another country to live, first priority, learn the language. What you wrote above is lecturing and I, as many others I'm sure, consider it quite rude. 

Craig


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## Hyperion (Feb 13, 2012)

Margi Cintrano said:


> @ Craig,
> To top it off, the dude who started this thread went with his lady for French cuisine at a French restaurant in an American city !
> 
> Have a nice Valentine´s Day.
> M.C.



are you belittling me for not going all the way to france to eat in a french restaurant?

wow


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## forty_caliber (Feb 13, 2012)

Hello,   

We have locked this thread.  It has degenerated beyond it's original usefulness and intent.  The Site Moderation team will continue to evaluate individual posts and determine any additional corrective actions as appropriate.

Discuss Cooking is intended to make all feel comfortable and welcome and we expect our members to post accordingly.  You can review our rules here. 

Please pay particular attention to the section on being nice - we take this very seriously!  



> *Be Courteous!* We aim to ensure that the forum is an enjoyable place that you want to visit time and time again. Treating each other with respect and kindness, and thinking before you speak will go a long way towards making this an enjoyable place. We take the "be nice" rule very seriously.


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