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Bread

In New York we have many great restaurants and certainly some lovely dessert places. There is really no comparison though to the number and quality of the bakeries here in Paris. No matter where you are, a patisserie (sweet) or boulangerie (bread) is very close by. There are some that do not bake on premises but the ones that do, depending on the time of day, will have that heavenly smell of baking bread. Even the ones that do not (and the French have a distain for these) the bread is simply wonderful. 

Strangely, you can buy American-style sandwich bread but I have never seen anyone buy it. I hope I never do. 

When making something like stuffing or bread pudding, you are asked quite often for day-old bread. I realize now that this is just a concept in the States. With French bread, it is as if there is a magic spell that lasts just about 24 hours. After that, it is so hard you can hammer nails with it. 

As many people before me have stated, this is absolutely something the French do exceedingly well and I am unsure why no one else attempts it. 

Also desserts. In NYC, if you are hosting a dinner party, you either make dessert or you have ice cream. Here you go to the patisserie and get an amazing cake or macarons (not to be confused with macaroons) or some other confection that is truly outstanding. This is not a special once-a-season indulgence but a Monday-night-chicken-soup-something-sweet-after event. 

How they are all not 200 pounds I don't know. I don't care. 

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