People have asked me to write something about food shopping and grocery stores in Paris. Since France is such a "food" country, people probably have the impression that food shopping is somehow elevated. For the longest time, I wasn't sure what to write, since for the most part, food shopping here feels like food shopping everywhere else. Corporate food companies create a nice space, shelves, produce, milk, eggs... you know, normal. But, of course, ultimately, you start to notice differences.
So, I show you my favorite Monoprix in my neighborhood. Nice, right?
Yes, clean, beautiful to look at, lots of products. There are 2 Monoprix's in the area and the other one is sort of a normal, ordinary store but this one is really very nice. There is even a microwave and a seating area, so you can get lunch and sit down and eat it. It is sort of a combo of a grocery store and a Prêt À Manger lunch place (which, by the way, is a British company). The store is really divided into a couple of areas. There is the refrigerated area, which is a good chunk of the store. You can see it behind the glass doors in the picture. Here you will find things like cheese, yoghurt, creme fraiche, juices, meats but also meals. Of course there is an extensive wine area. This might be normal for those on the US west coast, but for people in NYC, this is very different.
And of course there are the normal shelves of things that don't need refrigeration, such as cleaning supplies, paper towels, markers, shampoo. Many of the same brands are here. Colgate? Sensodyne? No problem. Lays potato chips! No Fritos, though. There are some surprises. Milk here is on the shelf, just like the school supplies. We have the same milk in the US (Parmalat), but here it is the "normal" milk.
It comes in various percentages but the one mostly used is half skimmed (about the same as 2%). It is always blue (full milk is red) and skim I think is green. So, a bit odd, but you get used to it. Milk here is really something you put in coffee and that's about it. When my friend Leslie was here, we made American chocolate chip cookies with her sons and Leslie went on about how wonderful they are with a cold glass of milk. They looked at her like she was from Mars. They thought a glass of wine with them would be infinitely better. In fact, when they get the milk home, it says on the counter and not in the fridge.
Eggs are also not refrigerated. I have heard that in the US we clean them which takes away a protective coating and so we need to refrigerate them. Not sure if that is true or not. Eggs come in various sizes. In the US, we buy them by the dozen or half dozen. Here, you can get eggs by the dozen, but also 10 (is that because they use the metric system?), 6, 4 and 2.
Sourcing is also big here and it is either pride or law that forces them to show where the meat is from. You can also choose the location of your coffee and chocolate. I kind of liked this.
For those who know French cooking, you know that the base for all savory dishes is the mirepoix. That is one part carrot, one part celery and two parts onion. You start with this and a little butter/oil and go from there for most dishes. Except here, celery is no where to be found. Carrots, sure; onions, no problem, but celery? No. You can get celery any day of the year in any store in the US. Here you have to go to a special green grocer to get it and I would bet it isn't there all the time.
Of course there is fresh bread at the checkout. Not as good as from a boulangerie, but pretty good.
You may have noticed one area not included in this discussion: frozen foods. In fact there are no frozen foods in the grocery store. That's right. No frozen vegetables, no frozen dinners... and no ice cream. I know. This is because many Parisians do not have freezers. If you want frozen foods, you have to go to another store all together: the Picard.
This is a little futuristic place (a bit like something you would see on the Jetson's). The walls are lined with those waist-high freezer containers you open via a sliding top window. And above them are posters showing what is in the bin below. Kind of odd.
So, there you have it. A little traveling tip for you: whenever you travel to another country, always spend some time in the grocery store. It is always fascinating to see what they have there.
So, I show you my favorite Monoprix in my neighborhood. Nice, right?
Yes, clean, beautiful to look at, lots of products. There are 2 Monoprix's in the area and the other one is sort of a normal, ordinary store but this one is really very nice. There is even a microwave and a seating area, so you can get lunch and sit down and eat it. It is sort of a combo of a grocery store and a Prêt À Manger lunch place (which, by the way, is a British company). The store is really divided into a couple of areas. There is the refrigerated area, which is a good chunk of the store. You can see it behind the glass doors in the picture. Here you will find things like cheese, yoghurt, creme fraiche, juices, meats but also meals. Of course there is an extensive wine area. This might be normal for those on the US west coast, but for people in NYC, this is very different.
And of course there are the normal shelves of things that don't need refrigeration, such as cleaning supplies, paper towels, markers, shampoo. Many of the same brands are here. Colgate? Sensodyne? No problem. Lays potato chips! No Fritos, though. There are some surprises. Milk here is on the shelf, just like the school supplies. We have the same milk in the US (Parmalat), but here it is the "normal" milk.
It comes in various percentages but the one mostly used is half skimmed (about the same as 2%). It is always blue (full milk is red) and skim I think is green. So, a bit odd, but you get used to it. Milk here is really something you put in coffee and that's about it. When my friend Leslie was here, we made American chocolate chip cookies with her sons and Leslie went on about how wonderful they are with a cold glass of milk. They looked at her like she was from Mars. They thought a glass of wine with them would be infinitely better. In fact, when they get the milk home, it says on the counter and not in the fridge.
Eggs are also not refrigerated. I have heard that in the US we clean them which takes away a protective coating and so we need to refrigerate them. Not sure if that is true or not. Eggs come in various sizes. In the US, we buy them by the dozen or half dozen. Here, you can get eggs by the dozen, but also 10 (is that because they use the metric system?), 6, 4 and 2.
Sourcing is also big here and it is either pride or law that forces them to show where the meat is from. You can also choose the location of your coffee and chocolate. I kind of liked this.
For those who know French cooking, you know that the base for all savory dishes is the mirepoix. That is one part carrot, one part celery and two parts onion. You start with this and a little butter/oil and go from there for most dishes. Except here, celery is no where to be found. Carrots, sure; onions, no problem, but celery? No. You can get celery any day of the year in any store in the US. Here you have to go to a special green grocer to get it and I would bet it isn't there all the time.
Of course there is fresh bread at the checkout. Not as good as from a boulangerie, but pretty good.
You may have noticed one area not included in this discussion: frozen foods. In fact there are no frozen foods in the grocery store. That's right. No frozen vegetables, no frozen dinners... and no ice cream. I know. This is because many Parisians do not have freezers. If you want frozen foods, you have to go to another store all together: the Picard.
This is a little futuristic place (a bit like something you would see on the Jetson's). The walls are lined with those waist-high freezer containers you open via a sliding top window. And above them are posters showing what is in the bin below. Kind of odd.
So, there you have it. A little traveling tip for you: whenever you travel to another country, always spend some time in the grocery store. It is always fascinating to see what they have there.
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