Judy

Hi Nancy, I took high school French for three years and you would never know it! <BR>I did rely on my Latin (2 years in HS) root words to bail me out a few times. I know I was just too insecure with my language skills.... maybe next time, I will do better. <BR> I dd drive around in my car with a tape of French phases playing ....I probably looked silly, chattering away in my car to myself! But if you get a tape, it helps to get you used to the sounds of French(as my guide on the tape says: "Listen to the sounds of French") Judy :-0

clairobscur

<BR>You're right concerning the sinners/fishermen, franck. Also "mussels" and "moulds" have the same spelling in french. Finally "rawness" were most probably "crudites" (raw vegetables like carrots, celery,cabbage, etc..)

clairobscur

<BR> I do agree that "rognons de veau" are delicious. But thought I like kidneys and snails, as long as I'll be unable to eat bull's testicles and grasshopers (which are certainly delicious too), I won't criticize people who don't give them a try.

mark

Nancy try Chez Alexandre , rue de la Parchemerie , metro Cluny sorbonne , just off rue st Jacques. <BR>I eat there on average once a week , the food is excellent ( specialises in Fondus - bourguignon (hot oil ) & Savoyarde ( melted cheese )& Pierrades - cooking on hot stone ).This restaurant is away from the tourist hordes & is very small & cosy. <BR>anyway to cut a long story short the owner , small guy glasses always wears black , is currently learning english & prides himself on learning one new word everyday. <BR>i am sure that u would have a great time there & he is very friendly especially towards english speakers <BR> <BR>

Joel

Nancy, I'm surprised no one has already mentioned that menus in France are typically arranged very differently than in the States. It helps to know this in advance as it will save you money as well as eliminate questions about what dish goes with what. <BR>Restaurants and some brasseries have their menus set up as follows. <BR>Rather than having a list of dishes to choose from "a la carte" you will normally find a simplified set of 3 course or 4 course meals in different price categories. A menu for dinner might therefore have 70FF, 150FF, and 275FF meals, then within each of those price categories there will be a choice of dishes for each course. <BR>Let's say you decide that you would not want to spend more than 150FF, so you look at the choices listed under 150FF. This is where the simplification comes in. You do a "mix and match" of the 3 courses offered under 150FF. So you might find 5 choices of an entree, then 5 choices of a main course, then 4 choices of a finish. Generally, all the options will be standard dishes and the choices for the entree would work well with the choices for the main course, etc. <BR>One result is that you get a price break because you're ordering what they've made in quantity that day. Also, your choices are simpler, and as already noted, the dishes go with each other. <BR>Look for this on the menus where you eat and depend on having an enjoyable meal 9 time out of 10.

Marc David Miller

Another "Food Ordering for Dummies" tip is if you DON'T want any specific foods due to allergies or taste (fish, meat, garlic, etc.) have someone either teach you the phrase or write it down.