hazel1

But, what exactly is a "battery chicken"? I can't get the picture of something akin to the Energizer Bunny out of my head...

kerouac

Those are the chickens raised in closed coops and which never go outside. They are fed, do their business, lay eggs if appropriate, and are slaughtered all in the same place. I am afraid that it is one of the reasons that I prefer eating them to farm chickens which walk around and have a sort of real life. Battery chickens don't go anywhere, so they are very tender and devoid of muscles.

Yes, I am ashamed of myself.

cathies

Oh kerouac, I'm glad you put in your last sentence "yes, I am ashamed of myself" - those poor chickens live a dreadful life.

Seamus

kerouac -
we will be in town next month, staying in an apartment on rue JP Timbaud near r de Nemours. Any suggestions for food shopping (or anything else, for that matter!)?

tod

Kerouac - I don't find anything wrong with eating battery poultry (thats all they use for Kentucky here) except, when I have roasted a real farm chicken the skin almost turns a wonderful mahogany and the flavour is very good. It definitely needs longer slower cooking to get the texture right. I'm not talking about a 'Cornish' hen here - I really don't like those!
Cathies, you eat eggs don't you? They ALL come from 'lay-cages' which are exactly the same as battery cages - except eggs sold with the marking 'Free Range' but I am very doubtful about their version of 'free'. Probably means the view from the cage over the range....

About the goats cheese: I have a recipe book called 'The Cookery Year' which devotes a page to French cheeses. The only one I think would be the kind I should look for is called Saint Marcellin. I could be wrong. Naturally when I get to the fromage stall I will be guided by the folks selling their wares but don't want to end up with a cheese that positively pongs of goat! I need a hint of what to look out for.......

Djkbooks - thanks for the tip on what may NOT be available at our apartment. I will have a quick look round the cupboards before setting out to enter the world of the Parisian housewife!

cathies

Hi tod, in fact I don't eat cage eggs. I"m lucky enough to get most of my eggs from the agriculture dept at a local school. The chickens are caged at night to keep them safe from the local foxes, but they do roam during the day. If I do have to purchase eggs from a supermarket then I do read the labels and try to source eggs that really are free range. I end up paying about double the price of regular eggs and chickens but I don't care, I think it's worth it for something I feel strongly about.

Pvoyageuse

Tod : Saint Marcellin is made with cow milk.

tod

Pvoyageuse - How did my book get it so wrong? This is what it says:
"SAINT MARCELLIN - A small round, crumbly cream cheese made from goat's milk. Saint Marcellin has a mild taste with a touch of salt."

Hi Cathies - you are an extremely lucky lady to be able to have glorious fresh 'roam around the farmyard' eggs! I very rarely get to enjoy one except when friends invite us for a weekend on their farm. They are so different from a shop bought egg!
Unfortunately just about everything made at the bakery uses the standard lay-cage egg so somewhere, somehow, they gonna get ya but I'm sure you don't mind the rare occurence!

tod

Just looked at my Paris map Seamus and see you have the Richard Lenoir market as your closest - It runs from rue Amelot to Rue St Sabin. It is one of the largest and most animated markets in Paris with over 200 stands.
It's open for business on Thursdays and Sundays 7am-2.30pm

Here is a link to all the markets: http://tinyurl.com/3a6qevz

kerouac

Yes, it is indeed one of the best markets -- it runs on top of the underground part of the Canal Saint Martin.

You did see my thread, I hope about the sister streets of rue Oberkampf and rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud?

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-oberkampf.cfm

Pvoyageuse

Tod : because the book's author is misinformed or the book was published before 1980.
If you read French :
"Le Saint-Marcellin était réalisé à son origine essentiellement avec du lait de chèvre. En 1730, le reboisement des campagnes exigea la mise en place d'une réglementation sur l'élevage caprin qui eut pour conséquence de réduire le nombre d'animaux. Progressivement les fromagers compensèrent par du lait de vache. Depuis 1980, le Saint-Marcellin est exclusivement fabriqué avec du lait de vache".

ira

Hi Tod,

>About the goats cheese: .........<

Or any other kind - be careful.

You cannot make up for a lifetime of deprivation in a week or two.

I tried. I got very sick.

cigalechanta

St Marcellin originally was made from goat's milk but these days it is cow's milk.

cathies

Hi Tod, I am lucky to enjoy those eggs and yes, they are very different from shop bought ones. Even to the extent that they aren't all uniform in size.

OMG - I didn't think about bakery goods. What to do now about my favourite croissants??

Seamus

tod and kerouac -
yes, I know the Richard Lenoir market well, have grazed there several times and agree it is one of the best in town. Would love to learn about where to get best price/quality poulet roti in the hood if anyone knows.

kerouac - I did take a gander at your wonderful photo tour of r Oberkampf and r JP Timbaud. Have been in the area at night once or twice before, am probably a bit long in the tooth for many of the clubs but my niece may enjoy it. Am hoping that our apartment is far enough from clubs that noise will not be an issue.

tod

I have just dug out another book on Paris from my collection...I forget I have these books sometimes...It's called "Paris in a Basket" and lo and behold it also devotes two pages to cheeses. Now I suspect the cheese I will be looking for is
Crottin de chavignol - maybe!

I will heed your warning Ira!!

aussiedreamer

Hey tod, you start the coolest threads. Just wanted to mention you may like the new-ish book, Paris for Lunch. I loved it and kept looking up places on the map while I was reading.

And as for chickens in Paris, one of DH's not so fondest memories was trying to buy one. They kept trying to give him the raw or part cooked ones. But boy those potatos sound good.

We plan to buy and prepare food in Paris as well, thats the main reason for getting an apartment. Not from scratch probably but its gonna be fun.

cathies

Aussiedreamer, I dare you to not start munching on those potatoes before you get them back to the apartment. They are wonderful!! Where is your apartment in Paris?

Tod - we got into the habit of buying a small piece of goats cheese and a baguette and having that for afternoon tea most afternoons. Lovely!!

aussiedreamer

In the 15th, Rue Lourmel. I'm yet to map it and work out best markets etc.

nukesafe

Try my favorite cheese, Epoisses. It was Napoleon's favorite too, I'm told. http://www.frenchcheeseclub.com/abou...t_berthaut.htm