Why does French food taste so much better than ours?
May 20th, 2006, 05:58 AM
#121
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Hi
My experience goes like this :
US produces a wider variety of food than France.
There are some serious issues with US use of pesticides, hormones, etc that are banned in Europe.
There is excellent food available in US. But, it costs much more than it would in France.
The reason is that the majority of US citizens aren't prepared to pay for quality food, or spend time preparing it.
The supermarket chilled ready meals, McDonalds, etc are increasingly becoming established in France. This could be a future threat to the French foodie culture ?
BTW, we try to grow our own, or buy from local producers.
Peter
My experience goes like this :
US produces a wider variety of food than France.
There are some serious issues with US use of pesticides, hormones, etc that are banned in Europe.
There is excellent food available in US. But, it costs much more than it would in France.
The reason is that the majority of US citizens aren't prepared to pay for quality food, or spend time preparing it.
The supermarket chilled ready meals, McDonalds, etc are increasingly becoming established in France. This could be a future threat to the French foodie culture ?
BTW, we try to grow our own, or buy from local producers.
Peter
May 20th, 2006, 04:47 PM
#122
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toulousaine,
If you Fred Meyer carries bread from Grand Central Bakery in Seattle--get it! Even Pavarotti said he considered their Como Bread the best he's ever had (personally, I like the Yukon Gold even more, but who am I to argue with Pavorotti?)
Guy18,
If you want to taste the best mushrooms in the world, come to the Pacific NW in Sept.-Nov. and try some fresh chantrells! OMG!
But still, I agree with Heavens--food taste so much better in France (and Italy!)
If you Fred Meyer carries bread from Grand Central Bakery in Seattle--get it! Even Pavarotti said he considered their Como Bread the best he's ever had (personally, I like the Yukon Gold even more, but who am I to argue with Pavorotti?)
Guy18,
If you want to taste the best mushrooms in the world, come to the Pacific NW in Sept.-Nov. and try some fresh chantrells! OMG!
But still, I agree with Heavens--food taste so much better in France (and Italy!)
May 20th, 2006, 11:56 PM
#124
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On ham: this months issue of Harper's magazine has a fascinating article about the current state of hog farming in America. Our hams aren't as good because we've bred hogs to stand in one place, gain muscle weight quickly and produce the lean meat we think we want (the other white meat...) Unfortunately, they're easily stressed and the stress means that their muscles have high levels of acid. Makes for bland, watery meat w/ poor texture. Yuck.
So some of our food is quite different.
But alternatives can be found in some markets and I wouldn't trade my blueberry pie or grilled Alaska salmon for anybody's crepe.
So some of our food is quite different.
But alternatives can be found in some markets and I wouldn't trade my blueberry pie or grilled Alaska salmon for anybody's crepe.
May 21st, 2006, 02:54 AM
#125
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Does the article talk about the fantastic pork here in the US from Berkshire breed pigs?
I wonder if many of the posters raving about the superiority and integrity of French foodstuffs have ever paid a visit to one of the huge chain supermaarkets in that country; in many sections of these stores the things on offer are also shot with preservatives and sugar, and made by the same mega-brands as the junk on the shelves here in the US. I am not talking about the small markets in Paris but about the mega-markets that you can find on the outskirts of many French cities and large towns. These stores are always crowded with people buying lots of junk and prepared products.
I am not disagreeing with the fact that French food is wonderful, but shopping at small markets and purveyors and eating in restaurants may not give you the total picture of what is on offer, and what is purchased, by a great many French households.
I wonder if many of the posters raving about the superiority and integrity of French foodstuffs have ever paid a visit to one of the huge chain supermaarkets in that country; in many sections of these stores the things on offer are also shot with preservatives and sugar, and made by the same mega-brands as the junk on the shelves here in the US. I am not talking about the small markets in Paris but about the mega-markets that you can find on the outskirts of many French cities and large towns. These stores are always crowded with people buying lots of junk and prepared products.
I am not disagreeing with the fact that French food is wonderful, but shopping at small markets and purveyors and eating in restaurants may not give you the total picture of what is on offer, and what is purchased, by a great many French households.
May 21st, 2006, 09:43 AM
#127
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ekscrunchy, I have indeed shopped at the hypermarches, my favorite one being LeClerc. The quality of meat is still there, only you have an enormous selection. Yes, you can find more processed foods, but that is because you have about 20 times the options available.
Yes, French people DO buy junk and prepared foods. This is the 21st century. They are not all living in the Middle Ages anymore.
Yes, French people DO buy junk and prepared foods. This is the 21st century. They are not all living in the Middle Ages anymore.
May 22nd, 2006, 04:36 PM
#129
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Wow, this thread is a long one, but it deals with one of my favorite topics (food), so I will eventually get through each and every comment.
I'm American and (perhaps) I've been lucky to have spent most of my life in two pretty good food cities (NYC and Boston) and some time in not-so-good (nameless) food cities, but I simply refuse to believe that 99.9% of residents in the lower 48 don't have access to decent, quality food.
Absolutely everyone has access to the basic ingredients of good, home made bread and home made macaroni and cheese, excellent potatoes, stews, soups, homemade pie and tart crusts, locally caught fish, and grilled meats. We can all get locally produced poultry or locally hunted game. Almost every state has a home-grown cheese industry and locally produced wine, beer, or spirits base. Everyone has access to the making of an excellent salad with olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar, a little minced garlic and teaspoon of dijon mustard, mixed greens (NOT iceberg "lettuce"
, a few decent black olives (NOT from a can) and a handful of walnuts or golden raisins. The problem with people who complain about poor food in the US is that they lack the industry to produce a quality meal on a regular basis.
The average Frenchman may need to go to the marche every day, which is a labor to some extent. Most Americans buy their food weekly at the grocery store, which is much easier and convenient, yet they fail to capitalize on that added convenience with a bit of extra ingenuity and labor in the kitchen. They'd rather be blackberrying or driving Justin and Sienna to soccer practice (or blackberrying while driving Justin and Sienna to soccer practice) rather than teaching them (by example) some quality of life lessons.
Too many Americans replace meals with frozen entrees or takeout pizza or over-salted deli meats and bad bread. I grew up in a house that never saw an underboiled piece of asparagus or a stalk of brocolli that didn't come slathered in fake boil-in-a-bag cheese whiz. But when I moved out of my parents' house, I took to cooking and really invested time to understand what makes a good meal and what doesn't. I probably spend no more than 10% more than my siblings do on their daily food budgets, but my diet is healthier and more satisfying to me and I would feel very little hesitance if asked to cook for Eureopean houseguests.
I'm American and (perhaps) I've been lucky to have spent most of my life in two pretty good food cities (NYC and Boston) and some time in not-so-good (nameless) food cities, but I simply refuse to believe that 99.9% of residents in the lower 48 don't have access to decent, quality food.
Absolutely everyone has access to the basic ingredients of good, home made bread and home made macaroni and cheese, excellent potatoes, stews, soups, homemade pie and tart crusts, locally caught fish, and grilled meats. We can all get locally produced poultry or locally hunted game. Almost every state has a home-grown cheese industry and locally produced wine, beer, or spirits base. Everyone has access to the making of an excellent salad with olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar, a little minced garlic and teaspoon of dijon mustard, mixed greens (NOT iceberg "lettuce"
, a few decent black olives (NOT from a can) and a handful of walnuts or golden raisins. The problem with people who complain about poor food in the US is that they lack the industry to produce a quality meal on a regular basis.The average Frenchman may need to go to the marche every day, which is a labor to some extent. Most Americans buy their food weekly at the grocery store, which is much easier and convenient, yet they fail to capitalize on that added convenience with a bit of extra ingenuity and labor in the kitchen. They'd rather be blackberrying or driving Justin and Sienna to soccer practice (or blackberrying while driving Justin and Sienna to soccer practice) rather than teaching them (by example) some quality of life lessons.
Too many Americans replace meals with frozen entrees or takeout pizza or over-salted deli meats and bad bread. I grew up in a house that never saw an underboiled piece of asparagus or a stalk of brocolli that didn't come slathered in fake boil-in-a-bag cheese whiz. But when I moved out of my parents' house, I took to cooking and really invested time to understand what makes a good meal and what doesn't. I probably spend no more than 10% more than my siblings do on their daily food budgets, but my diet is healthier and more satisfying to me and I would feel very little hesitance if asked to cook for Eureopean houseguests.
May 23rd, 2006, 01:19 AM
#130
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>>>>
They'd rather be blackberrying or driving Justin and Sienna to soccer practice...
>>>>
in france, it is pretty much the same. many of the trends just hit the US earlier. french people care less and less about making home cooked meals and they have less and less time to do so. both parents often work. just as in the US, french parents appease their children with trips to mcds and video games. parents are busy on their laptops.
a visit to a french supermarket shows that the ratio of space dedicated to fresh food vs. tinned, frozen or boxed is roughly the same as in the US or the UK.
whilst the image of a french man or woman with a freshly baked french bread under one arm and a basket full of fresh vegetables and fish in the other is an endearing image, it is far from reality for the majority of french people.
They'd rather be blackberrying or driving Justin and Sienna to soccer practice...
>>>>
in france, it is pretty much the same. many of the trends just hit the US earlier. french people care less and less about making home cooked meals and they have less and less time to do so. both parents often work. just as in the US, french parents appease their children with trips to mcds and video games. parents are busy on their laptops.
a visit to a french supermarket shows that the ratio of space dedicated to fresh food vs. tinned, frozen or boxed is roughly the same as in the US or the UK.
whilst the image of a french man or woman with a freshly baked french bread under one arm and a basket full of fresh vegetables and fish in the other is an endearing image, it is far from reality for the majority of french people.
May 23rd, 2006, 04:00 AM
#132
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I can only reiterate the point that a universal standard for taste (better, inferior, whatever) probably doesn't exist. For example, who is anyone to insist that Spam/Kam doesn't taste good to those who enjoy it? Ditto for sliced bread, mass-bottled beer, etc. etc. It's like those discussions about what makes for a 'decent' hotel.
Of course it may well be impossible to find the exact reproduction of a given French food in the US or elsewhere. But that's exactly the point - if you can't find a similar product, surely comparisons of taste are pointless?
What would people here say if someone from Hawaii came back from France saying: "the culinary situation was hopeless. I couldn't find decent <i> poi </i> anywhere? Aside from the fact that it is likely difficult to find poi of any kind in a great many places, let alone France, the implication that a universal standard of decent taste for it is ridiculous. [Note to the puzzled: Poi is a concoction made, if memory serves, from taro root. I thought it had a pretty colour, but alas, to me it tasted like flour paste. That said, I'm not about to suggest that that means, per se, that it is somehow 'crap' or inferior-tasting food. I'm certainly not going to suggest same to those in Hawaii who are entranced by this dish.)
Meanwhile, my guess is that said person would immediately be the target of the usual condescending sermons about how one should have stayed home (a favourite slur) if one-isn't-going-to-appreciate- differences, or bother-to-seek-out-the-right-places-to-go. To their insistence that "I just couldn't find anything to compare with the food from....." I guarantee, that there would be multitudes here descrying the rigidity and provincialism of the person making such claim. Not that I'm endorsing such rude responses, but I am annoyed by the double standard.
Those here who are gardeners have probably learned that the best garden is one that is planted with vegetation suitable to the soil and the climate. So too with cuisine - the 'best' cuisine is the one that deals with the realities of local availability and of one's budget.
Of course it may well be impossible to find the exact reproduction of a given French food in the US or elsewhere. But that's exactly the point - if you can't find a similar product, surely comparisons of taste are pointless?
What would people here say if someone from Hawaii came back from France saying: "the culinary situation was hopeless. I couldn't find decent <i> poi </i> anywhere? Aside from the fact that it is likely difficult to find poi of any kind in a great many places, let alone France, the implication that a universal standard of decent taste for it is ridiculous. [Note to the puzzled: Poi is a concoction made, if memory serves, from taro root. I thought it had a pretty colour, but alas, to me it tasted like flour paste. That said, I'm not about to suggest that that means, per se, that it is somehow 'crap' or inferior-tasting food. I'm certainly not going to suggest same to those in Hawaii who are entranced by this dish.)
Meanwhile, my guess is that said person would immediately be the target of the usual condescending sermons about how one should have stayed home (a favourite slur) if one-isn't-going-to-appreciate- differences, or bother-to-seek-out-the-right-places-to-go. To their insistence that "I just couldn't find anything to compare with the food from....." I guarantee, that there would be multitudes here descrying the rigidity and provincialism of the person making such claim. Not that I'm endorsing such rude responses, but I am annoyed by the double standard.
Those here who are gardeners have probably learned that the best garden is one that is planted with vegetation suitable to the soil and the climate. So too with cuisine - the 'best' cuisine is the one that deals with the realities of local availability and of one's budget.
May 23rd, 2006, 08:03 AM
#133
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Sue_xx_yy I really liked your post. I agree with you "the 'best' cuisine is the one that deals with the realities of local availability and of one's budget. " That varies from town to town, city to city and state to state, etc...
Liam, have you been to France recently? The French are more addicted to their cell phones and sending "textos" (text mess in france) than Americans! They were ahead of times on that, in 2001 I was shocked at how many people had cell phones than here. That has changed here, now we have just as many, but I'm talking about 5 years ago.
And they average French couple raising kids are NO different than the average American couple raising kids. In fact, French kids are being carted around much more than American because they don't have a school bus system and they are in school longer hours and then they have tons of extra curricular activities.
No, we can't go by the old stereotype anymore. These are modern times.
Liam, have you been to France recently? The French are more addicted to their cell phones and sending "textos" (text mess in france) than Americans! They were ahead of times on that, in 2001 I was shocked at how many people had cell phones than here. That has changed here, now we have just as many, but I'm talking about 5 years ago.
And they average French couple raising kids are NO different than the average American couple raising kids. In fact, French kids are being carted around much more than American because they don't have a school bus system and they are in school longer hours and then they have tons of extra curricular activities.
No, we can't go by the old stereotype anymore. These are modern times.
May 24th, 2006, 01:07 AM
#134
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Sue_xx_yy
Quite right about the poi situation. In a similar vein, I once took a lovely young lady from Houston to Paris. She complained that French food was too bland and lamented the absence of a decent place to get chili.
Quite right about the poi situation. In a similar vein, I once took a lovely young lady from Houston to Paris. She complained that French food was too bland and lamented the absence of a decent place to get chili.
May 24th, 2006, 07:17 AM
#136
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Toulousiane: "Liam, have you been to France recently? The French are more addicted to their cell phones and sending "textos" (text mess in france) than Americans! They were ahead of times on that, in 2001 I was shocked at how many people had cell phones than here. That has changed here, now we have just as many, but I'm talking about 5 years ago.
And they average French couple raising kids are NO different than the average American couple raising kids..."
I didn't mean to imply that the French are less techno-advanced or that their lives are all about cycling down cobblestone streets with loaves of baguette under their arms. But the fact remains that French (and most other European) people invest more time and effort in the quest for quality than their counterparts this side of the Atlantic.
And they average French couple raising kids are NO different than the average American couple raising kids..."
I didn't mean to imply that the French are less techno-advanced or that their lives are all about cycling down cobblestone streets with loaves of baguette under their arms. But the fact remains that French (and most other European) people invest more time and effort in the quest for quality than their counterparts this side of the Atlantic.
May 24th, 2006, 09:20 AM
#137
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One word: FAT.
Any French chef will tell you that Fat = Flavor.
Americans are obsessed by "Fat-free" and "Low-fat" foods... hence, they are flavorless.. Add some butter or bacon fat & see how the flavor improves.
Any French chef will tell you that Fat = Flavor.
Americans are obsessed by "Fat-free" and "Low-fat" foods... hence, they are flavorless.. Add some butter or bacon fat & see how the flavor improves.
May 24th, 2006, 10:41 AM
#138
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Sue_xx_yy...
thoughtfully said. I agree with you.
..why anything has to be "better than" all the time...? Lobster or steak, which is "better"? ...beauty is in the eye of the beholder or, on the tastebuds as the case may be.
thoughtfully said. I agree with you.
..why anything has to be "better than" all the time...? Lobster or steak, which is "better"? ...beauty is in the eye of the beholder or, on the tastebuds as the case may be.
