Karen

Because of some medical problems, I must be on a low fat diet, and must avoid saturated fats especially. This eliminates all the fun foods (cakes, desserts), as well as dairy products (milk, cream, butter), deep fried foods and red meats. I can eat fish, chicken breasts, veggies and <BR>pasta and olive oil in small quantities. My Dilemma - what am I going to be able to eat in Paris? I know that the French cook with a lot of butter and cream in their sauces. I can have olive oil but I don't know whether I can request my dishes be made with oil instead of butter. The fact that I do not speak French will make this kind of communication very difficult. Also, I am sure that I will offend many a chef with this request. <BR> <BR> Any suggestions as to where I can eat without "cheating" on my diet too much and offending too many people? Hopefully, I can find some roast chicken, grilled fish and vegetarian plates in my travels.

Surlok

The "nouvelle cuisine" is low fat, and the portions are very small. You'll definetely starve. <BR> <BR>Surlok

AGM/Cape Cod

Karen, <BR> I don't know where you will be staying but we ate at Fish la Boissonnerie on rue de Seine in the 6th Arron. It bills itself as a Mediteraneen restaurant and the sauces we had didn't have any cream. It was excellent. <BR> I think that you have to do your homework on translating menus so that you recognize those things that traditionally have cream sauce.Also I am not that experienced a traveler so I don't know how much trouble you will have requesting the sauce on the side. The one saving grace these days is that most restaurants have sorbet for desserts. Good luck and have fun.

Fred

Karen- <BR> No, you won't starve at all. Restaurants will prepare vegetarian dishes for you, there are always a couple of fish dishes on the menu, if you don't want sauce just say "sans sauce" (sahn sauce), or, if they speak English, say "without sauce" (with-out sauce) It's really no problem at all. For more Paris information e-mail me – [email protected]

elaine

Karen <BR>the "lot of butter and cream in their sauces" is no longer true, at least certainly not in all restaurants, and even not in all dishes at restaurants that serve classic cuisine. <BR>You can always find, or ask for, <BR>plain broiled or grilled chicken breasts or fish, salads, and lots of vegetarian dishes also are available. Many creamy-looking soups are pure vegetable purees with no dairy at all added. <BR>You will not offend anyone. <BR>Just tell them you are on a medically-necessary diet, or <BR>say "Je suis un regime" <BR>(Je swee un re-zheem, sort of) <BR>and then ask for your food without sauce or butter or cream-- <BR>sans sauce, sans buerre, et sans creme <BR>son soce, son burr, ay son crem (sort of) <BR>grilled food is grille (gree-yay) <BR> <BR>You might want to think about buying <BR>the Zagat restaurant guide for Paris--in the back are restaurants by category, such as vegetarian", new cuisine, <BR>Thai, etc. You can also always call a restaurant in advance to confirm that they can accommodate your needs.

Melissa

Just remember this phrase: Avec vous de plat vegetarian? <BR> <BR>I can't think of any restaurants off the top of my head at the moment, as I am the full-fat dining type. But you don't have to stick with salads. You can find some lovely Provencal restaurants that have yummy fresh produce. I also found some nice eats on the rue Cler that were light (although many were not so light, too!).

Betsy

There is a trendy vegetarian restaurant in the Marais that is becomming quite well known, though not so known that I can remember the name. Also, for lunch you can order many meal size salads at cafes. You might also try the buffet on the the top floor of the Samaritaine dept. store, at the St. Michel metro stop. There are many low fat items, its inexpensive and has outdoor seating with terrific views.

Jim

Have you talked to your doctor? Ask him/her if it's safe for you to eat more fat than normal during your vacation.

elinor

Just to clarify the French the above posters suggested. I don't think you want to say "Je suis un regime", as Elaine suggests. That means "I am a regime." Also, don't say, "avec vous de plat vegetarian", as Melissa says. "Avec" means "with", so you would be saying something like "with you vegetarian plate". It should be "avez-vous", not "avec vous". Also, I'm sure there is a French word for vegetarian, but I don't know it and don't have a dictionary.

Christina

The avec...quelquesoitr clearly was wrong in several ways, not just that one, I figured why bother, the waiter will know what you mean probably; in Paris, beyond greetings and pleasanteries I think it can be confusing to try to speak French when you don't know it. But Elaine is absolutely correct. Suis is also the present tense of the verb suivre, to follow, and is used in this sense to mean I'm on a diet. I think it can not be a good idea to correct others'language if you don't know it well.

Merrie

I got "hooked" on panini's when I was in Paris...I found a place on rue Mouffetard in the 8th Ar. Anyway, you can get grilled chicken with veggies on French bread and then it's placed underneath what looks like an iron. There are different combinations and they are tasty and filling...just remember to say sans fromage (no cheese).

Melissa

Yes, I'm sorry!! After I hit "Post" I realized my typo. My fingers were moving faster than my brain.