Wont eat french food---HELP please

Old Jan 27th, 2006, 06:22 AM
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I do understand the 'picky eater' phenomena, however, I am still confused as to what one defines as 'French food'. There are certainly items on a menu that I won't eat as well. This just seems to have gotten totally out of hand. For one, people should at least attempt to have a bit of a sense of humor...I don't let my children eat @ any of the afore-mentioned American fast food joints (& yes, I'm American) unless we are all staving to death. So, I understand the child may be a bit scared due to the utterances of her French teacher. Assure her she won't be required to eat tripe, snails, or any other organs should she choose not to. HOWEVER, to not include French cuisine as part of your trip is at the very least, shameful. I'm thinking you will, it is hard to resist the Nutella crepes, the frites, or the simple ham & cheese on a baguette...So, we'll see how it goes. On to the Bercy thing, no there is nothing wrong w/it, but it is certainly not the best place to stay, particularly for an inexperienced Paris traveler (which I am assuming the orginal poster is). Certainly you have to take the good posts w/the bad but, to get upset (mostly due to the silliness of the question you asked to begin with)is beyond funny.
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Old Jan 27th, 2006, 07:02 AM
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There are many FLUNCH cafeteria-style restaurants all over Paris and at these you get a buffet of unlimited veggies and salads - as much as you want as well as some meat - lots to chose from and cheap - fixed price - gotta to be something even most fussiest eater would pick. You'll find that this type of 'French food' to be very similar to British or American food - many French rarely eat fancy french food we associate with high-class restaurants - at home they eat down home meals much like British and Americans do.
As a footnote i once took a French teenager to eat at Old Country Buffet - where you can get dozens of different types of American home-style foods and he would only eat a few French ("Freedom" fries and a little salad - he only liked food that his mother cooked - featuring fancy sauces and just didn't care for anything 'good' - but his family is the exception - most French at home eat rather plain food.
I agree with your angst about comments off your question - this often happens and you just have to shrug this rudeness off - and after walking all around Bercy last December i'd say it's one of the best places to stay in Paris - great choice.
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Old Jan 27th, 2006, 07:37 AM
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Thank you for your re-assurances re Bercy. It may not be the ideal choice for a first timer as many have said but it was within my tight budget and a friend has stayed there and she thought it was fine. So maybe after this trip in April I'll stay somewhere more central but I'm happy with my choice for the moment.
You are also correct re the rudeness on these boards. I'll just ignore these awful people and take on board those helpful folk , of which there have been a few , and I'm grateful that they took the time to advise me. Its a bit of a shock really , my parents brought me up to treat people well and to always be kind. So when I received these nasty posts it was unexpected. I'll take the rough with the smooth and enjoy Bercy !! Thanks again.
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Old Jan 27th, 2006, 08:20 AM
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highland_lass, I'm glad you kept a good attitude about all of the negative postings. I must say that I was shocked by how negative some of the posts were. Surely your 12 year old isn't the only picky child on the planet! I was (and still am) am extremely picky eater, regardless of the fact that my parents expected me to clean my plate at meal times. For someone to question another's parenting skills simply because their child is a picky eater is beyond ridiculous.

As I mentioned above, I found a lot of decent places to eat regardless of my pickiness. I'm sure you and your child with have a great time in Paris.

Tracy
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Old Jan 27th, 2006, 09:28 AM
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Thank you Tracy for your kind words.

I am glad to be going to Paris , I've never been to France even though its only approx 2 hours from Glasgow by air so maybe this trip will become one of many !!

When I come back I'll start a thread for those who want to go to Bercy and also for picky eaters.........and I'll be nice and polite too ( teehee you need to keep a sense of humour in this life dont you esp when theres so many idiots out there )
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Old Jan 27th, 2006, 10:12 AM
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After a week of not eating, she will be willing to give it a try. In the meantime, think of the money you will be saving. She might be a size 4 by the end of the trip.
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Old Jan 27th, 2006, 11:03 AM
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HL, Beats me why people get so exercised by this question, but you've managed to punch the #1 hot button of most Fodorites. As soon as it hits the listserv, millions of enraged Fs rise in a massive wave of indignation, derision, and gratuitous child rearing and dietary advice. It's your basic tsunami effect. Ignore them and raise high the banner for individual preference!

To answer your question, American-style fast food and American chains are ubiquitous in Paris. McDonalds are all over the place, as well as KFC, Pizza Hut, and many others. The same as Glasgow. I remember an interview with the owner of a Tex/Mex restaurant in Paris. He said that in the early '90s he had the only such place in Paris and was complaining about all the competition he now has.
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Old Jan 27th, 2006, 12:03 PM
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You'll have a great time and you'll just do it your way! I definitely understand your concern. My husband (mind you he is 26 not 12) is very picky//no veggies!! He travels everywhere with me and we have a wonderful time, both getting our experiences in. I think the food is one of the best parts of traveling, he couldn't care less about that! Granted he will taste my food when I order new things, he sticks with his comfort foods. And if he can't find something to eat at the restaurant he will eat dessert and grab a pizza or crepe on our way to the next site! Best of luck ~ Paris is beautiful, no matter what food you are eating
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Old Jan 27th, 2006, 01:27 PM
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highland lass,

Reassure your children that the French make excellent ham and/or cheease sandwiches, among many other universal offerings. One Paris McDonald's (locally called McDo) is close to the Louvre.

For Italian food, with great pizza and spaghetti, I'd recommend Vesuvius, on the blvd St-Germain, quite close to the métro station. Just down the street is a Haagen Daz ice creamery.
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Old Jan 27th, 2006, 01:45 PM
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highland_lass, Clearly you are new around here

One thing you have to understand in when you ask a question, guess what?, everyone gets to chime in. Not everyone will understand your intent or agree that you need the information you are seeking. Some people think some questions are just plain silly.

But along with all of that you get tons of solid, mostly first-hand information. Truly there's no need to get upset, and to my eye no one was even particularly rude on this thread.
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Old Jan 27th, 2006, 03:12 PM
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Here's a laugh for you - we took out picky eaters to Europe a few years ago during the foot-and-mouth outbreak - we told them that we were not eating any beef, so that pretty much ruled out McDonalds. We ate a lot of bread in Paris, and we finally gave in to the whining and had a burger in London. Moral of the story - they will survive, and it makes their story back at home that much more interesting!
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Old Jan 27th, 2006, 03:25 PM
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You had a burger in London? Um....wasn't the UK where the hoof-and-mouth outbreak broke out?
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Old Jan 27th, 2006, 03:29 PM
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This is so totally OT, but I'm sitting here recovering from minor surgery and needed something to talk about:

My DD, who will be 28 in little more than a week, is a "picky" eater. BUT, from the get-go, she would eat no fast foods, no prepared or packaged type things, and no luncheon meats or preserved stuff of that type.

In her school lunches, she always wanted cut up fresh fruit and vegetables.

She is tough to please, but a dream in places like Paris or Italy, where there is lots of freshly prepared food made from good, healthy ingredients.

I used to occasionally beg her to eat burgers or pizza, but no deal.
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Old Jan 27th, 2006, 04:16 PM
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<<BUT, from the get-go, she would eat no fast foods, no prepared or packaged type things, and no luncheon meats or preserved stuff of that type.>>

That's what I usually think of as a "picky eater." But the expression generally means something totally different just on Fodors, where it seems to mean someone who eats ONLY the kinds of foods that a "picky eater" (as the expression is used by people I know in "real life") will NOT eat.
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Old Jan 27th, 2006, 07:41 PM
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Had burgers in London during the foot-and-mouth that originated in Britain, and lived to tell about it. I guess you could say we live on the edge!
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Old Jan 28th, 2006, 01:48 AM
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Foot and mouth disease is completely harmless to humans - it's only a (minor)problem to the animals themselves. The reason for the destruction of so many animals was so that we could continue to export our livestock.

Off topic I know - So back on topic....

There is a rather good Irish pub in Pigalle near the Moulin Rouge that serves good Irish (ie British type) food.
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Old Jan 28th, 2006, 03:57 AM
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It's not foot-and-mouth disease that is dangerous to humans; it's BSE, mad cow disease, Creutzfeld Jacob in the human form. They still won't accept my blood here in Belgium, since I lived in London in the 90s, and might have been infected then.
I have no problem with steak, but dubious meat products like frankfurters and cheap burgers are something else. Anything that includes what they call in the meat industry, mechanically recovered meat (ie obtained by scraping bones, and other leftovers) is best avoided.
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Old Jan 28th, 2006, 04:03 AM
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highland lass, whilst I'm no huge fan of kids not eating well, when they have the cahnce, let me put your and her mind at rest on the Bercy thing.

We went over for 10 days last spring for a wedding and spent 2 nights (paid for by the hosts) in the Ibis at Bercy, before going into the centre for the rest of our break.

The area is on the Seine and was where the wine was brought in and sent out. So most of the little shops (and believe me, they're not cheap) are in two/three rows of converted warehouses. You could be in Princes Square, really.

Every 3rd or 4th unit is for food.

There's a creperie which does, it'll shock you to know, crepes but also salads, sandwiches, coffess, croissnats and all that. There's a wine bar, Chai 33 which does bistro type food (you should have seen their faces when faced with the men in kilts half way through our day) You've got the Frog,mentioned above, Hippopotamus, mentioned above; an Italian, Le Saint M which might be a bit French, a cafe, another wine Bar from the Nicholas chain, a rustic place- La Partie de Campagne- which is where we breakfasted; and a tea shop. There are also heaps of stalls.

The metro is on the Park side of the warehouses, and from there you can get everywhere.

I suspect you may find it a bit far out to travel back and forth to, but you really will find no difficulty getting her good plain food. Tho' I've yet to get mince and tatties anywhere.

I did a trip report. Email me if you want it.

And DO hang around. We could use a good Glasgow person.
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Old Jan 28th, 2006, 02:37 PM
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Thank you Sheila

You know I cant believe this thread is still going!!!!!!!

Its gone from the bizarre to the ridiculous and now they're on to Foot and Mouth !! How ???

I would like to read your trip report please. I dont have a problem with staying in Bercy although others seem to have a problem with it. I dont mind being a bit further out first time around as theres no doubt that we'll be going to Paris on a fairly regular basis. I've yet to hear of someone who wouldn't go back.I phoned the cattery today to book my cat in for our holiday ( that'll be the next post subject , watch and see , cruel pet owner ) and the cattery owner goes to Paris twice a year. I am looking forward to it and now I have food advice I have no more worries. I got a very good deal during the school Easter holidays from Glasgow with BA so Roll on April !!
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Old Jan 28th, 2006, 04:16 PM
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Stanza one: We hosted my 18 yo niece in Paris and she eats an extremely limited range of foods of whatever provenance. No meat, few if any veggies or fruit, but likes pizza, pasta, bread, cheese and (thank heavens) chocolate. While it broke my heart to see her miss the chance to try some astoundingly good (in my opinion) foods, we had nary a problem finding something for her anywhere we went.
Stanza two: for all the opiners about indications of substandard parenting, undue peer influence or imminent eating disorders - butt out! It's just such a revoltingly common attitude of presumuptive exclusive righteousness and unbridled moral authority to interfere that is killing our troops in Iraq!
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