A Study of Food, Foreign Language, and Ego

Despite Paris’s world-renowned beauty, countless excellent shopping spots, and the chance to really practice my French, there is one reason in particular that I have been looking forward to my second trip to Paris essentially since the end of the last one. It’s called Pain, Vin, Fromage and it is one of the best restaurants I have ever eaten at and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys bread, wine, or cheese! It is a tiny place down a street barely wide enough for one car, and it is owned and operated by a few gentlemen who do all the cooking and serving. They have two seatings per night and if your table isn’t ready you have to wait outside because there simply isn’t standing room inside. We’ve never tried anything off the menu besides the fondue and the raclette but they number among the best I’ve ever had (and I’ve had fondue in many countries). After a few months of British “vegetarian” food (namely boiled veggies) this was a welcome change of pace.

            After getting off to such a good start, the trip continued to improve. The weather was beautiful and we had time to really just wander around since we had done most of the touristy things back in December. We did a river cruise to see the city from a different 

angle and went to see the Eiffel Tower at night when it was all lit up (definitely a sight worth seeing, even if you have to brave the cold). We spent an afternoon in the Orangerie, admiring Monet’s giant “Water Lillies” and of course, popped into Louis Vuitton to scope out the latest high fashion handbags (and maybe purchase a wallet or two). I also had many chances to work on my French; from ordering a mid-afternoon snack in a café to conversing with a friendly taxi driver who wanted my opinion on a gift for his girlfriend.

            One of the best things to do in Paris if you have the opportunity is take a cooking class. Where better to learn how to cook than in a country that views food not as a necessity, but as a medium with which to create art? The place where I have now taken two cooking classes is called Cookn With Class and the classes are all in English and taught by really friendly and knowledgeable instructors. We tried to take a Vegetarian Market Class this time around, but there was a little mix up about the meeting lace and we didn’t end up finding our instructor, so we were rescheduled for a regular evening Market class. It was a great experience! A young Californian woman named Bernadette who has been living in France for four years and works in two restaurants when she isn’t teaching instructed us. The basic setup of the class, is a trip to the local market to pick out all of the ingredients fresh for the meal, followed by an intensive 3-4 hour cooking lesson in which you learn and prepare the entire three-course meal, chatting with the other participants and sipping red wine throughout. Even if cooking seems a daunting task to you, this class is really enjoyable and you will learn some recipes to impress all who visit you for dinner (I learned how to make chocolate lava cake really fancy like they do in nice restaurants)!

On our last day in Paris, we decided to do a little exploring and ventured outside of the city to Versailles. It was about a 40-minute train ride, and definitely worth it to see the beautiful palace and gardens built there by Louis XIV. The whole castle simply oozed extravagance, from the rich dark woods to the red velvet curtains to the gold filigree ornamenting every room.  Furthermore, there was an exhibit on display in the palace displaying thrones from all over the world, from the squat wooden stools of tribal communities to the extravagant red and gold thrones of the European monarchs. As we walked from room to room, we were constantly bombarded with Louis XIV’s monsterous ego, whether it was a bust greeting passersby or a massive painting of Louis in dress that coordinates with the room’s theme.  Definitely an interesting way to finish up our time in Paris.