Culture

As I was making my gnocchi and mashed potatoes, I was think about how different cultures are. Here I am, cooking two foods made out of the same ingredient (potatoes) yet are both very country specific. While my potatoes were boiling, Francoise asked me what they are. If you saw someone boiling potatoes in the US, you would probably assume the person is making mashed potatoes. But I am not sure if Francoise had even seen mashed potatoes before. And last night after I finished making my gnocchi with pesto, tomatoes, and goat cheese (which I found I strangley love even though I am not a cheese person!), I told my mom about it and she asked, "What is gnocchi?" You would think coming from the Potato State, we would have a grocery store shelf dedicated to the stuff. Yet I had to come to France to eat this dumpling-like pasta that is made from the ingredient our state is known for. I have learned that while France and the US have many similar ingredients, their purpose varies widely.

 On the note of ingredients, that has been one difficult thing about here. Their grocery stores are much more limited in variety. On the other hand, France tend to care more about fresh ingredients. There are many fruit/vegetable only stores, markets on any day of the week, and I have yet to find a frozen chicken breast. There are also boulangeries filled with delicious chocolate filled croissants, fresh baguettes, eclairs, torts, etc, watever your heart desires, on every single block. Yet it is the US that is fat. You just don't find fat French people. I am pretty sure they don't exist. Part of this is due to the lack of fast food restaurants. Sure, they have McDonalds and a few other places, but you can drive for more than two minutes through a city and not see a fast food place. I also think they are better at limiting their portions, and they truly love their food. They do not starve themselves, and excercising is not something that is in their everyday routine. But they don't really need to, because they walk everywhere rather than getting in their car to drive two blocks to get more food. It is rare to find them sitting around watching tv (which they don't do because apparently French tv flat out sucks).

Another thing that is strange is how much the French smoke. Every break at school, all the French students conjugate outside. It is not because they think it is warm. It is because they need to smoke. As soon as you open the door, a cloud of smoke rolls in.

Well that is all for now, I am going to go outside to the beach to enjoy the amazing weather that we are having today that is supposed to reach 67. Then I am off to London tonight!!!!