Parisian Markets
Written by Emily Shearer on July 23, 2009 – 8:05 am -Recently, the European Union relaxed restrictions on ugly fruit. No, not the produce called ugli fruit. I mean, 
the really unsightly stuff. Cucumbers and zucchinis that look like green you-know-whats. Eggplants that look like even bigger, swollen, purple, you-know-whats. Up until last month, there was a ban in Britain on crooked neck squash that was too crooked. The Brussels sprouts in Brussels had to sprout up just right, or they would be tossed in the rubbish bin. But not anymore. Unsightly apricots can reclaim their place in the sun. (If you ask me, apricots can go the way of the dodo, but save the pulpy plums, the measly mushrooms, and the lopsided leeks.) For more information, read here.
But why bother? In France, all the produce is gorgeous anyway, exactly because it’s French. I love to cook, but I’d rather spend my day giving blood than going grocery shopping. But groceries are just more appealing when they’re labeled in the language of love.
In Paris, we headed out with our grocery list and our eco-green, reusable shopping bags to Bon Marche, the epitome of the Parisian department store, looking all over for the butcher shop. Turns out we were in the other Bon Marche, the three story, city-block-sized mecca of haute couture and 300 euro handkerchiefs and bottles of toilet water. When we asked for directions to the deli counter, we were literally escorted across the street by the security guard in his cute little kepi. First time I’ve ever been escorted out of anywhere. At least he complimented me on my French.
When we set foot inside the building next door, I was in paradise. Forget chic cosmetics and fancy French fashions. Give me a spice rack full of exotic and aromatic herbs any day. You don’t have to be a gourmet or a gourmand to appreciate that every crumb of bread, grain of salt, and mustard seed was of qualite superieur. And I defy you to find gingered roses from Morocco at your local Kroger or SuperTarget. Nothing ugly here, EU restrictions or not. And just look at these oeufs. . .
You don’t have to shop indoors to find the best, most beautiful fruits and vegetables. In fact, even chefs of the city’s most famous restaurants are up early shopping the street markets, perusing each stall for what is most succulent and savory for that day’s plat du jour. Each neighborhood has its own market, rotating out on different days, sometimes selling flowers, meats, even birds– for pets, not for dinner.
Paris is truly a smorgasbord of cultures, of people, and of flavors. Whether you’re hungry for a handful of bright red cherries
or ready to whip up an entire French feast*; whether you choose to go upscale, “worshipping at the temple of French food” or kneel at its more humble altars, the corner fruit stands and fresh street markets, you will never fall short of finding the best marketshare of foods in the world.
If you are ready to cook up some French classics in your own kitchen, stay tuned to our series all this week. I’ll give you a tried and true menu that you can prepare at home with recipes we adapt from a fabulous restaurant in Montmartre. We’ll even go there and watch kir being served (by some of the hottest waiters in Paris, so you won’t want to miss that!) . Later, we’ll assemble a typical French picnic and even visit an elegant tearoom for some African hot chocolate that will make your mouth water, even if it’s a hundred degrees outside. Bon appetit!
Tags: Bon Marche, cherries, eggs, EU, groceries, market, Paris, produce
Posted in Adventures in Paris, Travel, Uncategorized | No Comments »
