French cuisine is quite something. It is all over the map, from raw seafood to super thin pancakes covered in nutella. The Rivièra has a really strong Italian presence (being so close to the border and all - like Sudbury to Verner close) and that comes through in alot of the menu options found here in Antibes and the surrounding areas.
As a part of my program we have weekly cooking sessions with Kristin (our program director) who introduces us to a famous French dish and teaches us how to make it and allows us to cook it ourselves. This week was CRÈPES and GALETTES! I could hear MooReece cheering from inside my purse. So after class we made our way over the the CEA office where we spent the afternoon making galettes (buckwheat crèpes filled with anything savory - we had ham, eggs, tomatoes and cheese at our disposal) and crèpes (typical sweet pancake-like treat filled with anything sweet at your disposal - we had bananas, strawberries, nutella and ice cream (or glace en français)). It should be noted that galettes and crèpes are about the only things that aren't automatically served with wine here in France. They are served with Cider which still has some alcohol in it, but very little. Did I mention you can drink ANYWHERE here? Public intoxication is frowned upon and yet you can walk down the street with a beer in your hand? Do I really have to come home?
There WAS a twist to Kristin's treat however. In order for us to get to make and eat our yummy French concoctions, we had to try ESCARGOT! *GASP* Now of course MooReece is laughing and obviously grateful he doesn't actually have to eat. I put up a fight (sort of) but Kristin said NO CRÈPES sans qu'on essaye l'escargot. So I sucked it up Princess and went for it. Then I had 2 or 3 more. THAT'S RIGHT!!! If you don't think about it - they are really quite good. And NOT slimey which is what I was most afraid of.
Today we ventured with Kristin to Nice and were treated to Socca a specialitè niçoise. It's another pancake, this time made with chickpea flour. Quite delicious at first but very oily and heavy. In other words - good at first, not so much after the fact. But definitely worth trying. Must be high in protein right?
One thing is certain, you can't get sick of eating the 'same' thing here in France. There are so many restaurants it's impossible to know where to start. Of course there are many different international cuisines around as well. Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Lebanese, British to name a few... And yet I still can't find a coffee à emporter. Can I get a large black to go ANYWHERE? I should have stopped at McDonalds today when we walked by....hahaha NOT! Maybe I'll kick my habit while I'm here. Unlikely...
À la prochaine...
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