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My last food post was really well received, so as promised, here’s what I’ve been eating lately as of February to March 2011.
BALSAMIC CHICKEN AND FRIES
BF made some Balsamic Chicken.
Quite tasty, a nice tart bite.. DELICIOUS!
His French Fries are also to die for. He makes them better than any chip shop I’ve been to.
He boils them first and then dries them thoroughly and throws them into the deep fryer after. PERFECTION.
TOMATO CHICKEN WINGS
They were really good.
A funny French (from France) quirk I should mention:
French people loathe eating anything with their hands.
They always try to use a fork and knife. Toujours (si possible)!
Don’t believe me? Check out this testament:
The observation of French women eating cupcakes with a spoon […] unleashed many a tale of other foods we (barbaric?) Americans normally eat with our hands given the civilized (or silly?) French treatment.
All of the following fell to the French fork and knife: pizza slices, hamburgers, mini-muffins, fruit, bagel and lox.
[…]
Peanut Butter.
Yes. Apparently her French friend spooned peanut butter onto a plate (and not onto bread), then proceeded to eat it with a fork and knife.
When BF first told me about this quirk, I gave him the side eye and thought he was joking with me just so I could embarrass myself in France by picking up the fork and knife instead of diving in with my fingers.
Then when I went to Paris, I realized it was true and he wasn’t yanking my chain!!!
Take pizza for instance — you’d pick up that slice and go for it right?
Not the French.
They use a fork and knife (which by the way, for some messy pizzas, I am totally in favour of).
Then I asked the unthinkable: But what about chicken wings or ribs? You can’t use a fork and knife with them.
BF: *mock gasp* NEVER! You will never see chicken wings or ribs on a French menu!
Even when we were little, we were NOT allowed to talk about eating chicken with our fingers and hands like barbarians.
Basically if they ever ate ribs or any foods that couldn’t be cut with a knife and fork, they were not allowed to be specific at school if asked, lest they be thought of as uncivilized.
They were instructed to say: I ate chicken., omitting the “wings” part, so their little friends would nod in agreement that they too, liked poulet very much, and assume they ate the breast or even the thighs, where a fork and knife are perfectly useful.
BF: Also, when I first saw people referring to a “Chicken Wing Hut” in American movies as a kid I thought it was a joke.
How could there be a Chicken Wing Hut?
They would go out of business! No one would dare eat with their fingers in public, or even at home. They don’t even sell the wings in French grocery stores.
It was simply fantasy to think there would be a Hut for WINGS but when I first visited USA on vacation, I realized it was real.
People were eating them OPENLY with their fingers and kids were even encouraged to do so in public.
What an amazing country and such a different culture.
It was when I started applying for a Green Card. 😛 😛
As for myself, I can kind of see where the French are coming from.
When I eat chicken wings (unless it is the only thing I am eating), I like to peel ALL of the meat off to ‘prepare’ the feast, then go wash my hands and eat it with a fork.
Why? I hate having sauce on my fingers and I hate having sauce smeared on my face.
Something quite unpleasant.
I do this with every meal if I can help it. I like to cut everything up, I prep it all before hand, and I stay clean while eating it.
But cupcakes with a spoon?
Hamburgers with a fork and knife? No. Merci.
VIETNAMESE BANH MI SANDWICHES
This is a sad looking Viestnamese sandwich, but it was tasty.
I just wish they weren’t so CHEAP with the toppings. Look at how sparse that looks.
This is a Vietnamese sandwich from another shop, but it wasn’t as tasty, unfortunately.
I had to go back to the first one.
But at least they stuffed it full…
OSSO BUCCO WITH A WINE SAUCE
Osso Bucco with a great wine sauce/glaze (you will see the bottle making an appearance as a kitchen tool in the cheese pizza below):
FOURME D’AMBERT PIZZA
Picked up some pizza dough from around the corner.
Half a wheel of cheeeeeeeeeeese!
Broken.
Chopped the mozzarella (you will notice it “spreads” better when it’s melting).
Glass of wine (BF drank the bottle).
Let the dough rise then put it on a floured surface.
Finish drinking that bottle of wine so you can use it as a makeshift rolling pin 😛
Flour the top then roll out the pizza.
Spread on some homemade tomato paste (we use canned tomatoes and add garlic).
Base of mozzarella baked in the oven, then the blue cheese is put in the oven just enough to let it melt, not too overdo it.
DELICIOUS SUCCESS!
(Eaten with our hands, of course. Not with a fork and knife.)
VEGETARIAN PASTA AND TOMATO SAUCE
Covered in Parmesan cheese.
Love this stuff..
VEGETARIAN SAMOSAS
From around the corner. Not the best I’ve had, but passable.
I like the vegetarian ones the best. The meat ones leave a lot to be desired for some reason.
Potatoes work much better in a samosa.
These were far better samosas (from another city):
Look at how amazing they are inside!
NOT-HUMMUS (my own recipe)
Seriously. It’s not hummus with tomato on top of bread. It’s my own derivation based on hummus recipes, which you can find out all about here.
CHINESE HOTDOGS
Hahahahaha. I had such a craving, I had to eat some.
VEGAN & NON-VEGAN SUSHI
NOM. 🙂
FISH & CHIPS
He puts beer in the batter, and it tastes awesome. The fish unfortunately, was not fresh so it tasted kind of soapy and nasty.
*sigh*
Such a shame. It was so nicely done.
SCHWARTZS SMOKED MEAT SANDWICH
Lastly, I tried a smoked meat sandwich at Schwartz’s in Montreal and I wasn’t impressed.
I dunno, maybe I’m just not a smoked meat kind of girl. I found it juicy and very filling but ultimately very one-note.
It was just.. salted beef.
I didn’t taste any spices or flavouring except the mustard.
I wouldn’t say no to the sandwich if we crossed paths again, but it’s not something I’d travel for.
NOMS. 🙂
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If that’s salmon on avocado, my brain just melted. Love the food posts even though I tend to read them just before lunch (awful, awful idea).
Yep that is salmon on avocado. And if you eat before lunch don’t you get super hungry and then LOVE your lunch even more? 🙂
I own a cafe and I do a lot of cooking. I love posts like this. Nice pics. Did you make all this?
Not me, BF! 🙂
Hey, thanks for the shout-out about my French fork and knife post! As you vouched for yourself, it’s true! Very funny cultural quirk. As for the rest of this post, wow, I’m really hungry now! I definitely miss eating with my hands (well, I still do). Though I live in Paris, supposedly the food capital of the world, can’t say I wouldn’t die for some of those ribs right now! 🙂
I’m heading right over there to read your blog! I have to get Van Houten cocoa sent over.
You can buy it in Dutch stores you know!
Oh wait I’m sorry. You mean Van Houten like the brand in Montreal with the old guy and the yellow background *blush* I thought you were talking about a special Dutch brand of cocoa.
You’re welcome! The peanut butter was unbelievable to me.
Paris has some of the best food I’ve ever had. I dream about it sometimes, especially the milk. Cherish it all! And the baguettes too. *sigh*
I think looking at your diet, I’m concerned! Where are the veges except for the avocados (which is one of the most fattening veges (fruit?) around. I mean dont get me wrong, I really pig out on junk, yummy desserts etc but try to keep it healthy with home-cooked meals. I’m commenting this because I have tons of skinny 20-something friends who have cholestrol levels of a 40 year old.
Oh I don’t post the normal meals i eat 🙂
Sorry, I should have mentioned they are “special meals” that I find tasty to post, but to show you what I eat in a week.. gosh. It’s chickpeas, asparagus, eggs, lots of fruit… I don’t post the normal stuff.
Oh my! This post made me drool!!! It’s very unfair to post such nommminess!! LOL
I don’t like to eat stuff like wings or ribs for the sticky hand thing either. I LOVE sushi, want those fries and the cheese baaaadly!
I don’t get the allure of Schwartz’s either. We made sure to stop there (after hearing many accolades about their smoked meat) the last time we were in Montreal and wondered what all the fuss was about. DH had to do surgery on his as he doesn’t like to eat fatty meat and his had quite a bit around the edges. Give me a Montreal bagel anytime and I’m in heaven. 🙂
I tried the bagels too and wasn’t really sold either.. *laugh*
My family tries to get me to bring back smoked meat but I say: Why? It’s not that great.
So interesting hearing about the French not eating with their hands, But what about bread, the French love bread. Surely they don’t knife and fork a baguette.
No, I guess they eat with their hands for that, but it’s sure odd that they eat other things with a knife and fork!
Maybe the bread is like an impromptu fork.
Mmmmmm a perfectly delicious post!! I LOVE the look of those homemade fries and the pizza. I am hungry now and will have to go work over the fridge!
Wow, everything looks great! I will have to look up the recipe for balsamic chicken. Sounds interesting.
When we were in Paris, I think people eat sandwiches with their hands…. I forgot what they were called, but they were made with fresh baguette, ham, cheese, and butter… yummmm.. I love Paris for the 3 times a day freshly baked baguette!
I’m from northern Thailand and we love to eat with our hands. Sticky rice is best eaten with fingers. 🙂
Heheheh have you ever seen a French eat pizza with their hands too? I wish I had paid attention more to it, but BF tells me that it’s really something you don’t do.
Mmmm… all the pictures look so GOOD! I am going to try making the pizza! 🙂 hahah It looks super simple! 🙂
Funny you talked about wings and fork, I never really liked to use my hands to touch my food (yes, I use a fork to eat my fries) so I went to the pub with BF once for wings, and I asked for a fork. The server gave me a funny look and BF said that the wings tastes better if used my hands for the wings. It took me a couple of times before I tried using my hands.. but still, I am not a fan of using my hands, fingers to touch the food I am eating. 😛 He laughs every time I use a napkin to wrap around a sandwich or a slice of pizza I am eating.
I hate touching my food. I don’t like using my fingers to peel off anything, and I need napkins on everything. I hate the feeling of oil and sauce on my fingers! I prep everything before I eat it.
OK, not I’m just really hungry.:)
I have this colleague (born in USA) of German decent. She’s in her mid 40s, and her mom in her 70s. My colleague told me that she eats chinese carry out sometimes and she’d use chopsticks, and her mom thinks it’s weird, and she’d ask her “Why are you eating like that?” I think the Germans don’t like eating with their hands either.. . . USA is cool – it’s the best country, we don’t get judged eating finger foods or even with chopsticks . . . 🙂
*LAUGH*!!!
We don’t get judged for anything which is kind of indicative of how cool a country can be. Or at least how flexible/melting pot-like it is.
I am a barbarian! I like to use my hands and I love wings. The breast part is too dry. Yum food!
Aaaaaand now I’m hungry.
I don’t eat chicken wings in public at all. There’s no way to look attractive doing so. I actually picked my wedding venue based on if the menu had boneless chicken vs. chicken wings. I hate to see a well dressed person gnawing on chicken wings like a savage.
Everything else looks delicious. Will be trying balsamic chicken this week.
OH! Boneless chicken wings. I’d like to try that.. but you’re right, there is NO WAY to look graceful doing so.
Hah! I dated a guy from South Africa once. Took him to one of my favorite places in Austin for ribs and he tried to eat those with a fork and knife. It didn’t work at all!
Are they not into using fingers there too?
sorry, forgot to mention, I use my hands for french fries, chicken wings, tried eating wings with a fork or chopsticks, but it never worked.
I eat with my hand for dry food like fruits, bread/sandwiches, chips -> hm don’t know how to pick up with a fork? easier with chopstick 😉 cookies etc you get the idea. I eat with chopsticks most of the time, I am so good I can even catch a fly like you see in the movies LOL – just kidding, no am not that good yet 🙁 Lately I’ve been lazy, so I don’t even use a spoon, I just drink the soup of the bowl, one less item to wash. I use a fork sometiems
I prefer chopsticks for Asian foods, but sometimes I just want a fork…
Yummy, now I am really hungry.
echo ee, but for this entire post: DROOL.
also do the french ever eat sandwiches? how on earth is it possible to ever eat on the go without using your hands? or do they never do that…? the french seem like busy people. what about snack foods? peanuts? candy? whole fruit (apples, pears come to mind)? i am not a big fan of getting my hands dirty (or eating with my hands if I’ve touched money or been on public transportation, but avoiding it all together seems tres absurd!
Fork and knife, girl. If they can use a fork and knife, THEY WILL. I thought cupcakes would stop them but alas no.
Okay update, I asked BF and he says that French people use their hands to eat sandwiches but in France it’s only baguettes (as the bread) that they use and they put cheese and stuff inside.
I think fruit is acceptable to eat with your mouth but they’d probably prefer to cut it first, then fork it 😛
I have no idea. I’d have to ask for each type of food and make a list 😛
Ain’t nothing like beer batter in the world. DROOL
I love this post!