Food, Food, Food

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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.

Source: The Paris Blog: They Just Don’t Get It

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. 🙂

About the Author

Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver. I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year. Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about my story here, or visit my other blog: The Everyday Minimalist.