There’s a huge difference with french cuisine available abroad and French cuisine at home (in the country itself). I found that abroad, it’s always a luxury thing, seems just naming your restaurant something French justifies adding 50% to the bill regardless of the food actually being made there.
French cuisine is great not because of the top tier of it, but because of the extremely high standard even at the lowest rungs of the ladder (in the country itself). You can eat at a truck stop and get a three course meal for 10 bucks and it’ll be delightful (talking about the few actual truck stop restaurants left, not the corporate highway shit which does exist too). It’s also about home cooking and the way normal families cook. Also it’s about the culture around food, sitting together for long meals and sharing a good time.
As I grew up in France, I assumed that our reputation for good food abroad was probably just good marketing by our food industry, but grossly exaggerated.
After having traveled a bit though, I now realize that not a lot of cultures takes food and cooking as seriously as we do. There is really a cultural thing here.
There’s a huge difference with french cuisine available abroad and French cuisine at home (in the country itself). I found that abroad, it’s always a luxury thing, seems just naming your restaurant something French justifies adding 50% to the bill regardless of the food actually being made there.
French cuisine is great not because of the top tier of it, but because of the extremely high standard even at the lowest rungs of the ladder (in the country itself). You can eat at a truck stop and get a three course meal for 10 bucks and it’ll be delightful (talking about the few actual truck stop restaurants left, not the corporate highway shit which does exist too). It’s also about home cooking and the way normal families cook. Also it’s about the culture around food, sitting together for long meals and sharing a good time.
I’m sure it’s lovely, just softly disagreed with calling it the pinacle of food, when it’s just personal opinion
And also because I wanted to get in a few jabs at french “fine dining” hehehe. Though, my dislike of overly expensive food is also just my opinion
Perhaps I’ll get a chance to experience down to earth French cooking overseas, but not here
I appreciate the response though, it was a good read :)
As I grew up in France, I assumed that our reputation for good food abroad was probably just good marketing by our food industry, but grossly exaggerated.
After having traveled a bit though, I now realize that not a lot of cultures takes food and cooking as seriously as we do. There is really a cultural thing here.
I mean, I’m sure it’s nice in general. But because of economics it’s not desirable here (for dining out)