NYT: Food Trucks in Paris? U.S. Cuisine Finds Open Minds, and Mouths Taco trucks, burger trucks... I'm tempted to seek out the taco truck when I am in Paris next month!
Sounds interesting- however I will stick to my bistros. The interesting comment I saw was "organic meat (still a rarity in France"- I am not sure about this- in Europe it is quite easy to find "bio" meat almost anywhere- which is organic......
because? I will stick to bistros as well (or cuisine I can't get at home) Burgers & tacos would not appeal to me while in Paris (or anywhere in Europe) as I have easy access to numerous, terrific versions of both where I live.
with their new president and his 75% tax ideas, people must be looking for cash generating businesses
I remember eating at a TexMex restaurant somewhere near Centre George Pompidou maybe twenty years ago. It wasn't bad. On the topic of food trucks... San Francisco now has a permanent food truck lot in SoMa. I'll have to check that out one of these days. http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2012/06/01/soma-streat-food-park-is-open-for-business/
I think because I live on this side of the Pond, I tend to seek out unusual places such as this...I like to compare. Bistros will be in order during my visit as well.
Agreed! Usually when in France we try to avoid the American food and try something that we can't readily get at home, but I will definitely check out these places when I go to Paris in a few months. I'm glad that these folks took the risk and started the food carts. Many French people still think that Americans only eat hot dogs and hamburgers every day and put ketchup on everything. And even if they've never even tasted American food, they're of the opinion that it will taste nasty. Once, my mother and I were visiting some friends in France, and decided to cook dinner for them. So they invited a few friends over, and one of the French couples that was invited was literally afraid to even taste the food, simply because we were American (and they didn't hide that fact either.) They did finally taste and enjoy it, because my mother is an excellent cook, but anyway, that attitude is still very much alive and well in France, even though it's changing with the young generation. I also find it very interesting that the export of American culture (e.g. television shows and movies) has opened up the young French mind re: American food. Quote from the article: “We see it on all the police shows on television,” said Sophie Juteau, who was among the first in line for Le Camion Qui Fume’s dinner shift. “Eating from the ice cream trucks, the hot-dog carts: that is, like, our dream.” Who would have ever thought we'd hear something like that from the French?!
It's such a funny stereotype because I find the food here to be way more diverse than what I find in Paris. Sure, you can find some terrific "ethnic" food, but by and large you are limited to the cafes, bistros and temples of gastronomy, which reflect the cooking of various regions of France. Not a bad thing, by the way. I love Paris, and eating there is a real treat, but I don't go to Paris to get sushi or great Chinese food (or anything from the Americas). Same with Spain or Italy, IME. One of the great advantages of living in a country that is a melting pot (or salad bowl- you pick the metaphor) is that we do get great examples of regional cooking from around the world. It's hard for me to understand what "American" food is sometimes, because it's such an amalgam of influences. Living in CA, we eat a lot of "California cuisine," which I would define as utilizing the freshest ingredients, sourced as locally as possible. It's how I cook here, and how I like to cook when I'm on vacation. I was shocked a few years ago to find out that a lot of the farmers' markets in France sourced their wares from Rungis instead of locally. I will concede that being from NY and living in the L.A. and now the Bay Area for a bunch of years certainly stilts my experience. I have been many places in the U.S. where the best choices are very boilerplate "American" or Americanized versions of Mexican, Chinese, etc. cuisines. Anyway, such is how it is with stereotypes. I was in London at the beginning of the year, and we had fantastic food there. When I came home, one of my friends wrinkled her nose and said something to the effect of "Ew- English food!"
I hear this ALL the time and just roll my eyes...we've never had a problem finding good food in London!
Sorry, this one that you mentioned: "Many French people still think that Americans only eat hot dogs and hamburgers every day and put ketchup on everything. And even if they've never even tasted American food, they're of the opinion that it will taste nasty." (I guess that's 2.)
