Monday, 30 April 2012 18:30
Written by Madelaine Bullwinkel

COFFEE RITUALS

The most conspicuous ritual in Parisian life is celebrated every time someone orders a café. The French coffee ceremony - the way a cup is ordered (Un cafe s’il vous plait), served and drunk – is probably unchanged since the first coffee house, Le Procope, opened here in 1689.

FRENCH STEAKS

Americans need to pull out a dictionary before ordering steak in France. We discover the French entrecote translates as a rib steak and a faux-filet as a sirloin. Just don’t order it expecting the taste of home. Anthony Bourdain described his first experience with the strong meat flavor and sinewy texture of an onglet (hanger steak) as, “a little scary”. But he was soon hooked.

FOOD IS HAPPINESS IN PARIS

A recent poll found that Parisians are happiest when they are eating. This is not news to pleasure-seeing tourists who frequent the city’s many excellent restaurants. But that’s not how the residents live. I’m always on the lookout for signs of how my neighbors, the Montmartrois, find happiness in day to day dining. In this part of Paris, where small businesses pop up all the time, I don’t need to look very far.

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