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Post by luckyluc on Oct 5, 2007 10:54:27 GMT -5
Buzet, I think all posters will agree with you that "there's a lot more to France than Paris" but we will also argue that there is NOTHING in the world like Paris! We do have other thread for different locations under the title "Other destinations in France"
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Oct 5, 2007 11:00:01 GMT -5
No, Buzet, you're right - and you will discover that a lot of us love other parts of France as well. Check out the "other destinations" section, among others - personally, I am most fond of the Dordogne and southwest area. Paris is a large (and totally unique) international city, to be treasured for itself, but I don't think of it as "the real France" at all, notwithstanding that the substantial majority of its inhabitants are French. The reason I posted the original question, in fact, is that we have a small house in a village in the southwest of France, and I am trying to get a handle on some cooking issues by trying to equate US foods/terms to what I can find in a little town in a relatively rural part of France. And since I have the advantage through this forum of asking questions of people who are French and/or live full time in France, it's a great help. BTW, I enjoyed Scotland in general and Edinburgh in particular. And no, I don't think you're "English" (although we do have "real" English members who post regularly).
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buzet
New Member
Posts: 30
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Post by buzet on Oct 5, 2007 14:16:54 GMT -5
Hello Becky,
I've got a lot to say............ I've now got 2 Karmas - do I need to thank anyone and how do I know where they came from??
I think I need to move to the "other destinations" section as I know very little about Paris (I haven't been there since I was in my teens).
I'm wondering about your original question - why are you trying to equate French cuisine with CA cuisine - they are so vastly different and each should be appreciated in their own right.
I've a lot to learn here - i.e. most people have gold stars but luckyluc has blue stars - is this that he is a moderator and therefore "up there"?
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Oct 5, 2007 14:25:20 GMT -5
Luckyluc is indeed an "elevated being" on the forum, and a moderator/administrator! (Of course, he would be an elevated being anywhere, I'm sure, LOL!)
You rarely will know why you get "exalt" points so just enjoy that someone enjoyed something you said!
I don't try to duplicate CA cuisine in France, it's just a question of trying to figure out what ingredients, etc., are similar and/or have similar properties. (Among other things, there are some dietary restrictions to cope with, so it helps to know that type of thing - and the original question about cream cheese was because a salon de the in a nearby village has carrot cake but the frosting is not cream cheese based and tastes nothing like here - which got me wondering whether such a thing even exists there!)
Welcome again, and enjoy the forum!
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buzet
New Member
Posts: 30
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Post by buzet on Oct 5, 2007 18:06:16 GMT -5
Hi again,
Before I "leave" I'd just like to say that in the UK and probably in the US we have dietary needs (not the right word here but you know what I mean).
Whereas, here in France, the French eat anything fattening and it's not a problem for them - I think the answer is that they eat what they want and not mountains of it. My view of the American diet is that they want HUGE portions of everything which is of very poor nutritional value, so you get a huge portion of chips or something fried, perhaps with a small salad. Surely you've only got to look at a typical American to see the diet is OTT.
We're always trying to find "slimming" alternatives to eating with cream, or cheese etc. but I think there's a lesson to be learned here, in France where excess is just frowned upon.
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Oct 5, 2007 23:17:11 GMT -5
Buzet - I agree with your observations about how the French eat (and how many Americans eat, for that matter) but by "dietary restrictions" I meant medically imposed for various reasons (e.g., allergies, sensitivies, etc.) not more or less voluntary as in, I'd like to weigh a bit less (I would, but that's a different issue entirely, LOL!)
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Post by phread on Oct 10, 2007 15:45:10 GMT -5
For Cream Cheese replacement in France, I use a cheese called "St Moritz", especially for carrot cake icing. However, when friends come into town with bagels from Montreal, I splurge and buy the real stuff, "Philadelphia" which is available in my local grocery store, but at OUTRAGEOUS prices. I once calculated that to make my favorite US Cheesecake recipe, I'd have to fork out 45Euros. For that I can go to Pierre Hermes!!!!
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Post by annettecinca on Oct 10, 2007 23:43:50 GMT -5
Whoa--45€ for a couple pounds of cream cheese?! Maybe I'll celebrate my good fortune of cheap cream cheese by making a cheesecake this weekend!
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toutou
Junior Member
Posts: 81
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Post by toutou on Oct 11, 2007 0:14:50 GMT -5
Phread - Don't you have a Lidl near you? They sell a product exactly like Philly cream cheese. It is called Cream Goldessa. It comes in full fat, light, sundried tomato and garlic flavors. It sells for somewhere in the vicinity of 1.20 and it is exactly the same.
At least the American product is available where you are for days when you feel rich.
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Post by Becky (Berkeleytravelers) on Oct 11, 2007 8:51:32 GMT -5
Phread, LOL - for that price, you could skip Pierre Hermes and buy an Hermes scarf!
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Post by phread on Oct 20, 2007 11:51:47 GMT -5
toutou - I'll look for a local Lidl. Becky - no hope for me. I've got whinny houseguests this month (yup, an entire month) and they pretty much demand a daily PH run. I'm becoming quite close with Veronique the cashier. Just to avoid libel, the house guests are actually really lovely people whom I adore with all my heart. PH for dessert again tonight!?! Ok, twist my arm. Tonight we will be sharing the vanilla tart, Ispahan, Pleinitude and Desiré. Breakfast was a Kouing Aman, Bostock and Croiss aux amandes. Did I mention my tummy ache?
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Post by Shoesy on Oct 20, 2007 12:42:12 GMT -5
Phread - You sound like a very nice hostess, aiming to please your guests 24 hours a day.
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