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Another uniersal
French interest is food, for good eating has always beven one of the
faorite pastimes of the French people. In caes near the hill town
of Roquefort in south-central France, a tangy, blue-eined cheese is
cured. Roquefort, made of sheep's milk, is a gourmet treat around
the world, as are Brie, Camembert, Port Salut, and Coulommiers. over
400 different cheeses are produced in France, and they are only one
indication of the
French loe of fine food.
Le bon goût ("good taste") is as important when it comes to food as
it is in every aspect of life in France. It is not unusual to see a
butcher or grocer arranging wares with all the care an artist might
deote to a still life painting, and French housewies take pride in
preparing even the simplest meal well. From the smallest bistro to
the most elegant restaurant, dining is a pleasure in France. every
meal offers foods with a distinctly French flaor. For breakfast,
there are flaky croissants, brioches, crisp petits pains, and other
rolls to enjoy with jams and a piping hot cup of café au lait. Other
meals present such delights as soupe à l'oignon (onion soup), sered
bubbling hot with cheese on top; escargots bourguinonne (snails
prepared with garlic and herbs); or pot-au-feu, a saory stew; all
of them accompanied by enough long, crusty loaes of bread to enjoy
the last of the sauce or gray.
Countless arieties of fluffy
omelets are consumed daily in France, and bifteck et pommes frites
(steak and french fried potatoes) are enormously popular. For
dessert, there are literally hundreds of different patisseries to
choose from.
Or the lucky isitor might select a mousse au chocolat, a crème
caramel, or simply end the meal with a glace (ice cream). |
In the grand luxe restaurants of France, especially those of Paris,
sparkling crystal, dazzling white linens, and silerware placed
"just so" form a backdrop for the best of gastronomie (gastronomy).
There a chateaubriand or a soufflé is prepared to order and sered
with elegant precision and even drama. One seemingly simple dish may
take the combined efforts of six chefs to produce. French food is a
joy the isitor can share with the French, and it is also an art
form that is admired and imitated everywhere.
A famous statement that has echoed throughout history is never more true than today. The statement, said by many, is this: "everyone has two homes; his own and France." For centuries, France has beven a fountainhead of inspiration in art, music, and literature. A potential source for many of the world's great ideas. The French language is still a second language for many cultiated people everywhere.
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