One thing I love doing in Paris is getting up at early and going for a bike ride through our café lined streets as the city is coming to life. The smell of fresh coffee and pastries so alluring; and the terraces inviting you to come in and have a seat to start your day. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and I completely abide by this rule of thumb. There is nothing like whipping up some eggs or enjoying a fruit salad with a side of hot, fresh baguette, of course. But biking along always makes me laugh to myself about the difference between your typical French breakfast in comparison to a bountiful Canadian one.
When I was home last month, I was lucky enough to be invited to my grandpa’s “Boys Only” weekly breakfast club (and I REALLY mean boys only...last time grampa brought my Aunt Jeanette to breakfast, they had to sit at a separate booth! I guess since I was making a special guest appearance from France, they let me join in.)
There is nothing more homely than a good ol’ fry up with eggs, bacon and potatoes, endless mugs of coffee and a big spurt of ketchup...topped off with buttery toast a pancake or two. It’s no wonder why my waistline gained few inches! But here in Paris, you wouldn’t dream of inhaling this amount of calories first thing in the morning. This morning as I was biking about, I cycled passed Le Josephin and had a little chuckle at the hand written sign enticing any passerby to stop in for the “Petit Déjeuner Parisien” (Parisian Style Breakfast) which consists of une boisson chaud, 1 tartine beurre/confiture, croissant & jus d’orange. Light delicate pastries, an espresso and freshly squeezed orange juice are frequently found on menus across the city. So, where’s the bacon at?! The cream for the coffee?! The plates of greasy goodness?! The meals are the undoubtedly then finished off with a couple cigarettes to curb your appetite for the rest of the day. It’s no wonder why French women are considered the slightest in the world. In comparison to the hyper-caloric smorgasbord we would inhale in the Great White North, the French scale it down to a dainty crack of dawn snack. I suppose, in all fairness, it’s the views of the city, from any sidewalk café, that adds the extra flavour to any Parisian’s morning!
There is nothing more homely than a good ol’ fry up with eggs, bacon and potatoes, endless mugs of coffee and a big spurt of ketchup...topped off with buttery toast a pancake or two. It’s no wonder why my waistline gained few inches! But here in Paris, you wouldn’t dream of inhaling this amount of calories first thing in the morning. This morning as I was biking about, I cycled passed Le Josephin and had a little chuckle at the hand written sign enticing any passerby to stop in for the “Petit Déjeuner Parisien” (Parisian Style Breakfast) which consists of une boisson chaud, 1 tartine beurre/confiture, croissant & jus d’orange. Light delicate pastries, an espresso and freshly squeezed orange juice are frequently found on menus across the city. So, where’s the bacon at?! The cream for the coffee?! The plates of greasy goodness?! The meals are the undoubtedly then finished off with a couple cigarettes to curb your appetite for the rest of the day. It’s no wonder why French women are considered the slightest in the world. In comparison to the hyper-caloric smorgasbord we would inhale in the Great White North, the French scale it down to a dainty crack of dawn snack. I suppose, in all fairness, it’s the views of the city, from any sidewalk café, that adds the extra flavour to any Parisian’s morning!