12/13

Last week I went on a simply extraordinary culinary journey to London and Paris. Both of these cities are filled to the brim with intriguing history, gorgeous lights, and cheesy tourist attractions. However, my main goal for this trip was, basically, to eat. I must say, my expectations for the food in London were relatively low. England has been known in the past for horrible food. Yet my expectations were by far surpassed with spicy, flavorful Indian food, magnificent mushroom risotto, and the best fish and chips in the entire world. I was sort of disappointed that I didn't get to try a "pasty," though, an indigenous pocket of pastry filled with meat, cheese, and/or vegetables. I definitely did feel like a true Londoner, though, when I had tea at the hotel Claridge's, where we stayed. The delicious sandwiches and quaint little pastries subsisted as my entire dinner, and the mild tea in the U.S. can't even be compared to theirs. I believe that I ordered their seasonal tea, with citrus, vanilla, almond and chamomile. They gave us boxes of it to take home, though, so I'm quite sure I won't be disappointed after switching back to American tea for quite a while.
Parisian food is...indescribable.The French cheeses alone are so extraordinary that when I had brought a wedge of brie to my hotel room, it had perfumed the entire area with its lovely, strong scent in just two hours. The unique experience of strolling through the cute, old-fashioned marketplace on a Thursday evening just couldn't have been missed. I loved listening to the gobbledygook of the French language, and though I could not understand most of it, I enjoyed every word. One of the things I love about Paris is that they honor their food. The Parisians adhere to my belief that a meal is not just a half-hour of feeding the body, but a pleasure and a privilege that should not be taken lightly. And they certainly did not take their food lightly. The French believe in cream and butter so loyally that I could not take more than a few bites of a meal before being satisfied. And it's a good thing those meals were rich: I don't think I could have afforded more than one or two meals a day!