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The Flavors of Paris blog is full of insider tips and recommendations to make your Parisian experience easy and authentic. You will learn where to eat with the locals, where the best shopping and the best restaurants are, and how to find boutiques and food markets for the best food shopping in Paris as well as some musings about French culture.
If you are looking for an authentic, local experience during your trip to Paris,
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Rude Parisians? Here are 2 Magic Phrases to Change Your Perspective
"There is nothing like making a French person feel like a discarded piece of chopped liver by not acknowledging their presence."...
Lisa R
Nov 6, 2024
French Superstitions Around Food: The Do's And Dont's Of Eating In France
"Many French people claim laying a baguette face down means risking a hunger curse to you and all those who eat it." Cafe Pause in the 11th arrondissement. Image Credit: Chris Gold Although eating out in Paris is a must do when visiting the city, it is important to be polite and if you can, remember customs specific to dining in France that make the hosts and those around you feel at ease. “There are a lot of superstitions about food in France because food is so important to
Lisa R
May 25, 2021
The Cheese Making Technique That's Rarely Talked About
What is affinage? "As an American in Paris, I was perplexed by these noteworthy cheeses and the stories behind them." I can only describe my first time seeing the cheese section at a grocery store in France as an out of body experience. Never had I ever seen such a vast selection of cheese, in every size and shape imaginable. There were soft and creamy goat cheese, marbled and veiny blue cheeses, hard and nutty sheep cheeses. As an American in Paris, I was perplexed by these
Lisa R
Feb 15, 2021
How Rotten Grapes Make Fine Wine
If you’ve never heard of the term “pourriture noble” (also known as noble rot) then you wouldn’t be the first. Winemakers have long struggled to combat mold in their vineyards and cellars, but when it comes to this particular rot they welcome it with open arms. Providing that conditions are just right, this special fungus creates grapes known to produce some of the most wonderfully sweet wines in the world. Noble rot, termed botrytis, is the same grey fuzzy mold you can see
Lisa R
Nov 26, 2020
Here's A Taste Of Some Forbidden Foods Found In France
When I was a little kid, I would accompany my mom to the Westin Hotel in Shanghai to have lunch meetings with her German boss. The waitress would put down a lobe of delicately plated foie gras in front of my mom, and my curiosity would drive me to chip away small pieces each time. The foie gras’ gaminess was hard on the palate, but I always found the flavor complex and weirdly addictive. As I was munching down the dish, I would always sketch drawings with my crayons and proud
Lisa R
Mar 4, 2020
The Quintessential Christmas Cake In France
Every pastry shop window you look into at this time of year is a veritable feast for the eyes; overflowing with delectable holiday treats, among them the ubiquitous bûche de Noël. It’s a log-shaped cake and you will see it displayed in the shops in an array of splendid, creative forms. Pretty much every French household ends their traditional Christmas meal with this emblematic dessert, but why on earth is this yummy cake being hidden under the guise of a wooden log? The trad
Lisa R
Dec 23, 2019
She Didn't Lose Her Head Over Cake
LET THEM EAT CAKE! These four little words will be forever be associated with the flippant remark by Marie-Antoinette. Even the famous, “Killer Queen” song perpetuates this myth. “She keeps her Moet et Chandon in her pretty cabinet, Let them eat cake she says, just like Marie-Antoinette." — Song “Killer Queen” by Freddie Mercury and Queen In reality though, she never likely ever even uttered these words. They originally appeared in a story by Jean-Jacques Rousseau where a pri
Lisa R
Oct 16, 2019
Napoleon Would Have Loved A Fast Food Drive Through
Unlike the kings of France that preceded him, Napoleon was not what you would call a “gourmet”. It is well documented that he took very short breaks to eat. Most times his meals were over within 10 to 15 minutes. He would often joke: “If you’re a petit mangeur (if you eat little), come to my place... If you like to eat well and plenty, you should visit Cambacérès” ... Cambacérès was his chancellor and right-hand man. Napoleon gladly delegated to him the duty of entertaining d
Lisa R
Aug 19, 2019
7 More Things Only Tourists Do In French Restaurants
It seems like I’m not alone feeling a little self-conscious at times when dining in French restaurants. I know that even after eight years in Paris I still make some faux pas and yet I stubbornly refuse to let go of some North American dining habits because I just feel more comfortable doing things that way. The first article that I published on this topic, 7 Things Only Tourists Do In French Restaurants, struck such a chord with folks that I decided to do a follow-up post on
Lisa R
May 8, 2019
7 Things Only Tourists Do In French Restaurants
Every culture throughout the world has their own way of dining. I find that when I travel, even if I do stand out like a sore thumb, I still prefer to try to blend in a little and not feel so much like I have neon letters the size of the Hollywood sign blinking over my head that says: TOURIST HERE! There are many customs and expectations that we Anglos have for dining out that are different from what they do in Paris. Here are a few things to avoid doing to help you feel a li
Lisa R
Feb 5, 2019
An Explanation of Civet In Both Its' Senses
These days a civet is mostly known as an Indonesian cat-like animal, properly known as the palm civet. It poops out beans it has ingested. Those beans are made into the most expensive coffee in the world called kopi luwak. As much as I would love to go on about “cat poop” coffee, or “civet cat coffee” as it is also known as, this post is about civet, as a classic, French winter dish. "It’s a bit of a misnomer, calling them “wild” boars if they are raised in captivity, but the
Lisa R
Mar 5, 2012
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