After being in Grenoble for two months, I do have to admit that some French stereotypes really do hold true. My favorite is seeing French people walk down the street holding a baguette in hand for their dinner. According to fellow study abroad student Catherine Wood, “I have literally seen a French person on the tram holding seven baguettes!”
While thoroughly entertaining, I have honestly started doing the same thing myself, buying my daily baguette for dining and then walking back home to my host family. In fact, before writing this column I walked home with two baguettes still warm from the oven.
Why have I adapted this typical French behavior? Because quite simply, French bread is to die for. The baguettes are made fresh at the boulangeries every day, and when you bite into them, the crust is crisp but the inside soft and fluffy like heaven. Also, for about 1.50 euros for a long baguette, I have so much money I can spend on other French foods, such as a brioche, chocolate mousse or crème brûlée ice cream. But most importantly, I can afford to buy a delicious cheese to accompany my bread.
It would be an understatement to say that the stereotype that the French love cheese is true, purely because they take pride in all of their different varieties. According to my host father, Pierre, there are so many different types of French cheeses that you could eat a different type of cheese every night for a year without repeating. While I know that trying a new type of cheese everyday is unrealistic, I do hope to try as many new cheeses as possible while I have the luxury of being here in Grenoble. Considering that many of the best cheeses, which are widely available and affordable here, are expensive and hard to find United States, I need to take advantage of the local cheese vendor at the market close to my house.
For example, a small wheel of Brie cheese that is about 8 ounces costs about 1.7 euros (about $1.90) at my local grocery store, while according to Walmart’s website, an 8-ounce wheel costs $4.48. Unfortunately for the American public, brie is one of only a few French cheeses that can be found across the Atlantic in Star Market. But regardless, while I am here I can choose from so many options, whether it be Coulommiers (a soft, white cheese made from cow’s’ milk), Roquefort (a blue cheese made from sheep’s milk) or Fromage aux noix (a nut adorned cheese). I hope the cheese vendor is prepared for all the cheese I am going to buy over the course of this semester.
Even more appealing is the fact that these low food prices extend universally here in Grenoble. Everyday for lunch I have a chicken lettuce, and tomato sandwich on about a foot-long fresh baguette as well as a cup of applesauce and a cup of yogurt. What is the cost of this delicious, nutritious and filling meal? Only 3.20 euros, or about $3.50. Compare that to the cost of a healthy meal at the GSU.
Of course, stereotypes are not the best representation of a culture. While I find the French stereotype around bread to be true, there are specific cultural nuances that I found here in the Rhône-Alpes region of France. For example, a type of restaurant called a Bouchon is very popular in the nearby city of Lyon, which, according The Guardian, is the food capital of the world. A boucheron represents Lyonnaise cuisine, which is meat-heavy with food options such as tripe, or cow stomach lining, steak tartare and andouillette, or pork sausage usually made with intestines. While most Americans would not be enticed to try these dishes, they are widely popular here in France and I would implore everyone to at least give it a try. I have to admit, steak tartare is not as bad as it sounds, especially when it is served with au gratin potatoes on the side.
With two months left in this study abroad adventure, I hope to try some more French cuisine, such as frog legs. I will need to relish all of the local dishes I love, such as Brioche St.-Génix, knowing that when I get back to Boston in December I will not be able to grab a warm and delicious demi-baguette for less than a dollar. I may not reach 365 cheeses this semester, but I know I will try as many as possible.
