Then the pie is flipped over and topped with more caramel. The story goes that two sisters, named Tatin, invented it by accident over 100 years ago. It was so good that it is now famous all over France!
Paris is also home to people from all over the world, and their food is everywhere! I ate a bò bún, a Vietnamese bowl of cold rice noodles, herbs, lettuce and beef, topped with crunchy spring rolls. Many Vietnamese families moved to France a long time ago because the two countries have a long history together. I also had a falafel wrap. Falafel are fried balls made from chickpeas, and they come from the Middle East. Many people from North Africa and the Middle East live in France, so there are many falafel and kebab shops scattered around the city.
I was so happy! I already knew many of these dishes, and I've had them in the U.S. before, but they taste better here. The ingredients are fresher, and the cooking is done with so much care. Stewing meat for hours or flipping a pie at just the right moment takes a lot of patience. The best part is that I can eat this food more often because it doesn’t cost as much as it does back home.
Steak tartare is a special treat for me. A whole plate of raw beef is a lot for one person, so I don’t order it very often, but whenever I find someone to share it with, I order it right away!
French food can also be very rich and heavy, with lots of butter, cream and meat. That’s why I am happy to have lighter, fresher food nearby, like Vietnamese noodle bowls. It reminds me that France, just like many places back in the U.S., is a mix of many cultures.
