One thing you should know about studying abroad is that in the beginning, you mostly don’t eat à la carte (off the menu), meaning trips to local restaurants are often about finding the cheapest coffee on the menu. As a student abroad, you won't typically go to restaurants and ask for the fanciest and most expensive plate; you don't usually have the money for that. I found that instead of this, I wanted to get a sense of the Parisian life, look at the people, and start adapting to the new society I just entered.
Thankfully, when you are young and abroad, you sometimes stretch your budget and have a big appetite, which is why I can now write a few things about the food I have tried in France.
I have tried pain au chocolat ('chocolate bread' or chocolate croissant), crepe, baguette, Carrefour sandwiches (which you will learn to love if you come to study in Paris one day), cheese, mussels, Merveilleux (a dessert made of meringue), pizza, and French coffee.
Sandwiches from the French grocery store Carrefour are a must-experience during those first days of orientation. While you are making new friends, trying to comprehend the metro lines and just getting used to a new language and way of life, you typically don't have much time for cooking or shopping off a proper adult grocery list.
