Tuesday, September 21, 2010

French food meditations

It's hard to dispute the French when it comes to food :)...
"Tell me what you eat: I will tell you what you are."

"The discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of mankind than the discovery of a star."

"Dessert without cheese is like a pretty woman with only one eye."
(Isn't this so French, somehow?)

From this French classic (1825 and still going strong!)...

(Images via Pingu1963, The National Cafe, ChinDeep and notes from the usa.)

41 comments:

Rowena said...

Ooooooh! The mouse cheese knives! I want!!!!! Will you be heading out to France or something? We were just talking about that over the weekend, but there are still so many places that I want to re--visit in Italy before crossing any border. Sigh...

K and S said...

me wanna go to France too!

RD said...

Great post! What I learned from France is that good food is worth the effort. What I learned from Italy is to make good, simple food part of everyday life.... The cheese platter made me think of... cheese.. and how before I used to eat only French and Italian cheese, but the time in London introduced me to some very good British cheeses. And now I'm discovering that the US makes really nice cheeses as well, especially in New England... xo bb

Nicki said...

yum, yum, yum! I so want to go to French and enjoy all the little cafes and boutiques!

jeanette from everton terrace said...

Tell me what you eat quote is so very true. I found it hard to eat in France, being a gluten-free vegetarian is not easy there. Thank goodness they have great cheese. I think my daughter would love this book.

Jude said...

Rowena - hahaha, nothing like perfect mouse cheese knives :) I'd love a return trip to France, but totally with you in that there's too many places to visit within England first (plus you know just 1 Hawaii trip will do you in for a long while!)
Kat - I think this should be a group thing! :)
BB - so true! France is all about great results from great effort, Italy is all about how something so simple can be so good :) Totally agree about the Brit/US cheeses - a pleasant surprise!
Nicole - I love their little boutiques and cafes! Romantic *and* delicious :)
Jeanette- oh gosh, I can see how difficult (impossible!?) that must've been! Just another reason to love cheese :)

Jeannie said...

I love France too, can't get enough of it...hope to visit again some day! such lovely photos!

Melissa Blake said...

YESS!!! Cheese is one of my favorites!!

Justine said...

this all looks so lovely, even the humble croissant just tastes so delicious in france. I love that cheeseboard and the knives!

Connie @ SogniESorrisi said...

That cheese quote is very true!

Annie said...

fun post! I'm reading French Women Don't get Fat right now (I know - I'm about 4 years behind lol), but I'm enjoying it so much - I love the way the French eat and view food!

THE ALTERNATIVE WIFE said...

I've been doing so much reading lately about the French and their relationship with food. It's so aspirational. I'll have to check out this book :)

Have a wonderful day, sweetie! xoxo

Ren- Lady Of The Arts said...

We have French friends that we dinner with often- I still like my cheese BEFORE dinner- not changing.

Lisa Gordon said...

Great post Jude. Now I am very hungry, so I'll take the cheese and that lovely little cake. That should do it for me until your next delicious post!!

Isabel said...

im super hungry now! lol

Krysten @ Why Girls Are Weird said...

Totally making me want to take a trip to France!

Amber said...

French food always seems a little daunting to me to actually cook but I need to get over that and give it a try...it looks yummy

Rosie Grey said...

Good think I just ate! Had cheese to but not on such a nice board and of course the knife was far from those in the picture! Could do with some dessert now... ;-)
Wonderful post, Jude!

Joyti said...

Everything looks delicious. Have you ever had Brillat-Savarin the cheese? It looks like a very pale brie.
I really like Brillat-Savarin's quotes, but havent read the book...

Unknown said...

oh i agree!!

Anonymous said...

I totally agree ! Only came back from hols (Spain/France) but already wanting to go back there again... you cruel ;) xx

Diana Mieczan said...

French have the most amazing relationship with food...and I love your post! Hugs and kisses,sweetie pie

Jude said...

Jeannie - thanks so much! I can't wait for a return visit myself :)
Melissa - likewise! (100 times :))
Justine - what is it about French food? Maybe it's all in the butter :) I do love cheese laid out in cute platters too.
Connie - haha, I guess it's hard to dispute the French *and* the Italians :)
Annie - so true, it's almost like French women *won't* get fat! :)
Dawn - I love that, it really is aspirational! :) Hope your day went well too!
Ren - hahahahaaa, well, I can't say I blame you, I was also non-Frenchified in my cheese-eating habits :)
Lisa - heehee, hm, now I'm making myself hungry just reading your comment!
Isabel - lol, time for some cheese!
Krysten - yeah, the dangers of writing a French food-related post is it gives you such France lust :)
Amber - I get daunted too, it's so different than Italian or other cooking - worth the effort ;)
Rosie - haha, my cheese boards normally never look fancy - I'm happy to dive into the cheese pkg itself! (Too hungry to stop :))
Indie.Tea - ooh, thanks for the heads-up! I've only seen and would love to try the Brillat-Savarin cheese (so appropriate he's got a cheese!)
If Jane - I hear you! ;)
PPP - lol! Hope your hols were lovely! I can't think of a better place to spend time off than France/Spain (except maybe Italy next door :))
Diana - thanks so much! That's so true & I love that...nothing comes close to the French-food relationship! :)

Tiffany Kadani said...

GORGEOUS photos! Oh man, I just realized I'm not following you. How could this be???

Stacey said...

I will get that book for my hubby. He's really an avid cook and he had to learn French for his job, so i know he'll appreciate it. He also loves French cuisine. I am so yearning for a visit to France, anywhere in France will do-just get me there again!:-). Beautiful post my friend! xx

Style, She Wrote said...

Love this post. Makes me crave brie, baguettes, and escargot!

abigail said...

"Dessert without cheese is like a pretty woman with only one eye."

might be the best quote EVER!

Collette Osuna said...

Thanks for your sweet comment today....because of you....Im totally getting addicted to food, lol...these are GREAT pics!!

Have a Fantastic Day!!!
Statements in Fashion Blog

Vinda Sonata said...

your blog is always interesting!
thank you for sharing those images, jude. very inspiring!!

stylenuggets said...

So French really, all those quotes. They are really serious about food!

Anonymous said...

Since I'm living in France right now I jumped to attention upon reading the title of this post! ;)
Very true and very awesome!

Anonymous said...

A one eyed girl is never good. :)

These are awesome qoutes. The French cuisine is wonderful.

Anonymous said...

Yup, I love cheese but nothing toooo smelly. I did have a salad the other day with stilton, walnuts and bacon - it was so good, I keep on meaning to make it at home...

Jude said...

Tiffany - thanks so much! (Hm, I guess I don't even have my follower button up! I think I've a phobia of that Google follow button b/c I've had soo much trouble with it - even when I try to follow others! I just use feedburners or bloglovin' :))
Stacey - so sweet that your husband cooks and had to learn French - I'm right there re: France - I wouldn't mind being transported there right now!
Style, She Wrote - MmmmMmmm, brie, baguettes and escargot, Mmmmm...
Abigail - hahaha, I love those crazy French :)
Collette - lol! It's so fun for me to think about food (maybe I think about it too much!) :)
Vinda Sonata - aw, thanks so much!
MM - soo true, they are intense about their food!
Sohdalex - it's even more awesome you're there now! I've loved your gorgeous posts!
Ashley - hahaha, that just made me guffaw out loud :)
Cafe Bellini - ooh, your salad sounds De-lish! I might have to try it this weekend :) Hope you've settled with move!

Oh, My Darling said...

Oh my, major yum!!! The cheese is especially enticing.

Annette said...

What insightful quotes. I love the one about the happiness. This book is going one my list to check out.

Jude said...

Melissa - I heart cheese specially, too! :)
Annette - aw, thank you! I love that one as well :)

Julia, the Thanksgiving Girl said...

What beautiful photos!! And those little mouse-shaped cheese cutters are too cute

thingsIlove said...

Amazing! :) so french!

Signe said...

So true! And the Italians are just the same, we sure had some nice meals while we were there :)

Barbara von Enger said...

Now you know why I call France home. The caribbean pantry is very varied and balanced, too.

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