| Sunday, 20-Jun-2004 00:00 |
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In Paris, part 2
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Sunday, 9 May 2004:
My second day in Paris. I awoke slightly earlier than yesterday, and set out for the Sunday farmer's market at Place Monge in the Latin Quarter (5th Arrondissement), just a couple of stops away on the Metro. Partly this was curiosity, and partly a question of food supply. There are several of these markets around Paris, according to my Gourmet Guide to Paris book, and if I were to stock my apartment's refrigerator and cupboard, this stuck me as the way to go instead of to the nearest supermarket.e in Paris.
I made a brief shopping list:
milk, 1-2 liters
creme fraiche or yoghurt (bought Fountainbleu cheese dessert instead)
olives, 200 g
peach or tangerine (got the peach)
cheese, goat (bought 2)
butter, 500 g
bread, ~500 g / batard
apple juice, 1 liter
I also picked up a whole roasted chicken, roasted potatoes, a couple of apples, and a few hundred grams of raisins.
When I got back to my apartment, I had a really good lunch as my reward.
Photo 1:
Vending machine inside the Paris Metro. They sell the chocolate-covered biscuit sticks they call "Pocky" here in Japan, redubbed a more Japanese-sounding "Mikado". Proust fans may also note the package of madeleines. I should have bought a package to remember Paris by.
Photo 2:
One of the many stands at the Sunday farmer's market at Place Monge. This stand sold apples (bought one) and apple juice (bought 1 liter).
Photo 3:
Produce on display.
Photo 4:
Cheese/dairy seller. Note the man with his son, examining the cheeses--obviously a regular shopper, since he's brought his own cart for hauling his goodies home.
Photo 5:
Goat cheese on display at one of the cheesemonger stands. Bought one round of goat cheese here.
Photo 6:
More goat cheese (chevre), not even wrapped. I don't suppose you can get any fresher than this, short of making it yourself. Naturally, I bought some, along with some packaged Fountainbleu cheese dessert.
Photo 7:
There's a charcuterie stand behind the woman, selling a wide variety of meats, sausages, and hams. If I'd had more time in Paris or more cooking skill, I'd probably have bought some, but as it were I didn't think I could finish everything I would have bought if I'd succumbed to temptation.
Photo 8:
A fair number of tourists like me were about, snapping photos and admiring the produce on display.
Photo 9:
The stand on the left, though you can't really see it, has a full-blown rotisserie with chickens on a spit. I watched them slide the hot, freshly roasted chickens right off the spit, and the temptation was too strong: I bought one of the whole chicken, along with a side of roasted potatoes.
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