Paris; a food diary

I spent the first week of June in Paris, France on business.

The French have a few things I admire.

1. A direct way of communicating. Some call it rude, I call it effective.
2. Bakeries. The smell of warm butter wraps around you like a fuzzy blanket upon entering these magical sweet spaces. A welcome change from the stink of smoke, piss and diesel on the streets. The boulangeries are packed with stacks of pain au chocolat and croissant, trays of flan, meringues the size of cantaloupes, piles of baguette sandwiches, cakes, tarts, mousse, pies and biscuits.
3. Wine.
4. An excellent transit system. The Paris Metro is very well thought out with plenty of arrows, signs and logically planned routes. As a directionally challenged person, I can't say enough good things about how easy it was for me to get around the city.
5. Mustard. So many flavours, so little time.
6. Meals. The French take their eating seriously. Quality is king.

In addition to seeing Bastille, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysée and the Eiffel Tower, below is a list of what I ate:

DAY 1
AirFrance in flight meal:
Glass of Heidsieck Monopole Blue Top champagne
Chicken fricasse with egg and cream supreme sauce, wild rice medley, carrot and yellow zucchini julienne
Cheese
Baguette
Fruit compote
Cranberry-orange cake
Glass of Vins de Pay d'Oc Vermentina 2009 Coleurs du Sud

DAY 1 (cont'd)
BREAKFAST:
Pain au chocolat
Cafe creme
(NOTE: this is the modern way to say 'cafe au lait' as the energetic waiter told me I was in the wrong century when I ordered a cafe au lait)
LUNCH:
Baguette with tomato, goat cheese, proscuitto, lettuce and mayonnaise
DINNER:
Can of Heiniken from the minibar
Filet of salmon with a cream pepper sauce, green beans
Glass of Cote du Rhone

DAY 2
BREAKFAST:
Red berry fruit blend smoothie
Croissant
Cafe creme and a small pain au chocolat
Apple juice
LUNCH:
Traditional "Train Bleu" lobster bisque
Sauteed lamb with pistachio and almond sauce served with dried apricot polenta
Fresh fruit with raspberry sorbet
Glass of Vin du Pays d'Oc Viognier
Glass of Cotes de Castillon Chateau Moulin de Bouty
SNACK:
Bottle of Orangina
DINNER:
Can of Heiniken from the minibar
Avocado shrimp cocktail
Marinated mussels and frites
Glass of Beaujoulais

DAY 3
BREAKFAST:
Vanilla maple yogurt drink
Mango passionfruit fruit blend smoothie
LUNCH:
"Amuse bouche" - a small glass of chopped cucumber, tomato and corn with oregano and chiles
Salade Parisienne
Glass of white wine
DINNER:
Can of Kronenberg from a corner store
Martini Rosso
Goat cheese pizza with fresh tomotoes, tomato sauce, mozzarella, oregano, arugula
Glass of red wine
Chocolat mousse

DAY 4
BREAKFAST:
Pain au chocolat
Cafe creme
LUNCH:
Kiwi pineapple fruit blend smoothie
DINNER:
AirFrance in flight meal:
Glass of Jacquart Brut Mosaique champagne
Chicken with blanquette cream sauce, rice and carrots
Camembert cheese
Chocolate mousse
Berry tartlet
Baguette
Glass of Vins de Pays d'Oc 2008 Coleurs du Sud

A tasty trip but the highlight above all was watching a couple water hens with their five red headed baby chicks float around in a small pond at the Jardin des Plantes.
Magique.

Here is the work I did.
http://smr.newswire.ca/en/ryerson-university/theres-an-app-for-that-canadian-technology-assists

It's nice to go away...but nicer to come home.
Especially with a couple of bottles of Lanson champagne in tow from the duty free shop.