French Food

I've just come back from Australia where I spent two weeks working on the launch of Eco Chic's own range of furniture and homewares http://www.ecochic.com.au/

There wasn't time for anything much other than working, sleeping and eating (though I did manage to sneak in the odd glass / bottle of wine).  There's no doubt it was very unsettling to return to Australia so soon after our Big Departure and the most notable thing I found I'd missed - apart from the coffee of course but I must not keep ranting on about this! - was the food. 


Interesting to note, in a country that actually has a monument to the culinary delight that is the Pie and has got by on basically three kinds of cheese (Tasty, Mild, and Colby) for decades, the food seemed more interesting, delicious and adventurous in Australia.  I have to ask myself 'why?'.  Is it just me, my palette and what I've grown up with / become used to (which is a fusion oriented cuisine) or is French food - dare I say it - a bit boring and predictable?  

It strikes me that the ingredients available in the supermarkets and markets are of top quality. However, what these ingredients are made into tends to be pretty much standard - at least in restaurants (we haven't dined in any French homes yet). By now, we almost know by heart what will be on the menu in any given restaurant and would dearly love a change. Magret de canard, brochettes de vollaile, steack frites, faux filet frites, moules marineres, pave de saumon, pizza with no frills, omelette with no filling.  Salad verte will be leaves, nothing else, and a dressing. Boring.

And don't get me started on desserts! Who ever invented Isles Flotantte should be shot. Never a worse dessert has existed. As far as I can grasp / stomach it, this is lightly whipped egg whites in custard. Say what?? Who awarded this abomination such prevelance on French menus?   Not an acceptable dessert, sorry.  Crepe sucre will be a crepe with sugar scattered on it. Nothing else. No lemon, no syrup, no nuts, no chocolate, no cream, no ice cream.  Nothing. You can order a Crepe Nutella and it will come with just that. No cream, no ice cream, no nuts, no frills, no nothing.  Boring.  Chocolate mousse is nice, but I make a good enough one at home.  Creme brulee, lovely, how about adding raspberries and experimenting with the topping?  Google Australia presents Australian Master Chef Creme Brulee with wasabi ice cream and umami crumble. Could be amazing, could be dodgy but at least the taste buds would be provolked!  No wonder French Women Don't Get Fat - they aren't tempted!  No, not fair, the bread and pattisserie here is formidable, as are the cheeses. But woman can't live on fromage alone. 

The French are famous for their resiliance to change. That's why so many people - ourselves included - find themselves attracted to the beautiful landscape, glorious architecture, cultural history, time honoured traditions etc. etc.  It's the point of difference here and it makes for some impressively preserved heritage + beauty.  It's also the bone of contention with regard to property laws, sexism, forward thinking etc. etc.  Could it be applied to food, too?  Should the French embrace foodie advances in taste and presentation?  Or is it just me? Have I become too fussy / have a polyglot palette / am not dining at expensive enough restaurants?  The mundane menu at the Melbourne Trade Fair Cafeteria seems light years ahead of French menus to me. However, is it just pretentious descriptions, jumped up ingredients and inflated prices?  I ate there frequently and the food was memorable, varied and tasty.  But it was more expensive - a single pasta dish is the same price as a three course formule at our local bistro.

So, in conclusion, what do you think - I do invite comment. Are we being unfair? Is French food still great and not in need of a bit of a 'fusion' kick and a makeover? Should we be spending more time at posher eateries and would thus find more rewarding experiences?  Our Aussie friends Anne and Emily (pictured here with apparently a cappucino, a frappe and a viennese coffee, no really - from one extreme to another!) ate their way around France with no budget limitations and found the experience distinctly lacking, so much so they preferred picnics.  Where is the most interesting and innovative French food to be found today - I'm quite prepared for it to be miles away from Clermont l'Herault! I'm so interested to receive feedback, and know most people can not reply to this blog without opening a google account which they don't want to do, that I'm giving out my e mail address paulabreckman@gmail.com - go for it, knock me out, shoot me down in flames but most of all tell me where to eat!!