A bit about food.........

FOOD, FOOD and MORE FOOD -
There are some great things about food in France - the croissants are out-of-this-world and melt in your mouth.  There is no need to add anything to them - devine!
The baguettes are also amazing - we usually buy one of lunch (Connor says he feels like he is having Subway everyday) and then on later in the day (to ensure ubber freshness) to have either with our cheese board or dinner.  They are so fresh and taste just amazing - so different to the ones at home - mind you I have usually brought ones from the supermarket and not boulangeries.
Cheese or Fromage as it is called over here - so much variety and so cheap:- I don't like Brie or Camembert at home, however here I like it - whatever the taste or aftertaste is not there with the French cheese and so I am enjoying being more adventurous with my tastings (still staying away from Karl's blue cheeses though).
Pizza everywhere - all woodfired pizzas and sold either as big pizzas or slices - delicious.
The restaurants do great deals for lunches where they do a set menu of two or three courses - (it is cheaper to eat out at lunch) - we have only done this deal once as it was too much for a kiwi persons lunch and we didn't eat for the rest of the day!
We have been away almost a month and went to McDs for the first time the other day - over here you have a choice between wedges with a delicious aoili sauce or fries.......we liked this.......the rest is the same - and with good toilets!
As we are heading into summer the delicious berries are beginning to be everywhere - the strawberries are divine and the kids and I are addicted to anything frombaise (raspberries) whether it be fresh, ice-cream, yogurt or jam!
Fresh milk is not very common (95% of the milk sold in France is UHT)- and cream - I am yet to find.  Tried to make a fettuccine pasta dish last night that is usually really easy, fresh pasta, eggs, cream, parmesan and ham and "bobs ya uncle" but the cream I had brought was not cream.......it was sour cream; sent Loki to the store to get creme - he came back with a different sort - sour cream again!!! Bugger.  I have been checking the internet and apparently cream is difficult to source!!! Still tasted alright with just milk, and probably healthier too!
Yogurt - the selection and taste is amazing.  They have rows of fridges full of different yogurts - frombaise is our favourite and we are working our way through the varieties.........and brands.
Desserts in wee packs of four are also in rows of fridges:- we have tried creme brulee; creme caramel; teramisu (mine and Karls fav); lots of instant pudding type ones of different flavours.  They are just the size of yogurts and like 2 euro for the pack of 4.
Wine - obviously the other big thing we are trying: red wines worth 5-7 euro are great; going down to the 4 euro not so good.  Karl worked that out before my arrival.  The champagne were are thinking about the same at this stage - had our favorite one last night which was 5.50 euro.
Karl is excited that Heineken is cheaper over here and you get little bottles of 250mls.  Not too much beer being drunk though, we are sticking to wine exploration!  

Some things that took some work: normal sliced bread for toast - initially the only bread we could find was really sweet and as we all like marmite on toast this just tasted weird - eventually though we have found one that is less sweet and ok for toast - it is however labeled American Bread.

Karl heads to Paris tomorrow for the night and so I have promised the kids homemade macaroni cheese - so will attempt a cheese sauce although the flour here is not like at home and the cheese is different so we will see how we go - I have said I will shout pizza if it is a disaster!

Supermarket shopping is a little different also as we tend to do little shops as we have to pack and carry everything home by foot.  They have no plastic bags, so you take your own.  We are trying to be a little adventurous and try new things and experiment - thus far not too many disasters although not too many dinners have had the "lets have this again" tick either.  Meat tastes different over here - more bland I think!

We will usually be able to tell what something is by the picture, directions for cooking a little more difficult.....still we are getting bye and there is always wine. cheeseboards and dessert!

Anyway they are my thoughts for today...........................................today's dinner was teriyaki chicken and rice - was meant to be with salad too but the fridge was too cold and froze our lettuce! I think little fingers have been playing!