I ordered a cassoulet in Paris once. Given our shared interest as members of egullet, I had of course made a list of places to eat, allowing for budget, although I can't remember the name of this restaurant at this moment.
I don't speak French and the staff didn't speak English. The meal took an hour or more to arrive. The waiter felt forced at one point to apologetically mime a joke tapping his watch, pointing his thumb to the kitchen and twiddling his thumbs. I didn't really know what to expect, but it seems to be what is described in this thread. What I did not expect was that it would have readily fed at least four people.
It was delicious. I ate it all.
I've been to France two or three times since, and not seen cassoulet on the menu. I've brought back tinned cassoulet which has been very enjoyable.
What I don't understand is the size of the portion I was served. It was priced like a meal for one. But even for a glutton like me, it was a challenge to eat it all. Is a cassoulet serving always so massive? Did they make a cassoulet just for me as a single serving? Was the language barrier and their courtesy and hospitality too much for them to refuse to serve me a single portion when it would normally be ordered by a table of six?
The front of house service in Paris throughout that weekend was just the best I have experienced in all my travels.
