French city food or country food excels?

[Robin Shuster]

Luckily, there has been some backlash.

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I don't know your town, or that pocket of France, but I know the story. We've been visiting various parts of France since the mid 60s. The best I can say is that the quality of food in France has dropped sufficiently enough for there to be movements of resistance and artisanal producers who are rejecting an urban lifestyle rather than those who are carrying on the business of the family farm. Regional microbreweries are part of that movement.

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You are right, Bux, that there is backlash among the artisans for real food and that is why I am not completely pessimistic.

And I have run across farmers who are serious about growing good varieties of vegetables and pastured animals. But the movement is stronger here in the US.

My French friends are always surprized when I tell them that.

For some reason the French as a people are much more willing to settle for mediocre food than the Italians have been. Italians have been much craftier in finding their way around EU rules (I believe they have protected 2000 artisanal foods from EU rules by declaring them National Treaures). The French are in danger of losing young raw millk cheeses! It is not an accident that there are many more Slow Food members in Italy (and the US) than in France.

[chefzadi]

Luckily, there has been some backlash.

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I don't know your town, or that pocket of France, but I know the story. We've been visiting various parts of France since the mid 60s. The best I can say is that the quality of food in France has dropped sufficiently enough for there to be movements of resistance and artisanal producers who are rejecting an urban lifestyle rather than those who are carrying on the business of the family farm. Regional microbreweries are part of that movement.

←

You are right, Bux, that there is backlash among the artisans for real food and that is why I am not completely pessimistic.

And I have run across farmers who are serious about growing good varieties of vegetables and pastured animals. But the movement is stronger here in the US.

My French friends are always surprized when I tell them that.

For some reason the French as a people are much more willing to settle for mediocre food than the Italians have been. Italians have been much craftier in finding their way around EU rules (I believe they have protected 2000 artisanal foods from EU rules by declaring them National Treaures). The French are in danger of losing young raw millk cheeses! It is not an accident that there are many more Slow Food members in Italy (and the US) than in France.

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I refer you to Igles Corelli's thoughts on the 55 million "experts" in his country. It's Q&A with him.

[Bux]

I refer you to Igles Corelli's thoughts on the 55 million "experts" in his country. It's Q&A with him.

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A chat with chef Igles Corelli in the Italy forum.

[Robin Shuster]

I refer you to Igles Corelli's thoughts on the 55 million "experts" in his country. It's Q&A with him.

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A chat with chef Igles Corelli in the Italy forum.

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Thanks you for directing me/us to that extraordinary thread, Bux! I wanted to book a plane to Italy and meet him immediately and eat at his restaurant. What a generous couple they both are!

[John Talbott]

Elsewhere, dfunghi said he was

.....still on the hunt for great country style cooking

in Paris and I thought we could help out here.

[John Talbott]

I'm not totally sure what "country" food is versus bistro or traditional food (both of which the place I'm about to mention has been characterized as serving) but I'd consider La Cantine du Troquet, Etchebest's #3 to have provided it. I had pig's ears, a poitrine de porc and then an apricot tart. To me I think it was traditional, honest, bistronomic and quite country. It's much more "country", along the lines of say Grand Pan, his second venture, Afaria or Le Repaire de Cartouche than such recent favorites as Clocher Pereire, La Table d'Adrien + Ze Kitchen Galerie.