FOOD, FOOD, FOOD!

As you may have guessed from this post's title (although the message was a bit cryptic...), today's blog is about food. "How very typical," you may snidely comment, "A young girl in France is writing about the delicious foods available in the region... That's never been done before, huh?" Well, you know what, alternate-universe-imaginary-buzz-kill? I'm going to write about the kick-bottom (heehee) food here in Bretagne! And you are going to like it, because there is a reason that exactly 60% of all books about France are food-based (I'm just kidding, I made up that stat!).

Why don't we start off with something we have talked about before? Galettes, as you may remember, are flaky, delicious pastries with tiny little prizes inside. But wait - there's more! There is actually another dish (which is a specialty of Bretagne) that goes by the same name of "Galette"! This Galette#2 is unlike its brother dish in that it is actually a main course. Very similar to a crêpe, Galette#2 is about a foot in diameter, and slightly more dense than a crêpe. yesterday, Jean-Yves made us some Galettes for dinner, and they were fabulous! Inside he baked cheese, ham, mushooms, and and egg. Yum! Yet again, I gobbled up my Galette before remembering to take a picture of the delicacy, so you will have to do with a lovely internet photo!

 Another cool aspect of French dinners (besides the supercool main course!) is that French dinners contain many "after dinner" extras. For example, right after we finish our soup/pasta/galettes/deliciousness at the Girards, Odile will  bring out the cheese plate, from which we pluck delectable slabs of cheese to eat with tornoff slices of baguettes. YUM! Here's a little teaser of what we enjoy every day after dinner...

After we dabble in the delights of cheese, we move on to our next little palette teaser: fruits and nuts. During this time, we often partake in some (very fresh) clementines, apples, or kiwis* paired with walnuts and hazelnuts that we shell ourseves! Usually, this our last course, but sometimes  we are treated to yet another dessert! Last night, for example, we grazed on a variation of French chocolate/caramel pudding.

*Yet another very interesting difference that I have noticed is that here in France, peeling one's fruit is very common manually done. Let me explain: When they eat an apple, Jean-Yves/Odile/Louise peel the skin off (With a knife! Very professionally too...)

School Lunches here in France are the polar opposite of the stereotypical American lunch. Not only are they fresh (and conatin many different courses, including salad and a succulent dessert), but they also are full of choices! You may choose between yogurt or cheese, between pasta with pork or rice and fish, and you can even choose between dessert or some fruit! And - as you may have guessed - a mini baguette is always available. (I'm not kidding, there are small loaves of bread that come with every lunch!) It is unreal... :D