VERY Petit Déjeuner

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A friend asked me the other day what I miss most about America, food-wise. I had two answers: All the amazing ethnic food available everywhere in NYC. And of course, the American breakfast.

Breakfast in France is called le petit déjeuner (literally, “little lunch”) and it usually consists of the dry bread leftover from last night’s dinner, spread with a little butter and/or jam, and a hot drink of your choice, i.e. coffee, tea, hot chocolate. Some people go wild and have a croissant and juice, too. (In a cafe, the bread is called a tartine and is half of a skinny baguette, sliced length-wise. )

Le Petit Déjeuner

No eggs. No waffles. No biscuits. No huevos rancheros. No bacon. No sausage. No fruit. No cereal. No pancakes. No yogurt. No omelettes. No toast. No smoothies. No potatoes. No eggs Benedict. (Can you tell I miss eggs?) No nothing that will actually stick to your ribs and keep you going through the morning.

The American Breakfast

The French clearly didn’t get the memo that breakfast is “the most important meal of the day.” I kind of attribute the lackadaisical work ethic here to their lack of energy from the skimpy breakfasts.

I also think it’s strange that the French, who pride themselves on their love and knowledge of food, have so clearly missed out on breakfast. I’ve traveled a lot of places and breakfast is just as important in other parts of the world as it is in the States.

Well, I’ve resigned myself to making my smoothies and omelettes at home, but it’s really not the same as calling up the corner deli to deliver me my favorite egg sandwich. Or going to Clinton St. Bakery for their huevos rancheros… Yum.

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Filed under Addresses, Culture, Food & Drink, New York, Paris & France, Travel

Tags: America, American breakfast, breakfast, Clinton St. Bakery, corner deli, croissant, eggs Benedict, ethnic food, food, huevos rancheros, NYC, omelettes, petit dejeuner, tartine