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Healthy Food Is Easy With Paris Cuisine

By Chef Todd Mohr

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• article synopsis •



Frence continues to be
the most visited western country, but it is also one that people know the least.



"When we no longer have fine cuisine,
we will have
no fine paintings,
no literature,
no intelligence,
no social harmony
."

-- Marie-Antoine Carême

French Chef • 1784 - 1833



IT WAS DURING MY LAST VISIT TO PARIS when something hit me. It was when I realized that eating healthy meals in Paris is easier than I imagined. Meals taste amazingly good and flavorful without being overly filling. So, what is it that makes food so healthy and flavorful in Paris? I attribute the reasons to something very French: first, there are no convenience stores or mega-grocery stores selling food wrapped up in plastic, frozen, or in tin cans; secondly, the shops have a well-defined purpose: baking bread and pastries, butchering meats, squeezing fresh juice from oranges or whatever they offer; but the small-shop owner is an expert excelling at what he does and offers.

• Paris Cuisine vs U.S. Cuisine •

The greatest difference I have seen between Paris Cuisine and any U.S. Cuisine is the great respect that Parisians have for food which Americans do not have.

To continue my search, I jumped on the Metro and headed for the world-famous 'Rue Cler Market'. It is an outstanding market where I could verify why eating healthy food is so much easier in Paris. I also found another top-notch market: 'Paris Market' which is big in fish. It is clean, fresh, no flies, and no fishy smell. I found 'Fromageries' specializing in cheese. Some offer nothing but cheese, and they are experts at it. All these businesses are family-owned which ~for generations~ they take great pride in what they do.

These markets do not display large quantities of food. What they display is fresh, in season, fragrant food which ~once combined with simple cooking techniques~ they yield heavenly delicious meals loaded with nutrients. Why is their cuisine so delish and healthy? Is it because French people cook complex recipes? No, Paris Cuisine ~like other French Cuisines~ have simple cooking with fresh and seasonal ingredients.


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