Barbie Girl in a Barbie World - July 19

Today was absolutely packed full of so many things, so this will be quite a long post. To start off my day, my roommate Morgan and I went on a food tour in the Saint-Paul area of the city. We booked this tour months in advance and I had been looking forward to this since I landed in Paris. We met our tour guide and the rest of the group are our designated meetup spot. Our tour guide, Ingrid, planned to show us some of her favorite spots. I truly learned a lot about the Parisian food scene from her, so here are some quick tips and tricks for dining in Paris

Paris food facts

• If an awning says “Meilleur Ouvrier de France”, that means that it has been voted on by a group of experts as the best in its field, such as best baker or best cheese shop

• The term “boulangerie” means that all the bread is baked in house and only shops where they prepare these goods can use the term

• The French do not refer to it as a chocolate croissant, but simply a pain au chocolat since they are different from each other

• Bread items such as pain au chocolat and croissants are known as “Viennoiseries” since they originate from Vienna, Austria

• These bread items are viennoiseries and items such as cakes are all pasties

• When ordering wine, the location that it comes from is crucial since the soils and agriculture of the area affect the grapes used

• Similarly, when buying chocolates, the area the cacao comes from often determines its flavor

• Cheese in France is all unpasteurized whereas the dairy in the United States is pasteurized and has a different flavor and texture

• The cows and goats used for authentic French cheese are grass fed, making the cheese even tastier

• Certain wines can only be called by a specialty name (Bordeaux, Champagne, etc.) if it actually comes from that region of France

• Drinking wine, even in public, is not something that is taboo or forbidden and truly is a part of the culture

• Since there is a large immigrant population from Asia and Africa living in Paris, there are some incredible restaurants that specialize in cultural dishes from around the world

• Despite this, there are very few Mexican restaurants and our guide said most are not great

Our first stop was at a bakery called Au Petit Versailles Du Marais, a French boulangerie. The current baker, Christian Vabret, is the latest winner of the Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) title and it shows. I ordered a pain au chocolat that was so flaky and buttery yet not overly sweet. It was utterly delicious. Once we enjoyed more of our viennoiseries, we headed to our next location.

We stopped at a cheese shop called Laurent Dubois, another MOF winner. The shelves inside and outside the store were lined with so many different types of cheeses. So many types of cheeses made from different types of milk called to me. We picked up some cheeses and headed to our next location.

The next place we went to was a wine shop called Vins des Pyrénées. When booking this tour, I was under the impression that we would not be drinking wine since it was labeled as “family-friendly”. It was certainly a pleasant yet unexpected surprise. The tour group sat and prepared for the food tasting that was crafted for us. Our first of two plates was a Croque Monsieur sandwich and salad, paired with a red wine from the Bordeaux region of France. The sandwich was heavenly and the bread used was perfectly fluffy. The salad was light and had a mustard dressing, which provided me with some much-needed vegetables on the trip. The red wine was delicious and I feel like it paired well with the sandwich. I am not much of a wine connoisseur but it was certainly better than the ones served at church.

The second plate served at our little food tasting was a plate of cheeses picked out at Laurent Dubois by our tour guide. We had a traditional goat cheese as well as a smoked apple camembert, both paired with a white wine also from the Bordeaux region. I love goat cheese and this one was much better than the log I buy from Trader Joe’s. It was creamy and perfect atop a piece of a baguette. Many members of the tour were not a fan of the camembert but I think I liked it better than the goat cheese. It was a stinky cheese but it was deliciously creamy and the apple on the inside was a great touch. The white wine was sweet and not too strong and was something I could see myself drinking again in the future.

After eating and learning about the culture of food in France, we headed out for a walk around the city so our food could digest before eating some more. Our guide pointed out other restaurants and unique spots in the area around Saint-Paul. We explored some former mansions that are now shops and small businesses in the area. We went to schools and learned about the stark differences between French school lunches and American school lunches (their lunches are infinitely better and healthier than ours). We walked until we came to a corridor filled with traditional middle eastern restaurants. Our guide bought us all falafels from a stand called Chez Hanna. They were delicious and flavorful and not heavy compared to some of the deeply breaded ones I have had in the United States. Trying different cultural cuisines across Paris is something that I have loved and hope to continue doing.

Just when I felt like I couldn’t eat anymore, we went off for desserts. We stopped at a chocolatier shop for macarons and designer chocolates. We each picked out our own treats to try. I picked out a mango-chocolate macaron that was fruity and decadent and so incredible. I also tried out Mexican milk chocolate and Madagascar dark chocolate. Both were so sweetly rich and did not taste at all like a Hershey's bar. I may even go back before I leave.

Our tour finally concluded at an ice cream shop called Une Glace a Paris. Morgan and I split a refreshing passion fruit-flavored sorbet before leaving to meet our classmates for a tour of the city with our guide, Kevi. The food tour was one hundred percent worth the cost and it showed me so many new things about the Parisian food scene that I would have otherwise never known.

Upon returning to our group, we headed off for a tour of another suburb. This time, we explored an area called Montmartre. This suburb is known for its nightlife, jazz clubs, cabaret shows, adult stores, and being the home of the Moulin Rouge. We learned about the influence of jazz music in France and how the French jazz mania lead to the advent of jazz music in the United States. We climbed the hilly cobblestone streets and went up to the area known as Little Africa. As previously stated, many different immigrant communities make a life in Paris, and so this area is a cultural hub for many Black people and businesses. It was so interesting to see a part of the city that I did not even know existed. To end our tour, we climbed up the long set of stairs to the Sacre-Coeur, a famous cathedral overlooking the entire city. I was winded by the time I made it up to the top, but the view was the real reason I was breathless. It was such a site to see.

Once the class left Kevi, we all dispersed and went our separate ways. A few classmates and I stopped for lunch at a little boulangerie before heading back to our hotel. While eating lunch, I came up with the brilliant idea to go see the new Barbie movie with anyone who was interested since it came out in Paris two days earlier than in the United States. I expected maybe four or five people to want tickets. Instead, we had SEVENTEEN of us purchase a ticket to see a 10 pm showing and a local theater. I was overjoyed.

We made our way back to the hotel to relax and get dressed in pink outfits before the movie began. Some of the group decided to head out to get drinks beforehand while the others would meet us at the theater. Eight college girls in bright pink dresses walking the streets of Paris is truly a sight to see. We were all so giddy and excited. We took the metro over to the theater and stopped at a restaurant nearby. We had half an hour before the movie arrived and thought it would be plenty of time. We were wrong.

The restaurant was quite busy and the drinks took forever to arrive. By the time we all got our beverages, we only had five minutes until the movie began. I don’t think I have ever chugged an espresso so fast. It took another few minutes before we could pay the tab and we all sprinted to the theatre to meet up with our group. Luckily, we only missed a few previews and they were all in French. Soon, it was time for the movie event I had been waiting to see for years.

I won’t spoil the movie but it was AMAZING. It was so funny and pure and had so many little quips and great monologues. The costumes and set designs were both equally gorgeous and the nostalgia in that theater was intense. By the time the movie was over, I had mascara running down my cheeks from crying so much. I loved the movie and I know I will see at least two more times when I get back to the United States.

The group and I all left the theatre after a fun night and made it back to the hotel around 1 in the morning. Despite not being a party girl, I felt like a Barbie girl living in a Barbie world. Life truly is fantastic.

♡ Katie