How Paris Changed the Way I Eat

Today’s guest post is courtesy of Christine Miksis, a Philly-born and bred writer and former New York publicist who’s now living in Paris and experiencing the good life.

As a young American woman who worked in the fashion and lifestyle PR industry, I’ll admit my roots run deep in the carb-free, sugar-free land of Splenda, 100-calorie packs and I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! spray. Due to lack of time and desire, I was never one to cook up gourmet meals for dinner. However, I have certainly always been a foodie via the practice of discovering the latest dining spots. I’m also known to partake in a Chipotle burrito, a Shake Shack burger or a Steve’s Prince of Steaks Philly cheesesteak–I could go on and on–but for the majority of the work week I ate lightly.

Enter Paris. The way I eat will never be the same again.


I moved to Paris about a year ago for love and cultural enlightenment, “just like Carrie from Sex and the City!”, and ended up gaining some culinary skills in the midst of it all. If you’re interested in the love and cultural enlightenment part, we can get into those details another day, on another blog.

The change all began after the crèpe and fromage honeymoon was over. It became apparent that the daily food experience in Paris is quite different from the American version with which I had been familiar. For instance, there are virtually no quick delivery options, most restaurants are relatively expensive, the NYC-style salad bars are few and far between, and things like skim milk, Splenda, and whole wheat sliced bread are almost nonexistent.

I wondered: Am I supposed to eat full fat mayo or real butter on white baguette bread, and wash it down with a glass of two percent or whole milk for a snack?! Oh la vache! I was going to have to make some big changes.

The discovery of Rue Montorgueil, around the corner from mon petit appartement, certainly facilitated those changes. This street houses one of the many marchés in Paris that carry farm-fresh fruits, veggies, meats, and cheeses of France. It was all so beautiful and colorful that it made me forget about the diet food hang-ups I had. I’d never seen so many fresh foods available in such a large space, in such excess, and at such small prices. My inner Julia Child emerged, and there was no going back.

Day by day, I have learned a lot. Here’s a list of those things:

• To allow myself about an hour to shop the markets daily. The meats, the vegetables, the fruits, the fish, the cheese, the bread, and the wines must all be purchased at separate shops.
• How to cope with the fact that sometimes certain shops aren’t open on certain days and certain times for reasons of which I’m still not sure!
• How to chop, mince, julienne, peel, sauté, braise, steam, sear, stew, baste, glaze, emulsify and reduce.
• How to order in French.
• That chopping fresh herbs is one of my favorite pastimes. After all, generous bunches of fresh cilantro, thyme and basil cheaply run at about 2 Euros total. And it’s so aromatic.
• How to make my own salad dressings with different combinations of vinegar, oil, lemon juice, real sugar, and herbs, as it’s very difficult to find bottled dressings.
• How to indulge in that fresh, warm baguette.
• How to eat fast food, the French way: Crusty baguette, good cheese, good charcuterie, maybe some grapes, a good bottle of French wine, et voilà!
• That drinking demi-écrémé (2 percent) milk is actually quite tasty!
• How to live a new and pleasurable lifestyle of handpicking my ingredients and preparing American recipes as well as traditional French dishes like boeuf bourguignon, coq au vin and cassoulet.

Finally, I’ve learned I am still in the same shape, sans the Splenda, fake butter and all. And I couldn’t be happier. Merci, Paris!