In October of 2013 we went to France.
The food is what I most miss. Not the stuff at restaurants, yes there are good restaurants in France but good restaurants can be found anywhere. When I talk about the food in France I’m talking about what is available in the markets. I hadn’t realized how limited our selection is in the U.S.
France is a pastoral country, once outside the cities and villages the countryside is covered by small farms. As you walk around the farms you can imagine that this is ground that has been farmed for over 1000 years and it has. While there are industrial farms, many of the farms are managed traditionally, to meet the french demand for locally produced high quality products.
In France markets are still a part of life. In the smaller towns and villages they have market days once a week in the larger cities they have them every day. The markets along with specialty shops are where much of our food was purchased.
The food we bought at the markets and prepared was some of the simplest cooking I have done and it tasted great. Of course, if you start with good food you get good food and as a bonus while shopping at a french market you get a feast for the eyes.