Sitting Seine Side

It is safe to say that the battle of foods between the French and Americans was over before it even started. The French is known for its excellence when it comes to cuisine. In fact, they had it mastered since the Middle Ages - the 5th through 15th century. This was thousands of years before America was even discovered! They are an old pro at this game, and American food is simply no match. That all being said, I still dream about the day I return home and get to stuff my face with a Taylor Ham, Egg, and Cheese, on a plain bagel with a Dunkin Donuts (flavored with whatever I am feeling that morning) iced coffee and cream. Don't get me wrong, I am all for the rich and savory French food found throughout this country, but sometimes, especially now more than ever as I near the end of this excursion, find myself longing for a home-cooked dinner. One obvious difference that I have noticed when it comes to food here is the portions. If you order at a restaurant, you will get the approp...

My favorite part of French food is how simple it is, which may be surprising to some. French food has a reputation of being complex, expensive, and an unrealistic dish to make on weekday nights. The thing is that, at least from my experience, French food is not all that complex - it is simply flavorful. If you were to break a dish down and only leave the fundamental ingredients, there is not that much to the dish other than spices, herbs, and the cooking technique. Exploring different local cuisines, trying new foods, and testing out the limitless restaurants in France has been an adventure on its own. Fortunately, I consider myself a very adventurous eater so this has been a feat that I am more than willing to take on. Throughout this food-finding journey, I have encountered the most delectable meals, meals that were presented like a piece of artwork, and meals where I wish I read the Yelp reviews before going to the restaurant. Being a coffee lover, no matter what country I trave...

I never thought that I would ever say this - but I have found a French pastry that beats any Nutella and banana crêpe, croissant, or macaroon that I have ever ate. I would absolutely consider myself a sweet over savory person, especially when it comes to dessert, hence why I will almost never refuse the above mentioned foods. So I w as especially surprised when I loved the raspberry tart as much as I did.  This French pastry is the perfect combination between salty and sweet and the best part about this treat is how indescribably light it is! I would always see the cute pink tarts with white sparkly sugar sprinkled on top in the glass display cases whenever I would stop at a pâtisserie, but I would always be hesitant to buy one because my eye would catch something buttery instead - like a croissant. The first tart I had upon my arrival here was an apricot tart. It was  delicious but the texture of the apricots were notably gooey and it overall lacked pret...

I came to Paris armed with two suitcases, my backpack, and an unprecedented amount of excitement for this adventure that I was about to embark on. I knew that I would be challenged in ways that I would never expect, but I never once expected the French, particularly the Parisian, way of life would impact me as darastially that it did. Of course there were adjustments to be made, and there certainly were, but never in a million years did I think I would go through life lessons and even likely bring some lifestyle points from here home with me.  The first less that Paris has taught me is to enjoy the little things. The locals here are rarely in a rush. The only times you will see someone hustling is to catch the metro before the doors snap shut or if he/she is on a run. Parisians take their time, even if it is drinking a Starbucks! "To-go" is rarely an option here. People like to sit, sip, and enjoy. This practice applies to eating as well. I have went from being in-and-out ...

I grew up in a northern New Jersey suburban town. Minus the white picket fence and lawn gnome stereotypes, the town that I grew up in is everything one would imagine "'burbia" to be. Big homes, large green yards, kids riding their bicycles through the neighborhood streets, dogs barking, the smell of grilling barbecue filling the air on the weekends... the list goes on. Life back home became a routine; everything was so predictable. Friday night football games in the fall were a guarantee and the milkshake from the local diner was a promise. You would see the same families at church every Sunday and the same faces picking up breakfast sandwiches and a dozen or so bagels there after. Weekdays were all the same - school, sports practice, dinner, homework, repeat. That's not to say that I did not love growing up there. Of course by the time I was a senior in high school, the predictability of it all was old and mundane. I was eager to see the world and what different ci...

The weekdays at Loyola are predictable and I often found myself going through the motions at certain parts of the semesters that I have spent there. I have always had a routine at Loyola but that is how I work best to ensure I am on top of my work, job, and still finding time for myself and my friends. Abroad is different. Not one day is the same as another. I am constantly doing something different, trying different restaurants, or traveling someplace new. Despite the general unpredictability, there are two days every week that I can be relatively sure as to how my day will pan out – Monday and Thursday. These two days are the only days that I have class each week. Although that seems like the best gig ever, I am in class all day, without a single break between each one. Those days are inevitably long and my schedule forces me to strategically time manage my work in order to have everything done at once. That has been a challenge in itself seeing as I do not want to constantly be...