Food nostalgia

But first: Thanks for the birthday wishes!  :)  I had a pretty good day - reading, a nap, great tapas, best sangria ever.  Since we had some busy days this weekend I liked having a day to just chill out.

Next: I missed NY for the first time today.  More specifically, I guess, I missed the things I can get there.  As I was eating dinner today I was watching old episodes of Anthony Bourdain's show, one entitled "Disappearing Manhattan" where he wanders around the city and bemoans the slow death of traditional food stores/restaurants.  He went to Manganaro's, an old Italian shop/restaurant; a very unappetizing steakhouse; and a traditional style butcher shop (selling offal and the like) but it made me really miss NYC area delis.  He went to Katz's and all I could do was look sadly at my plate of spiral pasta and bottled Provencal tomato sauce and wish it were a fresh, giant pastrami on rye with Russian dressing.  Or brisket.  Or a knish, or even a bagel with lox.  A lot of people are probably thinking, what, Angie, the almost-veggie?  Yes, I love traditional deli meats enough that I crave them when I don't have any for a while.  The only meat product that can so tempt me.

You can't get deli food like that here in Paris.  I've seen a total of one bagel place so far on this trip, and most of the Jewish delis in the city are of the offal type or Sephardic style - meaning they have some of the best falafel I've had anywhere and wonderful couscous, but no NY style deli food.  I miss being able to walk a couple of minutes around the block and grab a sandwich, or even better, order one right to my door. 

Then of course I started thinking about other NYC area stuff that isn't the same around here, mostly pizza and Chinese takeout.  Those bastardized versions of traditional food are some of the first things I always wanted when I came home from college, and are still the things I think of first when I think of eating in NY.  The pizza here is good - that is to say, it's more authentic and Italian than your typical NY place, and that makes it just not the same.  There is a place around the corner from me here that proclaims "New York style pizza!" but I always look at it with suspicion when passing.  How could Parisians perfect that grotesque, glossy cheese?

And of course, I always want some of the dishes my mother makes so well: most often mac and cheese and chili.  I can now do mac and cheese almost up to her standard but I have no oven here, and won't next year either.  I've been thinking about making chili but it's honestly difficult to find proper ingredients for it in Paris.  Most of the canned beans I find are cassoulet-style and I have yet to find packaged dry beans.  Alas.  At least I know if I look hard enough I will be able to make that one. 

Don't get me wrong - I adore French food and the French style of eating.  I love having fresh bread, great cheese, and a farmer's market around the corner.  I love going back to making separate little courses for my dinner (in the style of Catherine, and most other French families) - a small salad, main course, a fruit or yogurt for dessert.  I even like that my little mini-fridge forces me to get fresh ingredients every day or two.  But my beloved pastrami sandwich would just not fly here, really, to say nothing of the mystery-ingredient Chinese takeout or glossy pizza.  And that makes me just a little sad.