Marinda the French cuisine connoisseur

By Arnia Kiara Oosthuizen

My best and life long friend, Marinda, is living the dream. She has the privilege to work and live in France in Savigny-sur-Orge for 8 months. She is working there as an English assistant at a school. I am very jealous about the fact that I am not there with her. We went to France together in 2011 and I am burning with every part of me to go back! I am in love with France!

Anyway, I asked her to write a blog post for me about her experiences of the food there. Marinda the food connoisseur.
Here is her post:

"I have been living and working in France for the last two months, and during my time here I have come to realise how important food is to any culture in the world. I absolutely adore food, and if you ask my friends, they will be able to tell you that I am always hungry! So, when I came to France I was obviously excited about strolling through Paris and getting to know the people and the culture, but most importantly, the food!


Keep in mind that when you explore the world on a budget, it is not always possible to visit the five-star restaurants and cafes. However, I have discovered one of the French people’s most beloved places to get food… a boulangerie (or bakery). They are everywhere!
On my first day in France, before I had even had the chance to unpack my bags, one of my colleagues directed me to the best boulangerie in town. It is now my favourite boulangerie in the whole of the Paris region!


When you walk into the tiny shop you are met with the sight and smell of traditional French breads, pastries, tarts and cakes. I have made the decision to try something new every time that I go to the boulangerie. I must admit that when you order something without being completely sure of what it is, you set yourself up for a shock every now and then. For example, I ordered a quiche which I thought contained vegetables. To my surprise it was filled with a very strong cheese (which I later found out was goat’s milk cheese). I generally like cheese, but that was too strong and too much for me to handle!

Here are some of the tasty treats that I have tried so far:

Religieuse

 Religieuse - not to be confused with an éclair! (Although the only difference between the two that I know of, is the shape.)

Tarte au ananas – pineapple tart

Tarte au citron – it’s like lemon meringue without the meringue

Mille-feuille – like a custard slice, just better

A delicious chicken sandwich and a chauson au pomme – a pastry filled with apple puree

Something very chocolaty and yummy!

So, in my opinion, if you want to add that something special to your travel experience, try some of the local and traditional food. Don’t be afraid to try something new or strange, because you might get a very pleasant surprise… or a good story to tell!"


Marinda also created her own blog about her travels in France, as well as other countries in Europe.
Check it out here.