MORNING CROISSANT

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It’s 9AM. I had to be out of the hostel. It’s raining. My umbrella is in Paris. I came to the huge mall, EuraLille. The shops aren’t open, but the cafés are. I bought a croissant and an orange juice so I could sit down for a bit.

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I really enjoy a fresh croissant. It’s early enough that they are still warm. The fragile, shiny shell cracks, shatters, then dissolves to nothing, giving way to a warm, light, doughy center. Somehow the French make it possible to give a croissant a rich, buttery flavor without making it seem heavy at all. Mmm.

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I’m sitting here at this little snack shop/café, which is nothing fancy at all - it’s a little stand in a mall with metal tables and chairs - and yet I’m still amazed by the breads and pastries here. There are little strawberry tarts, in which the fruit is finely sliced and neatly arranged and glazed to seal it in place in its perfectly formed little round crust.

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There are breads in every shape and texture. Smooth, shiny, round loaves sprinkled with chocolate morceaux (little pieces/chips) sit next to rough, long, skinny baguettes. There are also braided breads and breads with fancy designs cut into them and plain old loaves sprinkled with flour.

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Here, boulangers and patissiers (bakers and pastry chefs) are often called artisans. They make all their own bread and pastries, and with great pride and attention to detail. For them, it is an art form. All their finished products are aesthetically pleasing in addition to being perfectly executed and tasting great. And the French really respect and respond to that.

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Comments

[Doug]

Mmmm... Breads and Pastries
This brief description - alone - would make it worthwhile to travel there and experience it. It sounds fabulous... so appealing.