My Open Market - A Paris Experience

I think about what will I miss once we leave Paris and transition back to the U.S. Some people will say that I haven't been here long enough to answer that question. But this I do know. I am going to miss my market. Every sunday morning I go down to my open market in Garches and visit the local vendors. I have been very fortunate, when I first started visiting the market, I found at least one person at each vendor who after letting me butcher their language let me off the hook and wanted to speak english.

My first stop is to the flower vendor. I get fresh flowers at least once a week if not twice a week from the local markets (which there are 4 during the week between Garches and St. Cloud). When Liz arrived home from houston, I got 2 dozen roses for 10 euros. Flowers here are very cheap and very beautiful and I will miss that.

My second stop is to the produce vendor. Rows and rows of great farm fresh fruits and veggies. My ususal is fingerling potatoes, brussel sprouts, red leaf lettuce, baby romaine, fresh mushrooms (with the dirt still on bottom of stems), beautiful strawberries, raspberries, bananas, apples and pineapple. The man who helps me also is teaching me the french word for what I want to buy which is great.

My last stop is to the meat monger. Here is my favorite place. They have at each corner of their booth is huge paella type pans, 1 with gratin dauphinois (potatoes au gratin), and in the other small pan roasted potatoes. I get a container of each, then they rotisserie everything. One of my favorites is Roti de Dinde which is roast turkey. Now sometimes they will stuff them with different things; they can have bacon and cheese, they can have chestnut, apricot but a funky one is a turkey breast stuffed with Lapin (Rabbit). You can also get fresh rotisserie chickens. Here you have a choice of free range and cage. You have to pay attention because one is 25 euros apiece and one is 5 euros a piece. They also do a beef rib which is a very thick cut rib which runs high and not what you would think of as a beef rib but good. One of the last things I have not tried yet (expensive) is the rotisserie leg of lamb, but one day i will.

So my goal in coming back is to find an open market, probably hit some of the hispanic markets for fresh food and visiting Central Market just a little bit more.