to think that the French can't cook?

[Idratherbemuckingout]

I base this on experience, as I live in France. Okay, they have lovely restaurants, but the general public CANNOT cook.
My friend Dominique has just told my husband that she has bought a turkey for her family. She is going to boil it. He explained how the english cook theirs, but she thought it sounded too complicated.
Hmmm.
In the supermarkets you can of course buy fresh food, but having stood behind french people at the till countless times and seen their mountains of ready prepared meals, I doubt that many of them actually BUY the fresh food. Or if they do, that they cook anything interesting out of it.
I have a friend called Isabelle who is quite mad. We asked her once if she liked spicy food, thinking to cook her a curry. She declared that she did, but that she would bring us her signature dish. Chocolate Chicken. Yes, I kid you not, it was like chicken in chocolate sauce and it was NOT very spicy.
She also once asked us if we liked eating snails, and foolishly we said yes. "Ah," she said, "I 'ave a secret recipe zat I will cook for you. I shall collect snails in my garden (!!!!) and put zem in my snail 'otel and feed them special food and zen we will eat them together."
Well, the first year they died (silent sighs of relief) but the second year she did it again, and we were duly invited to her house. The kids refused point blank to go. DH tried to but I made him come with me. She had cooked us 200 snails. TBH they tasted much like all the other snails I have eaten - snaily. Not enough garlic in my opinion. That wouldn't have been so bad, but she followed it up with duck with apricots (very rich too) and then American Peach Pie. We had indigestion for days.
ANd they can't make coffee either. Never have I been to a french house and had a decent cup of coffee, or tea either if it comes to that.
They don't seem to possess kettles you see, so they heat the water in the microwave, to not boiling point. Then they give you the cup of hot water and a sachet (I kid you not) of instant coffee to stir into it, or a teabag to dunk.
My DS was at the local primary school and after the Christmas (not) spectacular, we stayed for the buffet meal. Poo Sausage was the highlight. You know you are mixing with peasants when the offal is high on the menu.
Poo Sausage (my DH called it that)is actually called Andouille, and is a bit like chitterlings, should any of you know what those are - ie made of some horrible bit of the insides of an animal.
I could go on, but I won't or this is going to look like an essay.

[theincredibequeenofwands]

My French friend can cook.

She's the only French person I know, though.

[squeakytoy]

You do realise what a twat you sound, I hope.

[WorraLiberty]

There are far too many levels of wrongness in that OP, I can't be arsed to break it down

[HecateGoddessOfTwelfthNight]

I don't know. I haven't eaten the cooking of enough french people to determine that. and I bet you haven't either so really, all you can say with certainty is that soandso and soandso cannot cook. I don't think you can take that and expand it into saying that an entire nation can't cook.

[TheProvincialLady]

It sounds like you live in an imaginary part of France. Perhaps if you moved to a real part, you might find the cooking better?

[oiwheresthecoffee]

Have you been on the

[squeakytoy]

It cant be french

[Spuddybean]

I've travelled round Europe extensively and sadly i've never had a good meal in Paris (and i have been to some really 'good' restaurants). Not sure if my taste buds are just not attuned to it, but i just can't see what the big deal is.

Oh tell a lie, i did have a lovely meal once in the 18th arrondissement but that was Algerian.

[weblette]

Have un petit

[marriedandwreathedinholly]

Much the same could be said about the families I stand behind in Asda/Waitrose/Sainsbury's. I think you are mixing with the wrong sort of French people.

[IndianOcean]

I have had many wonderful meals in French restaurants in the UK.
I have never had a good meal in a French restaurant in France (in brasseries and mid range places, from Calais to Paris to Lyons) over many years.

I conclude, therefore, that all the good French cooks have come to the UK.

Actually, I did have a wonderful meal in an old fashioned bouchon on Lyons. So one good cook left

[winnybella]

Hmm. I have never, ever met a French person who would boil a turkey. I also don't see people loading their trolleys with pre prepared food in my local supermarket.

It's wind up, isn't it? Otherwise you've no clue.

[winnybella]

And all the people who never had a good meal in a French restaurant: Where in the God's name did you go? Names of the restaurants, please.

Although if you go to the 'touristy' places then, indeed, your steak will be average.

[dexter73]

I have never had a decent meal out in France either. My dh and I wonder where this myth about great French food has come from!

[scottishmummy]

clearly you keep bad company and have inadequate friends who cannot cook,or make a hot beverage. what a sad little life you lead

[aliciaflorrick]

I've got a couple of French friends who are amazing cooks, but they cannot make a decent cup of tea to save their lives, you are exactly right with water heated up in the microwave to less than boiling and then a teabag in a sachet is handed to you - and if you ask for milk, oh la la.

I drink hot chocolate when going to bars and salon de the.

[winnybella]

Heating water in the microwave??? WTF? I have never, evr seen anyone do that and I've lived in France for 8 years

[SpottyTeacakes]

I had an amazing meal in Paris last year. Was one of the top restaurants though and vair vair expensive! Went to a canteen type place to eat in Bastille and it was vile

[Spuddybean]

can't remember names off the top of my head sorry, but some were well reviewed/starred ones, booked in advance and anticipated. Some were little homey type places off the beaten track etc. Various prices from cheap to extortionate, but sadly all not good. :( Once a rat ran over my foot and the waiter told me 'it is Paris - all the restaurants 'ave rats' shrugged and walked off!

And i am not just being fussy, i love good food/regional food - i cook french food at home (mainly peasant stuff) and i love english, spanish, italian, greek, croatian, turkish etc food.

[dontletthebellsend]

I only have one French friend and I have never been to France. She is a 'normal' cook, making perfectly nice normal meals like shepherd's pie etc but she cannot make a cup of tea, even if heavily supervised. Nice coffee but her DH (English) is a coffee snob and he buys lovely coffee. I have a friend from Singapore who is married to an English twat man and she is convinced that all English people only eat food that comes frozen in cardboard boxes with frozen chips because that is what her DH eats. She doesn't seem to be able to see that she is surrounded by people who eat a wide range of home cooked food. She is astonished every time an English person says they like something like risotto or salad and aghast if they like curry.

[Spuddybean]

i do keep meaning to give Paris yet another go tho (i really enjoy the musee d'orsay/pompidou centre) - but i just love Brussels so much i always end up going there instead!

[Besom]

The chocolate chicken thing is quite common in Mexico. I don't personally like it either, but it's not as mad as it sounds.

[lljkk]

Where's BonsoirAnna? I want her input, & that of other folk living in France.
My useless contribution is that I've had gorgeous home-made food in Spain & Serbia. Can't speak comment on France, though.

[LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726]

The company I worked for was based in Lyon. We'd be taken out to some pretty-looking restaurants with a wonderful atmosphere but, in my view, terrible cuisine. There.were.no.vegetables.... not ever, aside from a dab of green here and there and the table flowers.

I love the people but was really to be able to stop lugging bags of apples in my suitcase. I'm not exactly an advocate for all things green and vitamin-enhanced, but you never know what you miss until you can't easily get hold of it.

The best places to eat were where the locals go for lunch, tucked away, no Michelin stars and wonderful food... still no veg, but great tasting!

[winnybella]

Definitely do, Spuddy . Plenty of amazing restaurants, but yes, there are also quite a few bad and average ones that get their money out of unsuspecting tourists.