France: Angela Garcia (Food in Paris)
The most common place to eat you will find in Paris is a boulangerie. It feels like there is one on every street! There you will find croissants, pain au chocolats, eclairs, and an assorted variety of sandwiches. Along with boulangeries, there are plenty of brasseries. At brasseries it is common to find steak-frites, coffees, and classic French dishes such as escargots. I did not think I would like escargots, but after trying them one weekend in Alsace, I have been convinced otherwise!
One thing about the food in Paris is that it is very diverse. In fact, some of my favorite places do not serve traditional French cuisine. In particular, I spend quite a bit of time in the quarter sometimes called “Little Tokyo” located past Pyramides.
There are a lot of boba shops, ramen places, and Japanese pastry stores around this spot. My favorites at Aki boulangerie are their Burger Melon Pain, mochi, and eclairs. There are also a lot of kebab places in Paris. You can find a few near the IES BIA center, but my go-to is located near my housing and serves the best cheesy naan. I have also found a couple of Mexican restaurants in the Latin quarter that are pretty good. Overall, there are so many restaurants in Paris that you will never run out of things to eat!
Angela Garcia
Hometown: Lake Geneva, Wisconsin
Major: Computer Science & Information Systems