University of Wisconsin–Madison

France : Elise Pyatskowit (Food in Tours, France)

Food in Tours, France

A collage of six different foods, including a plate with chicken and rice, a cup of coffee, a plate of strawberries, pastries, and salad.
Some of my favorite Asian, Mexican, and French cuisine I’ve tried in France

My city of Tours has many food influences. I’ve tried Lebanese, Asian, Mexican, American, and French food. The Lebanese food I had was chicken, hummus, rice and salad, and it was very flavorful. The Asian food I’ve tried here was a dish similar to orange chicken, as well as a spicy beef noodle bowl; both dishes were full of flavor. I tried a French version of Mexican food, and while it was good, I wouldn’t say it was particularly spicy or flavorful as traditional Mexican food. The American food I’ve tried is McDonald’s. The McDonald’s here is similar to the one in the US, but they have a few different food options like a chicken wrap and Italian ice cream. They also use reusable food packaging if you get the food to dine in.

I’ve had many kind of French and European Food here. For breakfast I’ve had chocolate croissants called “pain au chocolat” and lots of baguette, which is a staple for breakfast and is often eaten with lunch and dinner as well. Some desserts I really liked are chocolate beignets, Chocolate and coffee flavored eclairs, and strawberry tarts. Pizza in France is thin crust and comes in a personal size, and the Margharita pizza I tried was delicious. I’ve tried many cheeses which range from terrible to delicious, quiche that I made with other people in my program group, and a lot of baguette sandwiches. Out of everything I have here, my favorite things are coffee drinks, strawberry tarts, and chocolate croissants.

 

Elise smiles in a forest with a dusting of snow.

Elise Pyatskowit

Major: Pre-Nursing

Hometown: Shawano, Wisconsin

Program: Institut de Touraine French Language in France

I chose this program because it is focused on language immersion. During my stay, I will be in class learning French and outside of class, able to work on my skills in real-world interactions. My personal/professional goal is to improve my French speaking and comprehension skills. Wanting to become a nurse, knowing even a little bit of a second language will benefit me and my patients greatly.