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KUCHNIA26FOODParis – the world capital of elegance, chic,and good taste. Parisians love their cityand do their utmost to look their best andeat well. Others envy the city’s rich culinarytraditions and the importance Parisiansplace on meals and mealtimes. Theseare at the top of the list of the most importantaspects of life among Frenchpeople. So let’s take a look at Paris’culinary rhythm of life.BREAKFAST (Le petit déjeuner)is not generally fancy, butdefinitely light and tasty.Open jam sandwichesdominate French tablesin the earlymornings. Oatmealis alsopopular, allwashed down with juices, coffee with milkor chicory. The French rarely drink tea.Throughout the day, water must be availableat each meal (generally tap water,which is, almost everywhere, drinkable)and a crispy baguette. Contrary to whatmany may believe, croissants are not partof the everyday morning diet in France. Ofcourse people love to eat them, but usuallyon weekends.After a light yet filling breakfast, the restof the morning’s plans can start in earnest.Parisians are never likely to go hungry,as despite leaving the table sated atbreakfast, energy for the rest of the daythey'll get at LUNCH (le déjeuner), which isconsumed early, between the hours of 12pm and 1 pm. As a result, during the week,dinners aren’t usually eaten at home and,generally, people only have the opportunityto prepare big, family dinners onweekends. In France, however, this is not aproblem – every town, small or large, hasat least several places where you eat goodquality regional cuisine. In Paris, there arecountless places where you can havelunch.The traditional French lunch startswith an entree. This opens up amyriad of opportunities, rangingfrom salads to soups.Once your appetite hasbeen appropriatelywhet, it’s time forthe main course –delicate dishes,dominated byfish, pastaand vegetables. The third part of thelunch is made up of all manner of cheeses.This is not at all surprising, because theFrench love their cheeses, and the entireworld knows that France is famous for itscheeses. The choice here is enormous, becauseit is estimated that there are over400 types of cheese made in France. Dessertsare rarely eaten here at lunch time –this pleasure is reserved for the evening.Apart from baguettes and water, whicheveryone drinks to meals, you’ll find greatlocal wines.Not every Parisian eats lunch in a restaurantor in their company’s cafeteria, sometimeslunch is on the run. For this reason,sandwiches are becoming more and morecommon. Fresh ingredients and deliciousbreads make what is usually a tasty snack,into a satisfying meal.The most important meal of the day, however,is served in the evening. DINNER (ledîner) usually starts around 7 pm. Thisis not a quick ham and cheese on breadtype of meal, but a real treat, celebratingfood in the company of family, friends orcolleagues. Again, we start with appetisers– usually different kinds of salads, andsometimes soups. The latter not being anintegral part of the daily menu. Then it’stime for the main course. A key componentof this part of the feast is a variety ofmeats, as well as fish and seafood, whichare very common on French dinner tables.These are eaten with vegetable side dishes.Mashed potatoes are often eaten andfries are becoming increasingly more popular.Of course, no meal is complete withouta delicious cheese platter. The crowningof the feast, however, is dessert – cake,ice cream or fruit.When you’re in Paris, try getting into therhythm of eating in the manner perfectedby the French. Firstly, because it'shealthy because it is at regular intervalsand it isn’t stodgy, and secondly,it lets us get a feel for a city,whose day is largely governedby these regular mealtimes.Bon appétit!fot. shutterstock.com