Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of cooked and smoked hams, of course, and sausages and
cold cuts and pickles and even some canned and dried goods,
but the heart of the
charcuterie
is in the dishes which the
patron has cooked up fresh for the day: the whole chickens
roasting on the
tournebroche
out on the sidewalk; the vats of
the sidewalk; the vats of the peculiarly bland French version
of
sauerkraut
; the pork and veal roasts, and the
rosbif
French
style, so rare that the middle is hardly cooked at all. Around
these staples, artfully arranged in the front window and then
behind display counters inside, are several cornucopias of
salads, cold
omelets
, smoked salmon, scallops on the half
shell with
béchamel
sauce, decorated with little crescents of
pâte feuilletée
: these and a score of other delicacies, all of
them sultry and seductive and ready to go home with the
i rst customer who addresses them a kind word and a small
bank note. A
charcutier's
front window display is enough to
make grown men weep with pleasure and anticipation. I
always carry a handkerchief myself, just in case.'
You probably won't need a handkerchief, but do carry
something to haul home all the goodies they offer. (I
carry those wheeled bags we older ladies in France are
famous for.)
CLOTHES SHOPPING
Les Grands Magasins
The big fancy French department stores, Printemps, Galeries
Lafayette, Bon Marché and the rest, look very little different
from Harrod's in London, Seibu in Tokyo or Saks Fifth Avenue
in New York. They carry everything from house wares to
toys, but the emphasis is on fashion and cosmetics, with
few bargains.
Catering to visitors, they offer money changing services,
export discounts, a travel agency, theatre ticket sales, and
multilingual staff. Good places to go when you want to avoid
culture shock.
For better prices, try the ubiquitous monolithic discount
stores in France, both national and international: Monoprix,
Carrefour, Ikea, etc. Better prices but less French charm.
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