Très Brooklyn

Paris is amidst a burger blitz.  USA is the chicest marque about town.  And of all the breaking news in the world, Parisien burger trucks splashed the front page of the International Herald Tribune earlier this week in Julia Moskin’s article  Food Trucks in Paris? U.S. Cuisine Finds Open Minds, and Mouths.  There has already been an endless flow of coverage on this sensation, thefrancofly included.  But one thing that struck me was the article’s coining of the ultimate praise from French foodies, being “très Brooklyn”.  As most Parisians don’t understand, Brooklyn is usually something to be avoided by New Yorkers.  However, the Brooklyn philosophy of local, sustainable, simple food is exactly the idea borrowed from France that revolutionized American cuisine decades ago, thanks to other American expats candidly looking in like Julia Child and Alice Waters.  So what is the big deal?  The real fuss is the discovery of quality food without the formalities of traditional eating rituals.  Instead of sitting down to an hour-long lunch, eating with the hands, eating on the go, or my personal favorite, eating standing over the sink, are all creeping into the new French food culture.

So what’s up next in this mini-Americanization?  I’m keeping my fingers crossed for bodegas and/or CVS.  Will the food truck brigade start a revolution?  Raise your biodegradeable fork and say ‘oui’.  Or are Parisians adapting the “très New York” pastime of voracious food trends?  I will know when I hear “très Long Island City.”