an illustrated journey of an american in paris
Illustration and food styling, have you met? Proud to share a recent project mixing the two. Veggie Burger by Clea and Esterelle Payany, Editions La Plage.
The stylist’s secret? India ink!
Bon app’!
Photos: Charlotte Brunet
Food styling and illustrations: Jessie Kanelos Weiner
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Living permanently as an expat in Paris, it is tricky finding the right balance between curiosity and gourmandise. But a classic tale of schadenfreude well-equipped me from an early age to live in France. My bedtime stories growing up were of my father’s childhood dogs and his trippy 1970s adventures in Strasbourg, France. Having previously hitchhiked through French Canada with a French guitar player not knowing a word of French, he certainly accrued an interest in the joie de vivre. When he arrived in Strasbourg early one summer morning on Bastille Day, with red in his eyes and a guitar on his back, the town was shut down. The only thing open was the ubiquitous boulangerie. Naturally, like donuts, he ordered a bag of croissants by the dozen. As the bag of warm croissants quickly became transparent, he tore open the bag, ripping apart croissant by croissant. The crispy exterior flakes ripping away in a spiral to reveal the soft, eggy center, all to the fragrance of pure butter. He had never tasted anything better. And he has never been more sick. This story not only inspired sweet dreams with strong food memories, it instilled a strong desire in me to travel, seeking out food memories of my own.
Happy Father’s Day to my dear dad, Big D, the original bon vivant. Thanks for sharing your love of food, storytelling, and humor with me.
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.”
