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I have been in France for over a year, and despite the reputation for having great food, breakfast doesn't seem to be that impressive in France. To me, the vast majority of people just have coffee and some sort of bread (croissant, pain au chocolat, baguette etc.) They are tasty, but it just become monotonous after you eat it morning after morning. And everything is sweet. The lack of choice really makes me disappointed.
As a Chinese person, what I miss most about Chinese cities is the huge variety of breakfast. Some people eat various kind of bread with milk too, but there is also the steamed buns, steamed bun stuffed with juicy pork (xiaolongbao), bean curd soup or soy milk/ deep-fried dough sticks, thin and crispy pancakes (with eggs, green union and some spicy sause), wonton, congee with pickles, they are all very different and suit different people. As a westerner you might not like all of them, but the variety is much better.
None of them is fancy stuff, but the normal breakfast most people eat every morning and is incredibly affordable, widely available in every neighbourhood. In Shanghai for example, 6 xiaolonglong costs under 1 euro.
Why is breakfast so boring in France? Do people want more varieties?
Perhaps only if eating out - at home you can eat whatever your heart desire.
However if you really want bigger selection, I am sure you could find places that would better please your palate.
How so ? The viennoiseries that suck here ? Otherwise it's basically the same thing. Except they have the weird habit here of eating yogurt in the morning.
I guess it's just my preferences. Their pastries are subpar IMO compared to those in France. They're too hard and sweet, and don't "breathe" freshness like those in France. Their deli meats are also too hard and salty for my taste - at least for breakfast. I am fine with them at other times of the day though. As I am with other aspects of Italian cuisine - I'd eat it all the time for lunch and dinner.
Yeah, I get what you mean. The pastries are ok here but something is lacking. I really miss the bakeries here. Also I don't think eating meat for breakfast is common here, most people eat cereals, cappuccino, milk and biscuits.
I eat yogurt with müsli, white bread with cold cuts, some juice and a lot of coffee. I don't even want to eat rice, soups or some other weird oriental food in the morning. Boke.
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What this really is about is that breakfast in Europe is a rather new invention. In the agricultural times people just took some old bread, stockfish, fruits (in the summer) or cured ham into the pocket and went to work the fields. The first real meal was lunch.
I eat yogurt with müsli, white bread with cold cuts, some juice and a lot of coffee. I don't even want to eat rice, soups or some other weird oriental food in the morning. Boke.
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What this really is about is that breakfast in Europe is a rather new invention. In the agricultural times people just took some old bread, stockfish, fruits (in the summer) or cured ham into the pocket and went to work the fields. The first real meal was lunch.
Do you not think cheese and cold cuts are weird for the "oriental" people??
I never judge French food to be "weird", although I myself almost never drink coffee, or eat "cold cuts", but my point is the lack of options. I of course won't comment about "Finnish food". Trust me, even the poorest "oriental country" doesn't envy Finnish food.
Last edited by Rozenn; 09-27-2017 at 03:16 PM..
Reason: Rude
yes, anything can get boring after a while, including a "full English breakfast", if that means the same bacon, eggs and sausage every day.
And that's exactly my point. in China and possibly much of Asia, breakfast has a lot of varieties. You can have something very different from each other for 15 days without problem. You are not stuck with the same cafe/croissant, or eggs/sausage every day, no matter how good they are.
Yes, I agree it is a cultural difference. The French just don't think breakfast is a big deal. But my point stands: it is boring and has too few varieties, and more varieties are always a good thing, because I don't think all 67M people are all 100% happy with the same option every day.
That's why I like cities in Canada and the US for breakfast. You can have basically anything you want, at home or choosing a restaurant.
true but nothing is freshly made the same morning (as the examples I gave for China), is it?
Well, if you make it for yourself at home I guess it would be, no?
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