As much as I’ve criticized restaurant food in France, there is one non-Michelin starred place where they excel: the hamburger. Yes this will run counter to North American beliefs that the burger is their invention, and their pinnacle of fast food dominance, but it is true.
The burger above, of which I’ve enjoyed the single patty version, is from Why Not Pizza and Burgers in Alençon. It is, without question, the best that I’ve had in several years, and yes, that includes the ever-popular White Spot Triple-O.
A week later we found ourselves in Puymirol, at La Bastide Bar | Tabac | Restaurant. They were fully booked up for the Wednesday lunch, so we ate on their cold and sunny patio, and again enjoyed a hamburger better than anything that I’ve had in Canada.
Husband and wife team, great service, friendly, and fantastic food.
Thinking about all of this I’m beginning to believe that the problem is that in North America the hamburger is so ubiquitous that it gets no respect, and it’s assumed to be what you grab when you don’t have time for a real meal. It’s one step up from whatever you buy these days at 7-11. Because we expect burgers to be mediocre, they usually are.
But not in France, where even McDonalds, the company that arguably destroyed everything good about both burgers and fries, serves up an actually pretty tasty version of a Big Mac that is head and shoulders above the pathetic product that they serve in Canada and the US. Somehow Le Big Mac is just a better and tastier sandwich than the Big Mac back home.
And of course, mayonnaise with the fries, and a pretty decent espresso after the meal.
We make it a goal, everywhere we go in the world, to do a few repeated things amidst the other unique and restful things we travel for. They are:
- McDonald's
- Towers
- food of that location's world renown
- local food
We have found that McDonald's, world wide, is completely different. Same menu, yes. Different tastes. Ours here in North America pale desperately. I believe you've pinned a good portion of why. We also noted the care and respect that food seems to get elsewhere in the world from the base start as a garden seed or ingredients as closely grown to home as possible. Here's something I'd be interested in your take on, if you've noticed. Here in NA, when we unwrap a sandwich from McDonald's, you'll find remnants of grease or sauce or some such. There, the wrapper is pristine yet, once unwrapped. Be it french fries, hamburgers, pizza, it doesn't matter. Pristine! Grease is not, it seems, the dominating element of foreign food preparation.
Now, we don't eat fast food when traveling, as a general rule as I don't digest it well. We DO ensure to try it everywhere as a comparison, however, and we've noted the same thing everywhere.
Getting back to what a country or area is known for. We felt sure that we'd eat the absolute best pizza in Italy or New York. Italy excelled in pasta and salads, texture and flavour straight from the richest sun kissed soils. The best PIZZA we've ever had in our lives, however, was from France! They managed, everywhere we sampled, to put together the perfect combination and texture and richness of crust, sauce and ingredients without, despite France having some of the world's most exemplary cheeses ... without absolutely lambasting the flavour of everything else by drowning it in grease oozing cheese!
I truly relish your comparison posts. North America has some beautiful offerings, complete in the nature of architecture, nature, culture AND culinary delights. However I simply glow to read how you, born and raised here, and being reborn in vision and palette and patience there. It's wonderful!!
Carry on! Thank you for continuing to post!