Vive Le Bread!

If there was a way to stuff my suitcase with bread, I would leave all the smelly clothes here and just bring the bread. Sad to say, it would never make it even with all the careful handling by the airlines..... So, although there is fine bread at home, Momo is terribly sad to leave the bread behind. So are the L&P since they have learned to love the bread.

There are some things to learn about bread here that was perhaps just new to us. First, the French work to make the inside of their bread the tasty tasty part. The crust is important, but in a way that is supposed to protect that fantastic yummy inside.

When we first arrived we found bread that came in a variety of colors. Turns out that the pale bread is not stuff you take home and finish - it holds the stuff for baked sandwiches. That is why it looks so darn pale. Momo can tell you without a doubt that you don't want that bread. It is pretty much tasteless even with fillings and being baked. You can also buy bread with a variety of crust colors on purpose. Everyone has a preference. However, you can always count on the inside to always be tasty no matter what color you enjoy. All except that pale thing.

You do however, in Momo's opinion, want the nicely golden slightly crispy crust like the ones in the picture. Now that is a baguette. You can see people carrying those down the street all day long. Single ones, groups of baguettes and none stuffed in paper. One just buys the baguette and off you go. Momo has to hand it to them - with all the baguettes marching to and fro across the city each day and on the Metro, she has never seen one person take a bite. Now that takes willpower.

Then there are the artisan bread folks like at Lafayette Gourmet (like Eric Kayser - Momo thought that name was funny - Kayser/Kaiser is a bread, isn't it?) who sell all kinds of bread that pretty much look the same, but are supposed to be slightly different from one another. Momo thinks bread has gotten too complicated. A simple French baguette is what you need. Just rip the bread and enjoy. No butter, no oil needed.

In Chamonix, so close to Italy, the influences of Italy are apparent. The bread is crustier, crunchier and more thick with crust on the outside - still light on the inside, but with more body. That bread is very very tasty. Even Mr. Momo ate bread. L&P ate bread. None of us could help it. And in Chamonix, the bread came with butter unlike any other butter we have ever encountered. Sure it was European butter which is far more rich than American butter, but this was even better. They served enough with each bread basket to bake two cakes, but it just skated right onto the bread and soon was reduced to a tiny lump. Thank goodness for lots of good red wine, because that butter is so not low fat.

Even if you have access to the best bread makers this is one place to not miss out on the bread.

Momo is still very sad that the bread has to stay here. L&P are particularly sad that the croissants must stay here. Mr. Momo undoubtedly is relieved that the bread is staying here. Bread gets a 10 squared from all of us. Long live French bread!