Paris Watch The Bread and Butter of Daily Life in France By KIKI YOSHIDA	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
フランス人にはパンが不可欠 フランスのパンと言えば、真っ先に細長いバゲットを思い出しがちですが、実際は、実にさまざまな種類のパンがあります。パンだけでなくケーキなどのお菓子類もおいしくて種類も豊富。フランスでの生活は、パンやケーキ抜きでは考えられません。

Nearly everyone who visits France says how delicious breads are. I, too, was moved when I first ate bread here. You can buy freshly baked bread any time of the day. The baker starts working very early in the morning, and the process goes on as customers come and buy bread without pause.

At first I bought only baguettes, until I learned about breads with different characteristics. There are "pain de campagne" (farmhouse bread), "pain de seigle" (rye bread), "pain au chocolat" (pastry with chocolate filling), "pain complet" (wholemeal bread), "pain d'epices" (gingerbread), "pain au lait" (milk roll) and so on.

My favorite bread is the six-cereal bread at Paul's (a rapidly growing chain store bakery). Actually we have become so addicted to this crispy bread that my boyfriend goes all the way to Paul's almost every day, even though there are many other bakeries in the neighborhood.

In Paris you actually see quite a lot of people walking on the street with one or two baguettes in their hands. I couldn't help laughing the first time at this extremely stereotypical scene. But it is logical, since bread is the staple food in this country.

Every bakery is different; of course there are good ones and bad ones. I once bought a loaf of "pain aux raisins" (currant bun) at three different bakeries on the same day. To my surprise, the buns tasted totally different. One of them was unbelievably delicious!

I found out later that the store where I bought that one had been elected as the best bakery many times. I didn't know about it beforehand. My experiment gave me confidence in my ability to distinguish the best. Bread doesn't lie.

In Japan, we usually pick bread from the display showcase and put it onto a tray, then take it to the cashier. Here, you have to tell the salesperson what you want. If you don't speak French, point out what you want with your finger.

Bread is even more important than cheese and wine to French people. If you have ever been to a restaurant in France, you have probably noticed that you can have as much bread as you wish. A basket full of bread (normally a baguette that is cut roughly) is automatically carried to your table.

In Japan, bread is part of the menu; normally you have a choice between bread and rice. When I went to a restaurant in Tokyo with my boyfriend, he was surprised to learn that bread is not free.

The next thing that surprised him was the small quantity. "Is that all?" were the first words from his mouth when he saw the two thin slices of bread on the plate. As they say, "So many countries, so many customs."

French people don't go to the bakeries just for the bread. There is a great variety of pastries that proves alluring. I buy fruit tarts for dessert quite often, as well as strawberry shortcakes and eclairs. The apricots, pears, lem ons, figs, strawberries or apples look very appealing on top.

I buy fruit tarts at the patisserie (the confectioners or cake shop), too. Cakes and chocolates in the showcase serve as proof of the chef's finesse. It's said that a good pastry chef can become a capable cook easily, whereas one never sees a cook become a great pastry chef.

People from all over the world come to France to learn French cuisine. They all learn pastry making, which requires keen technique, a sense of art and thorough knowledge of the correct proportions of ingredients. Along with making stocks and sauces, it is one of the basics of French cooking.

Last year I met a Japanese man who had worked as an apprentice at a patisserie. At that time he was making candy at home for a contest. I am not talking about ordinary sweets here, but artwork created with candy. I had never seen anything like it.

Unfortunately, he didn't win that year, but I heard another Japanese person won first prize. I believe he is now making attractive confectioneries somewhere in Japan.

If you think of European table art, you realize that everything involved is designed as one completed artwork. The table decorated with flowers and beautiful tableware deserves to show off the best meal, all the way through to the last course — dessert. What a pleasure to finish the meal with an elaborate gateau on elegant porcelain!

Around Easter, the showcases brighten up with colorful decorations. Among the eggs and bunnies, I saw a Pikachu made of white chocolate the other day. After its success in the United States, Pokemon has started fascinating children in Europe. It was a nice surprise to see the Pokemon effect one spring day.

They might start baking Pokemon bread in the future. Who knows?

Shukan ST: May 5, 2000

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