(sorry das) I feel lots of apprehension about some ppl talking about France's cuisine. Some comments were just funny, not to be arrogant, they just are. You read analyses online of guys who don't have a clue what they're talking about going on with great big conclusions about what French food is, and isn't. It's cute. And it's funny.
But for the rest, this is what I can add (that I haven't already said): the basic expectations of the ppl here are much higher than the ppl of any other country I've encountered. Even your common bloke here requires a certain quality for what he puts in his plate daily. Even McDonald's goes through a certain filtering to insure a certain quality of meat, because otherwise the people just won't have it.
I remember once in particular, I hadn't been out of Qatar in 3 years, had only been to the States before that streak, and Australia notably. I'd got so used to regular shiitty food when I just went out for a quick meal somewhere in those 3 years, my body had developed a standard staleness in terms of appreciation for food. And then I finally "come home" one summer, and we're in Paris, tiny neighborhood, not fancy one bit...get out of the hotel, go for breakfast around 11am, outside on the terrace, the most regular bistro/caffé you'll see. I ordered a full platter: the croissant, jams, bread, "brioche", along with that little coffee...I couldn't focus on anything else but the food. Later on, the whole family went for dinner in the same area, some typical narrow little Parisian restaurant, with the books inside, the old school decor. I had a "pavé de saumon" (cooked salmon) along with rice with sauce. Again, it was a delight compared to all the shiit I'd had so far in 3 years, I'd forgotten the level in France. Just the Béarnaise sauce that came along, the perfect cooking of the rice, the right consistency perfectly complementary to the tender yet firm salmon...
I'm just saying: it's the little things sometimes too, and obviously esp. with the economical crisis, moms don't dish out fkn fillet mignon every day to their kids, they give em pasta and some form of protein; but beyond the Michelin stars and incredible gastronomy, there are those little Parisian bistros, those high quality pastry breakfasts with those smoked smells, the character in the food, the presentation, and let's not forget France invented the concept of eating and drinking the adequate wine with the food. And NO, no...sorry, it isn't snobbish. It really is a higher level of appreciating owning a palate.
