Paris: A city where wearing exercise clothes in public was long considered shameful, dessert is not to be skipped, and definitions of “health” often get lost in translation; recently, a Parisian colleague of mine opted to skip falafel for lunch in favor of the “lighter” option, namely, a baguette sandwich with charcuterie and cheese. But as the recent profusion of bright, airy coffee shops and bistros serving non-potato vegetables makes clear, “manger healthy” isn’t so foreign after all. In a way, rice bowls are just a new iteration of the France’s longstanding commitment high-quality sourcing—just without the security blankets of butter, wine, and cream. There is, as well, an unprecedented bit of humility in this openness toward foreign influences: lots of Japanese flavors and techniques, to be sure, but also “cuisine à la nord-americaine,” a phrase most people thought would never describe anything beyond burgers and dogs. Juice flows alongside natural wine, avocado toast is the new tartine beurrée, and French women still aren’t getting fat. You didn’t come to Paris to eat healthy, but now that you’re here, you just might.
Dining and Cooking