Ray and I are heading over to France for a couple weeks (April 30 to May 12) and will visit Paris, Nice and Arles. We’re curious to know if there are any folks from Gone Raw in these areas and if you’d have recommendations for our travels and eating!
Although I am not from there, I just visited this past summer to Nice and Paris. We were just interested in vegan food but ate a lot of raw food while we were there. The farmer’s markets are amazing…you could have a feast on all the yummy produce.
We looked on happycow.net for restaurant recommendations and health food stores. We went to a health food store called “biocoop” and then got a book of all the “biocoops” in France. This was very helpful as we were in Provence and found some in small little towns.
The hardest thing for us was our stomachs were on a different time zone and we often were hungry when the normal restaurants were closed. Brasserie food is not as healthy as typical restaurant fare, although most restaurants offer a good salad (better than most places in US). So plan ahead basically and don’t wait for lunch.
Oh the other thing that was helpful was to have a small dictionary with you (more than just a traveler’s dictionary) for looking up the words on the menus. Although a lot of people speak English, you may want to screen a place based on the menu outside and looking up words is a must if you have food restrictions.
It is a beautiful place to travel and I wish you loads of luck (on staying raw). I have a wheat allergy and I did not eat any bread so I had to plan very carefully. let me know if you have any more questions.
i grew up in southern france. i’m going to live vicariously through you because i’m not going back this year.
bitt had some great suggesions. i noticed your metro photo earlier! =)
things you’re gonna love:
—the farmer’s markets are called “le marché” and they are REALLY starting to pick up on the organic trend. though, it’s not like in the US… in france, the “conventional produce” tastes like organic and the organic tastes like it’s from heaven. my family and i have a joke whenever we go back of saying “the schnozberries taste like schnozberries.” (from willy wonka… i.e. everything tastes the way it should!)
—{organic is “bio” as in “biologique”} they also have a super cool system of marking anything “sprayed” as “traité” (treated).
—in restaurants, salads and “crudites” (literally “raws”) platters are what you will be looking for… with “crudités” ask for no egg, “sans oeuf” because for some reason that’s considered a crudité.
—a very typical (esp. in the summer) dessert menu would have options of either a bowl of strawberries, raspberries or other “fruit rouges” (red fruit), or a small cantelope with it’s decoratively cut hat taken off (you’ll see)... to be eaten with a spoon.
—in PROVENCE: olives in any of the markets are truly raw (have a feast!), tapenade is vegan (green and black), anchoïade is made with anchovies (grey, ick!).
—the olive oil is out of this world delicious! even the cheap stuff.
—for a true treat go to “Colombe D’Or” restaurant in St. Paul de Vence. the ambience is ABSOLUTELY stunning. i’m not sure what they could do for main courses, but one of their first courses is literally a big basket filled with raw vegetables (radish, daikon, tomatoes,... but again, a hard boiled egg in it’s shell… ignore!) that you cut up. they are used to having tourists, so if you call ahead and tell them you’d both like beautiful vegan salads (make sure you explain what vegan is) i’m sure they would accommodate you! just to go for a drink would be lovely… roam the inside where the walls are like a museum… full of picassos, matisses, miros… they all used to stay there (it’s also a hotel) and exchanged art for room and board… the ones on the walls are reproductions because they had theft problems though…
things you will have to wiggle around:
—no one knows what vegan is. it’s called “vegetalien(ne)” but seriously, no one will know what you mean. to better explain your diet say “nouriture a base de plantes, ni viande, ni poisson, ni fromage, ni oeuf” (plant based diet, no meat, no fish, no cheese, no eggs), or “je suis vegetarien(ne), mais sans fromage ou oeuf” (i’m vegetarian, but without cheese or eggs)
—they don’t expect modifications to their menu. in france, going to a restaurant is sort of like going to someone’s home. you don’t tell them what to cook. they offer you what they have. i’d shy away from restaurants and stick to markets, go picnic in the beautiful parks in paris, the beautiful beaches in nice, and i’ve never been to arles… (but avignon is close by… coolest place on earth!)
hope that helps… lemme know if you have any questions.
Merci! We’re staying in Rue Cler while in France and I am really looking forward to the markets there – open 6 days/mornings a week, I’ve heard. I’m looking forward to the amazing produce. I just had my first French lesson (learning a couple phrases to assist with travels).
binn, do you have a favorite travel dictionary? I have a couple phrase books, but they are fairly basic.
pianissima, I thought about taking the train to Avignon from Arles. It sounds like an amazing city.
Kandace, my husband and I want to go to France within the next year or 2. I’m curious—will you be taking utensils and a mini blender with you in order to prepare the food you purchase “dans les marches en plein aire”? Also, will you be sampling any non-raw dishes at all? I’ve been there before I went raw, and have to say the food is truly amazing. I’ve gone back and forth with it in my mind regarding travel, especially as my hubby is not raw or vegetarian. I think the food issue is a lot easier when you have a united front!
6 posts, 4 voices
kandace writes, Apr 20, 2008: (597 posts)
Ray and I are heading over to France for a couple weeks (April 30 to May 12) and will visit Paris, Nice and Arles. We’re curious to know if there are any folks from Gone Raw in these areas and if you’d have recommendations for our travels and eating!
bitt writes, Apr 20, 2008: (972 posts)
Although I am not from there, I just visited this past summer to Nice and Paris. We were just interested in vegan food but ate a lot of raw food while we were there. The farmer’s markets are amazing…you could have a feast on all the yummy produce.
We looked on happycow.net for restaurant recommendations and health food stores. We went to a health food store called “biocoop” and then got a book of all the “biocoops” in France. This was very helpful as we were in Provence and found some in small little towns.
The hardest thing for us was our stomachs were on a different time zone and we often were hungry when the normal restaurants were closed. Brasserie food is not as healthy as typical restaurant fare, although most restaurants offer a good salad (better than most places in US). So plan ahead basically and don’t wait for lunch.
Oh the other thing that was helpful was to have a small dictionary with you (more than just a traveler’s dictionary) for looking up the words on the menus. Although a lot of people speak English, you may want to screen a place based on the menu outside and looking up words is a must if you have food restrictions.
It is a beautiful place to travel and I wish you loads of luck (on staying raw). I have a wheat allergy and I did not eat any bread so I had to plan very carefully. let me know if you have any more questions.
pianissima writes, Apr 21, 2008: (1097 posts)
i grew up in southern france. i’m going to live vicariously through you because i’m not going back this year.
bitt had some great suggesions. i noticed your metro photo earlier! =)
things you’re gonna love:
—the farmer’s markets are called “le marché” and they are REALLY starting to pick up on the organic trend. though, it’s not like in the US… in france, the “conventional produce” tastes like organic and the organic tastes like it’s from heaven. my family and i have a joke whenever we go back of saying “the schnozberries taste like schnozberries.” (from willy wonka… i.e. everything tastes the way it should!)
—{organic is “bio” as in “biologique”} they also have a super cool system of marking anything “sprayed” as “traité” (treated).
—in restaurants, salads and “crudites” (literally “raws”) platters are what you will be looking for… with “crudités” ask for no egg, “sans oeuf” because for some reason that’s considered a crudité.
—a very typical (esp. in the summer) dessert menu would have options of either a bowl of strawberries, raspberries or other “fruit rouges” (red fruit), or a small cantelope with it’s decoratively cut hat taken off (you’ll see)... to be eaten with a spoon.
—in PROVENCE: olives in any of the markets are truly raw (have a feast!), tapenade is vegan (green and black), anchoïade is made with anchovies (grey, ick!).
—the olive oil is out of this world delicious! even the cheap stuff.
—for a true treat go to “Colombe D’Or” restaurant in St. Paul de Vence. the ambience is ABSOLUTELY stunning. i’m not sure what they could do for main courses, but one of their first courses is literally a big basket filled with raw vegetables (radish, daikon, tomatoes,... but again, a hard boiled egg in it’s shell… ignore!) that you cut up. they are used to having tourists, so if you call ahead and tell them you’d both like beautiful vegan salads (make sure you explain what vegan is) i’m sure they would accommodate you! just to go for a drink would be lovely… roam the inside where the walls are like a museum… full of picassos, matisses, miros… they all used to stay there (it’s also a hotel) and exchanged art for room and board… the ones on the walls are reproductions because they had theft problems though…
things you will have to wiggle around:
—no one knows what vegan is. it’s called “vegetalien(ne)” but seriously, no one will know what you mean. to better explain your diet say “nouriture a base de plantes, ni viande, ni poisson, ni fromage, ni oeuf” (plant based diet, no meat, no fish, no cheese, no eggs), or “je suis vegetarien(ne), mais sans fromage ou oeuf” (i’m vegetarian, but without cheese or eggs)
—they don’t expect modifications to their menu. in france, going to a restaurant is sort of like going to someone’s home. you don’t tell them what to cook. they offer you what they have. i’d shy away from restaurants and stick to markets, go picnic in the beautiful parks in paris, the beautiful beaches in nice, and i’ve never been to arles… (but avignon is close by… coolest place on earth!)
hope that helps… lemme know if you have any questions.
kandace writes, Apr 21, 2008: (597 posts)
Merci! We’re staying in Rue Cler while in France and I am really looking forward to the markets there – open 6 days/mornings a week, I’ve heard. I’m looking forward to the amazing produce. I just had my first French lesson (learning a couple phrases to assist with travels).
binn, do you have a favorite travel dictionary? I have a couple phrase books, but they are fairly basic.
pianissima, I thought about taking the train to Avignon from Arles. It sounds like an amazing city.
bitt writes, Apr 21, 2008: (972 posts)
as far as a dictionary, i just borrowed the one from the house we were at. I would just get a small one. my bookstore had quite a few options.
avignon is wonderful. we spent a day there but wish we had spent longer. we did some olive oil tasting around st. remy which was really fun.
yep we skipped most restaurants and ate out of the biocoops and markets. those markets are the best!
Mon46 writes, Apr 21, 2008: (320 posts)
Kandace, my husband and I want to go to France within the next year or 2. I’m curious—will you be taking utensils and a mini blender with you in order to prepare the food you purchase “dans les marches en plein aire”? Also, will you be sampling any non-raw dishes at all? I’ve been there before I went raw, and have to say the food is truly amazing. I’ve gone back and forth with it in my mind regarding travel, especially as my hubby is not raw or vegetarian. I think the food issue is a lot easier when you have a united front!