my french inlaws came to see us while we were in the u.s. and we decided to take them to new york. the first morning we went out for breakfast and i ordered bacon, eggs, potatoes, toast. i LOVE a huge breakfast. my french mummy in law thought it was gross to eat that much food in the morning. me rolled eyes. that’s the best time to eat a huge meal. an american breakfast like that is considered a meal for dinner in france. i was actually thinking, ok, you think THAT’S gross but eating cassoulet, which is gobs of beans swimming in duck fat at 10pm at night is NOT gross?!

now i’m in france so when i want a breakfast like that, i have to go to…wait…no one serves breakfast like that, at least where i live in burgundy – so i have no place to go. this makes sense; why should anyone serve an american breakfast in france?! i miss it sometimes, though.

if you’re in the south of france and are desperate for a big breakfast like i’ve described, you can go to stars and bars or café de paris in casino square in monaco and in paris you can go to breakfast in america. of course, if you’re traveling in france from the u.s. or from another big breakfast eating country, you probably don’t need to have an american breakfast, and might prefer the french experience: a bowl of café au lait and a crispy light buttered baguette or flakey croissant will do, right? not knocking those; not knocking those.

i really miss going to DUPAR’S in l.a. for the best, most unrivaled pancakes, the GOD of pancakes man has ever known – and served all day long. i wonder if eggs n things and the flying biscuit are still as good as they used to be, too. anyway, for pancakes in france i end up making breakfast at home unless i feel like traveling on a train a few hours for a cuppa joe and crispy bacon, eggs, cheesy potatoes and maybe a wedge of orange.

i’ve heard about loads of expats having a hard time finding bacon in france, which leads to ranting and cursing the living hell out of our francophone home country. i should consider myself lucky because we go to a nearby farm for organic produce, eggs and meats, and amazing bacon. many of you are nowhere near a farm and might not be able to find the same quality bacon BUT! never fear, you CAN and WILL find bacon in paris; i swear. no, it’s not smoked ham or bits and pieces of fat lardons. you just need to ask the butcher for de la BARDE. french people don’t pan fry them and eat them crispy and on their own. they usually wrap bacon around other meats in a terrine or a roast – but it IS bacon, thinly sliced, just like you need them to be for breakfast! (or for a BLT or a BLAT). happy eating.