On Eating in Paris: Memory, Ritual, and a Hint of Cheese
What if lunch wasn’t a pause, but a ritual?
One of my favorite memories of living in Paris is the long, meandering lunches and the after-work gatherings, often accompanied by a bottle or two of French wine. Despite our different backgrounds, my colleagues and I adopted easily the rhythm (or perhaps the rituals) of the Parisian workday. That meant taking a proper lunch break: every day, for at least an hour, sometime between noon and two. Unhurried and always shared.
We’d wander off to nearby spots offering light lunches. I still remember the grilled Japanese skewers with fresh sides, the fiery Indian curries, the perfect Italian pizzas — so good they made us feel briefly transported to Italy. Then there were the classic croque-madames, generous slices of quiche with crisp salad, salmon-topped greens, and the ever-comforting galettes with ham and melting cheese. The only real challenge was choosing where to go, depending on what we felt like that day.
But what truly enchanted me were the markets. Especially the cheese stalls: countless varieties, each more intriguing than the other. I once visited a Festival du Fromage at the Jardin des Tuileries. For the price of admission, I tasted at least twenty, maybe thirty cheeses, each one a tiny masterpiece.
And then there were the tarts — tarte au citron, tarte aux pommes, of course — but also éclairs, pain au chocolat, and countless pastries I haven’t even mentioned. Oh, and the baguette. That deserves a chapter of its own. But only if you know where to find the one.
My husband often recalls a story from his youth, when his baseball team played in France. One evening on the Île de Ré, they watched the sun melt into the Atlantic while roasting fresh salmon in a tin mug, eating fromage moelleux and tearing off hunks of baguette. A core memory, as he calls it. And I understand why.
I could write endlessly about these culinary moments and wanderings. But there’s something just as fascinating — perhaps even more so — about food, health, and culture: the science that explains how these everyday rituals might actually support our well-being.
If you’d like to explore what research says about Parisian eating culture and its nutritional wisdom, wander over to The Library.
Until then,
Anna, the Lantern Keeper
Lantern Notes 