First meal in Paris

Question: What could be better than watching a block of cheese get all browned and gooey under a table-top broiler and scraping away the melted bits to eat with baguettes and perfectly boiled potatoes?

Answer: Very few things.

Raclette is an ingenious excuse for eating several servings of cheese in one sitting, along with heavy starches and various meats and pickles, if you want them.

Voila, l'appareil:


Et le fromage:


Et, bien sur, the happy customers:

Omid, my kind host and current Teaching Assistant for the district of Versailles.

And moi, after a sleepless overnight flight, three train changes on the Paris metro at morning rush hour (rather unpleasant), and an eight hour nap, ready to enjoy all the lactic delights of the town.

Sadly, this would be the only cheese I would eat for the next three days, but as I ate half of that sizable block, I think my digestive system was probably ok with it. I have since gone on to eat all kinds of brie and chevre, and just purchased a cheese from Bourgogne that looks and tastes like butter. And with a week and a half left of my trip, I imagine I'll find plenty more to eat in the fatty, cheesy, and delightful category.

Moral of the story, I will never be vegan.