Recently in class we read an excerpt from Lucy Long’s Culinary Tourism. The concept is simple really…people intentionally go to restaurants to experience another culture, another way of life, with food as the medium. It seems so obvious, yes? But I have never really walked into an “ethnic-to-me” restaurant with the awareness that I’m going to that place to experience that culture, not just because I’m hungry and would settle for nothing less than spicy dal and cooling raita.
Well, this awareness has made me quite curious to say the least! Paris is filled with tons of ethnic restaurants – flavors from Morocco, Lebanon, Ethiopia, India, Africa….you name it. In fact, it’s even more common then French food…something I wasn’t expecting when I got here.
Well, tonight’s we dined in Ethiopia…my very first trip there 
We went to a restaurant called Le Négus, a tiny little place in the 11th arrondissement with room for about 20 or some diners at a time. One of the questions raised in Lucy Long’s book is the question of authenticity…how do restaurants ensure that your “ethnic dining experience” is authentic? Well, lots of places start with decor…
The music was really great too…very easy to forget that the Eiffel Tower was just a hop, skip and a jump away. Authentic in my eyes!
I was most excited about going to this place because I knew we’d get to eat sans forchette. Yep, gettin’ right in there. Doin’ the damn thang. Okay, you get the picture. My foodie friend and I ordered a mixed plate of various vegetables, chicken, and lentils…
And you don’t need a fork when you have injera, a soft, spongy Ethiopian bread.
The food was really delicious! A bit spicy and extremely flavorful. I enjoyed every messy bite.
We continued our culinary travels to Chez Julien in Saint-Germain-des-Prés for something sweet, despite the food coma we were already in.
Pour moi, le gâteau au chocolat,
avec un café crème.
I wish the pictures did our dessert justice! I decided not to bring the paparazzi (Canon 30D) and just took the little guy tonight (Powershot SDS880). We were in France (for the cake) and Italy (for the coffee) at the same time. Perfect end to our culinary travels for the evening.
I’m currently in a bit of a gluten coma – my face turned red instantly after our Ethiopian meal (as the injera has wheat!), and I’m feelin’ a little a foggy. But…the culinary adventure was worth it. One for the record books, for sure!
Have you “traveled” anywhere recently? What’s your favorite type of food to eat?
Le Négus
52, rue de Montreuil
75011 Paris
Chez Julien
1 Rue du Pont Louis Phillipe
75004 Paris
{ 1 trackback }
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
That looks like a great restaurant! A culinary trip around the world is a great concept.
Choosing a favorite type of food to eat is very difficult for a foodie. I can always go for some sushi though =)
i ‘traveled’ to Dallas (from Colorado) last weekend…does that count? not that we ate here while we were there, but one of my favorite places there is either Patrizio’s or I Fratelli (both Italian). so amazing!
I’m so jealous of all your delicious eats abroad! I’ve never had Ethiopian before, but it looks delicious. My favorite culinary style is definitely Japanese- I love seafood!
My man and I went to the most fabulous Indian restaurant just outside of Auckland, New Zealand a couple of months ago….It was totally random that we found it too. It was raining like mad and we HAD to pull over and take a break until it let up ( we were not liking driving on the left hand side of the road in the rain! ) Anyway, it was the only place open in a quaint outdoor mall so we gave it a go….OMG the BEST Indian Food I have EVER had and in New Zealand of all places??? How weird is that? Amazing!
Ethiopia is one of my *favorite* culinary places to travel — DC is blessed with a bunch of Ethiopian restaurants. One thing I learned while talking about the injera: it’s unleavened, so it actually “rises” when it hits your stomach! That explained why I felt almost uncomfortably full about an hour after eating there…so now, I *try* to stop eating while I’m still just a bit hungry. That way, I’m comfortably full later!
Also, thanks so much for talking about your cameras — I love your shots, and am currently shopping for a new “little guy” camera. I’ll definitely try out your Powershot model! :-)
How exciting to have such a broad array of different types and styles of foods! I definitely had a huge smile on my face as you explained the eating with the hands….it took me back to a very funny movie “Along came Polly”, when Ben Stiller was experiencing Ethiopian food for the first time….truly a funny scene!
Please keep sharing all your experience! Love em’!
I looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove Ethiopian food! It’s so fun eating with bread!
And I love traveling through a meal. My most recent food travel was actual travel (I went to Taiwan and Thailand!) but even when you’re actually in a different country, you can experience the culture in different ways. For breakfast in Bangkok, my dad and stepmom would have coffee and croissants brought out to their room.
I’d go out on the street and chat with the vendors, watch people going to work and school, and buy something delicious and authentic (and, may I mention, HELLA cheap!). So many people are supposedly “traveling” but often, in actuality, staying in their air-conditioned hotel room eating American food.
Injera is gluten-free. Many celiacs are really happy to find Ethiopian restaurants since they can eat the bread. Maybe your reaction was to something else? Or maybe that restaurant mixed the teff with wheat flour. Traditionally it is wheat-free. Check out this blog post from gluten-free girl about what she does with teff (the grain that bread is made from): http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2005/12/and-finally-theres-teff.html
I’ll have to check out that read- sounds good. I love eating out as a way to get to know another culture- but you are absolutely right, we do need to be more aware of the whole experience, not just the food on the table.
I LOVE Ethiopian food! I’m so surprised that you had a gluten intolerance breakout after the Ethiopian, I would think that Ethiopian food would be a good bet, as I know that teff is often used in gluten free flour substitute blends.
Maya,
I’m thinking it was the delicious chocolate cafe at dessert =)
Glad to read that you had a good Ethiopian meal in Paris. I’d recommend trying it out in Ethiopia, where the servers feed you by hand. It’s quite an experience and I’ve only been served like this once in the US–in DC of course. Great pictures hope you get a chance to have many more experiences like this while you are in Paris.