Lyon: Life Beyond the Croissant
If you ask many Americans where Lyon is and what it’s famous for, I would hazard a guess to say most can’t give you a straight answer. And to be honest, I used to be one of those people! But for the past 80 or so years, Lyon has been called both the gastronomic capital of France, and the world. So why have so many young people like myself chosen to jet over to Paris or Nice instead, completely passing over the opportunity to visit Lyon?
The food in Lyon is nothing short of amazing, with the quality of the ingredients and attention to detail surpassing anything you’ll find on Newbury Street in Boston. But Lyon doesn’t try to be anything it’s not— the food here is not something people order just to Instagram, and you won’t find any 30-second recipe videos on Buzzfeed featuring a Lyonnaise salad (a personal fave). Their food is not trendy, or even particularly innovative for that matter. But Lyon takes pride in their regional specialities and mastering what they know, and that’s why they’re the best. You can have a hearty ratatouille at a cozy bouchon, or you can indulge in extravagant truffle soup at the oldest 3 Michelin starred restaurant in the world, owned by the famous Paul Bocuse. The dishes here are as simple as the flavors are complex, and that’s the beauty of French gastronomy.
Northeastern has graciously sponsored several four-course meals for our Dialogue group, with the most recent one taking place on a cruise along the rivers Saône and Rhône. This was in honor of the French Independence Day, also known as Bastille Day, and we had an unobstructed view of the celebratory fireworks from the middle of the rivers.
Another highlight on my gastronomic tour of France was a day trip to visit my family in the Côte d’Azur (French Riviera). Believe it or not, it was not me (the college student) who used the term “Rosé all day!” at every meal…it was the adults. The Provence region we explored is home to some of the best rosé wine in the world, which was expertly paired at dinner with fresh seafood from the Mediterranean. Fun fact: Unlike other wines, rosé doesn’t get better with age. So the best bottle to get is just from the previous year’s batch. Tell that to your friends next time you’re given grief about buying a 2016 boxed rosé at Targét…
There is often talk about the “French Paradox”, an observation that while French cuisine is full of fatty meats, heavy cheese, and endless amounts of pastries, the people of France are not fat. This is because the French savor every single bite of their meal, meaning they easily become full with smaller portions and end up not eating as much. This also means that dinners can run up to 4 hours long sometimes. But the French enjoy the finer things in life, and it wouldn’t hurt us Americans to follow suit sometimes.
