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Fast-food joints and Take-aways

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There are quite a few McDonald's (called McDo's by the French!), Quick's (a French-Belgian chain akin to McDonald's) and other fast food joints in Paris to grab a quick bite.

  • The choices for vegetarian sandwiches are almost non-existent! However, at some Italian restaurants with take-aways and/ or fast food joints, one may find a panini* stuffed with mozarella cheese, lettuce leaves and sliced tomatoes.
  • At fast-food joints, do not confuse the 'Cheese burger' for a burger with just cheese. In addition to cheese, it usually has a patty of minced ham or beef in it.
  • Some joints serve beer too.
pomme de pain

Bakeries:

  • A favourite of office-goers and students like, bakeries offer a great choice of sandwiches, mini pizza and small salted pies for non-vegetarians. One has to compete with a queue especially around lunch time. The fare is usually freshly prepared and can cost between 3 to 7 Euro.
  • A visit to a bakery is not complete without trying one of those famous French pastries. Costing anything between 2 Euro to 8 Euro, these delicious prided concoction of French expertise will make you come back for more.
  • A word of caution though for those who do not eat eggs. French desserts are almost always prepared with some proportion of eggs. There are some pastries/ cakes that may even contain a small amount of liqueur, brandy, whiskey or rhum. If you do not take either eggs or alcohol, it is better to verify with the baker for the presence of these items before buying.
  • If you are allergic to nuts, lactose products or gluten, it is recommended to check for ingredients with the Baker.
Paul's

Buying ready-to-eat dishes at the Super Markets:

  • Most of the supermarkets have sections where one can find ready-made sandwiches, salads etc. These cost around 3-4 Euro. Be sure to check the ingredients. (Poulet is chicken, Jambon is meat).
  • Some bigger department stores (Auchan, Carrefour, Monoprix etc.) usually have a take-away section called Traiteur (pronounced 'trater'). One can usually find a fairly good variety of pasta, pizza and other freshly prepared ready-to-eat dishes for around 4-8 Euro.
  • If you are buying cakes, biscuits or cookies from a super market, you can verify the presence of eggs in ingredients by looking for 'oeufs' on the package information.

Frozen food:

For those who are staying in Paris for a longer duration, at an apartment, apartment hotel etc., buying ready-to-eat frozen food is a cost-effective option. While almost all super markets offer a section of frozen food, for a greater choice, Picard is recommended. Picard is a leading chain of frozen food stores in France. There is a excellent variety of microwavable ready-to-eat dishes, entrées in addition to the desserts.

A Picard 'surgélé' (frozen, pronounced 'surzhaylay', 'u' here is pronounced as in 'coup') store can be located following this link (click on top right link "Trouver un magasin").

Although the site is in French, one just needs to write the zip code (eg. 75016) to find a store closer to one's location.

If the frozen items you are buying are not for ready consumption or you are planning to to keep in the freezer for a few days, you may like to buy an Isothermal bag**. It is available for 50 cents or 1 Euro, depending on the super market. This insulated bag allows you to carry the provisions without defrosting, especially if the store is located at a distance from your place.


 

* a type of Italian sandwich made with freshly baked bread

**an insulated bag to keep things at the original temperature for longer duration