travel

Shopping for American Groceries in France

When I first moved to Paris, I scoffed at the notion of even being within sniffing distance of American food. Bah! Truth be told, it took a long while before I even deigned to go out for sushi or Italian food. I was in PARIS, for cripe's sake. I was there for the cuisine. I couldn't believe the tales of Americans flocking to McDo's for a Big Mac fix, or heading to The Real McCoy on rue de Grenelle in Paris to buy a bottle of maple syrup.

But then, after a year or so, life kind of... normalized. I disovered the occasional joys of hamburgers in Paradise: Paris. The best I've ever had.

I travelled to the States often enough to bring back suitcases filled with Red Rose tea, Clif bars, and various and sundry American food-craving fare for those cold autumn evenings when nothing else would do. Unlike some of my ex-pat friends, there were some food items that I never missed, though. Peanut butter, for example. Toll house cookies.

Recently I discovered a site which is a boon to residents of France who, in between feasting on foie gras or poulet fermier, simply have to have their PB&J or Tex-Mex chili or pumpkin pie: My American Market, an online grocery store for American food in France. So important this time of year, too, when you just gotta have that candy corn or cranberry sauce! When I first heard about it, I assumed it was a start-up by some enterprising American expats in France. Mais non! It was launched a few months ago by Anne-Claire Bocage, a French woman who had spent a few years in the U.S. Upon returning to France, she had a few cravings of her own, and --voila! -- a business was born.

So what are the top 10 bestsellers?

1. Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
2. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
3. Pepperidge Farm Cheddar Goldfish
4. A&W Root Beer
5. Little Becky’s Marshmallows
6. Aunt Jemima’s Cornbread Mix
7. Dr Pepper
8. Reese’s Pieces
9. Aunt Jemima Pancake Syrup
10. Jif Peanut Butter

Polly is a Boston born Baby Boomer who lived on the Left Bank in Paris and is still blogging about it at Polly-Vous Francais. © 2006-2008, Polly-Vous Francais, all rights reserved.

Got a 400 word travel piece you'd like to contribute? Click here.