On non-French cuisines in Paris
A few anecdotes that didn't make the final cut of The Eater Guide to Paris
Here’s the trouble with being wordy and held to a word count while writing a book: at some point, someone is going to have to be the responsible one and trim the excess. That person is an editor who understands the parameters of book-making and reasoning with an author who thinks most elements of a text, as included, are vital. The compromise usually makes the text stronger—pieces of all that excess can often be woven in to other sections or subsections and while it won’t be incorporated as initially intended, the message remains.
I am, of course, talking about myself and my very good editor on The Eater Guide to Paris. If you’ve received the book and started perusing, you’ll notice a handful of contextual passages such as A Brief History of Dining and various Spotlights, which allowed me to discuss the sheer diversity of cuisines and styles that have come to shape the landscape, including Southeast Asian, Chinese, Sub Saharan African and Caribbean. Below, a few explainers we had to axe:
ITALIAN
The Parisian dining experience wouldn’t be what it is today without the culinary influence of Italians, whose descendants make up the second-largest community in the city. This combined with France’s proximity to the bel paese has made its products, recipes, and even shops—Oscar Farinetti’s upscale mega-chain Eataly opened in Paris in 2019—natural imports. And while there are countless fine food stores, regional and fine dining restaurants (in several hotels: the Four Seasons George V, Hotel Bulgari, and Le Royal Monceau), and even a beloved wine festival—Vini di Vignaioli, celebrating natural Italian wines—no facet of Italian culture is more omnipresent in the French capital than pizza. The French are the second largest consumers per capita of pizza in the world after the United States (you’ll notice, Italy is not in the top two), which shouldn’t come as a shock once you scan the streets of Paris and take in just how many shops boast having the best pies in the city.