FRENCH Grocery Shopping: What's It Like?

[@Pointillax]

7:27 look for "poitrine fumée", that's american bacon and near the lardons in the aisle. Almost every supermarket butcher also has some and can cut it to the thickness you want. What's called bacon in France is smoked salted pork loin slices.

[@bgraham1958]

I think most Americans would call French "bacon" "Canadian bacon". Go figure. The pig has been at the heart of French eating for centuries, in fact a Charcutier deals in nothing else. Ham seems to be like the chicken soup of reassuring childhood food for most French people. In spite of how good many of the Super- and Hypermarchés are, it is always worth taking the time to visit local boulangeries/patisseries, charcuteries, boucheries, not the mention the wine makers if you are in one of France's many wine-producing areas.

[@JPS40]

Thanks for the video! I'm French and the hams you see are different in terms of quantity (multiple of 2), cooking method with broth or "bouillon" in French, "à la broche" spit-roasted, "fumé" smoked ...), the amount of salt, the presence or absence of nitrites, the region of origin, organic or not, with or without rind, and the part of the pig (often "épaule" shoulder or "supérieur" ~superior (litteraly) which means the upper part of the pork leg).

[@kristenkim3681]

What I like about ham (and chicken slices, which I prefer over ham), is that you can buy a package of just 2 slices. I buy food for just myself and I don’t always use the slices fast enough and they go bad. Buying just what you need for one meal ensures a fresher product.

[@CROM-on1bz]

When it comes to food, there are hundreds of French comments, it's crazy how much we love it Bouffe.

[@athrunzala6770]

la bouffe c'est sacré !

[@yvesd_fr1810]

@@athrunzala6770 Amen !

[@remy2824]

You are French when la bouffe makes you want talk about la bouffe. Terms.

[@LittrowTaurus]

8:00 Fun fact. Did you know a famous American whose ancestors were French? They came from Isigny and were therefore called d'Isigny which over time became... Disney

[@ilsontfouscesromains]

Sérieux? Eh ben j'ai appris quelque chose

[@backtotheblak]

Americans do not likes d’

[@stephanedaguet915]

@@ilsontfouscesromains Oui il parait, par déformation du nom. J'habite à 16 km d'Isigny-sur-Mer.

[@LetsChillPage]

Oui, c'est parfaitement exact. J'en ai fait part à un Français expatrié aux USA qui critiquait notre inculture cinématographique et musicale (le pays du cinéma, un comble) en commentaire sur YT. Je lui ai donc rafraîchi la mémoire et appris quelques trucs, dont cette origine française de M. Walt Disney.

[@sylvaincroissant7650]

Ceci dit cela date de Guillaume le Conquérant c'est a dire de l'an 1066...

[@lindadorman2869]

Food shopping is my favorite activity when I travel and France does not disappoint. I can spend hours in the supermarket and have a very long list of preferred items. As a Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef, I consider it professional market research and my duty to taste test as many foods as possible!

[@solangelauthier2381]

@@lindadorman2869 You love food shopping and you go to supermarkets ???! !!! Ah ah ah !

[@Janpoldeu]

You may be surprised at this so-called "American burger sauce" you had never heard about, but let me tell you that while in the US some 25 years ago, I often came accross "French (salad) dressings" I had never had in my life despite being from France! Whichever countries you compare, a lot of cultural differences also work in reverse - it's just that people are not aware of them.

[@BaguetteBound]

Hahaha, oh my gosh this is so true about US "French" dressing and I hadn't even thought about it! I wonder why it's called that??

[@Janpoldeu]

@@BaguetteBound It's a marketing gimmick, and it's used globally. In any given country, locals/consumers have certain stereotypes about other countries, they associate a nationality/country of origin with certain attributes, and will use the corresponding adjective ("American" this, "French" that) to carry a specific image. I guess French cuisine is perceived in the US as being good with salads or dressings? In the US I saw lots of beauty items that were qualified as being "French", whereas to me they were just regular items one could find anywhere in the world. But France is famous for beauty products, perfumes and so on. Just like if you are a chocolate maker you'd better market your product as being Belgian or Swiss, for example. Good luck trying to sell Argentinian or Singaporean chocolate! One anecdote: one of the most popular Chinese dishes in France is "Riz cantonais" (= Cantonese rice). I've been to Canton (aka Guangzhou), and this "riz cantonais" was nowhere to be found, of course! 😁

[@Alex-mp1zb]

@@Janpoldeu Cantonese rice does exist though and I was taught how to prepare it by a friend from China.

[@Janpoldeu]

@@Alex-mp1zb Yes, you're right. I wasn't precise enough in my comment. What I meant is that Cantonese rice as prepared and served in France does not exist in China. The recipe has been modified and customed to local tastes and preferences.

[@noliv5832]

This makes me think about la "Macédoine de légumes" which in Macedonia is called a Russian salad and in Romania is sometimes referred to as a french salad :)

[@TheCapitaineCarnage]

Quick thing about the shopping carts: If you do not have a euro coin available, you can go to the welcoming desk and ask for a plastic coin. They will give it to you, for free. And you can keep it.

[@mathieuShoulz02]

It's ok with 🔑.

[@Marius-jg6sl]

Le jeton qu'ils te donnent est en carton maintenant (la plupart du temps).

[@KBinturong]

@@Marius-jg6slje l’ai fait y’a deux mois et c’était un en plastique. Ils en ont besoin pour bosser, ils peuvent pas se permettre d’en avoir qui ne tiennent pas plusieurs utilisations.

[@SonOfBaraki359]

@@mathieuShoulz02 c'est ce que j'utilise: j'ai perdu trop de pieces

[@heliedecastanet1882]

If you ever have the opportunity to buy "crème fraîche" from a local producer not in a supermarket but in a "marché", go for it 😉 You won't believe the difference between this one and the ones you buy in a supermarket. It is almost yellow, very thick, and the taste is… To die for 🙂

[@solangelauthier2381]

Everything is better outside supermarkets. Shop at the market, in individual shops. Products are fresher and much better quality.

[@yumyummoany]

On the market in the village where my son lives a local farmer sell his goat products. That cheese is beyond fantastic!

[@solangelauthier2381]

@@heliedecastanet1882 Absolutely. Only stupid people shop in supermarkets - except maybe for toilet paper !!!

[@susanjacob4981]

I enjoy your videos on how you're adjusting to life in France. I've been here since 1976 and just wanted to make two comments on what you can and cannot find in Centre Leclerc (where I also shop - in Brittany). You can find brown sugar for making chocolate chip cookes and other things: it is called sucre vergeoise brun ou blonde. The brun is just like our brown sugar. The sucre cassonade is useless for this. They don't always have it so you might want to try Super U or some other supermarket. Also, they do have American style bacon strips - most of the time, and especially around Christmas. They are definitely not as tasty as our fried bacon but they are great to use for aperitif. Wrap a small slice around a prune (pruneau en français - not plum), stick a toothpick to hold all together and put in the oven for a while, watching closely to make sure the bacon doesn't burn. Delicious. My family and french friends can't get enough of them.

[@yumyummoany]

An Angel on Horseback. With oysters they are devils! A traditional savoury in the UK in days gone by!

[@armelle6936]

about french ham, the difference is in the "cook "mode ! smoked, baked, boiled, with salt or without , with herbs or ... there is ham for every taste

[@sylvaincroissant7650]

You can easilyvfind brown sugar in any supermarket in France . It s called "sucre vergeoise" . True we dont use it as much as the other sugars, but it is there...

[@Jagooon]

Or cassonade or sucre roux.

[@sylvaincroissant7650]

@@Jagooon oui mais ce n'est pas du "brown sugar" la cassonade. Ni le sucre roux.

[@mikesmith-rp1mb]

Coming from Ireland, the first thing I notice in French supermarkets is the smell. Charcuterie, fromagerie, boulangerie etc. So different from home. ❤🤍💙🇫🇷

[@emilieponey]

I do a lot of american cakes and cookies recipies and I use a type of sugar called "vergeoise". It can be brown or blonde. You can find it in Belgium with the name "cassonade". It's a very compact and kind of moist sugar. You should try it. I use it for oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and mixing it with classic white sugar it gives cookies that perfect crunchy cheewie texture.

[@KBinturong]

I have tried the perfect cookies receipe… the sugar question is tough… I advise you to read the wikipedia articles about sugar ( in both languages as you won’t find the same explanation and names ). Also try organic supermarkets for that quest. Anyhow, as my fellow french cook just above said : try vergeoise. It might not be what you are looking for but it’s to die for on crepes and waffles and even yogurt. You have vergoise blonde et vergoise brune. Try both !

[@xurok]

If you want bacon in France, you need to go to the charcuterie (even the one inside Leclerc) and ask for "ventrèche". There is two kinds of ventrèche: flat (like us bacon) and rolled (more common type I think).

[@annebernard6604]

How interesting it is, even for a French like me, to see What is different, what astonishes foreign people… I really love to share those things! Hugs from Brittany!

[@fxois3318]

Fresh milk can be found in the refrigerated area, whereas sterilized milk is place in room temp area

[@LittrowTaurus]

I'm really surprised about the absence of deli section in your Leclerc! Mine has a huge one with queuing tickets and everything, where you can get anything from cheese to serrano ham to ready made meals cooked on the premises. I think you should try another Leclerc! Or another retailer. As for quality brown sugar and things in bulk like bicarb, I really recommend places like Biocoop, Satoriz and la Vie Claire. These are smaller supermarkets specialised in organic stuff but you can also buy things in bulk, including detergents.

[@issey1456]

Exactly. It varies a lot from one supermarket to another in France, even if they are from the same franchise .

[@elizzy8754]

Yes, strange. My little country town has a supermarket with a deli and a cheese counter. They also sell clothing, summer footwear, bedding, crockery, car basics like windscreen cleaner, garden supplies, dishwashers, fridges, washing machines.

[@PukeyBrewstr]

I've never seen a supermarket without one so I'm surprised too.

[@philipperodeau7716]

Plutôt un intermarche qu'un leclerc ... il m'a semblé voir un produit de leur marque ...

[@leopratlong8312]

Very interesting to see the point of view of americans to what is something very normal to me as a french :). About the wine medals: unfortunately, in France, they are also a marketing thing and not a seal of quality. There are a lot of reports and articles in french talking about that. In 2022 for example, 24 000 medals have been given to wines in France. You can find more information about that for example in FranceInfo article about the "Foire aux vins". Personally, I almost avoid wine with medals. This is not a red flag, but medals should not be considered as a good point for a wine. By the way, you'll very rarely find medal-winning wines in a good wine merchant.

[@birchlover3377]

Agreed, the real French luxury is to source direct from the winegrower! Ask around among friends and colleagues, they might get you in on a small batch purchase 👍🏼

[@elizzy8754]

Don't forget that supermarkets do home delivery. I started ordering for home delivery during Covid and still get one delivery per week. I top up at the local bio shop, weekly market, etc. I make a trip to the supermarket from time to time to see what's new or not offered on the app for delivery. Works really well for me.

[@andreanagy4801]

I do the same. Great service!

[@stephen10.]

Moi aussi j'ai gardé cette habitude et je choisis les promotions. Ca permet de mieux gérer les courses. Je fais une première liste, j'attends 1 jour ou 2 et puis je choisis parmi cette liste, souvent j'en enlève un peu ou je change de produits.

[@rowandowland1391]

Part of the real joy of moving to France is the food….Over here in the Haute Savoie the selection of fresh locally grown bio and bio dynamic food from a variety of locally owned independent stores is bewildering and so well priced. It’s true what they say about the French and food. Discerning, quality, freshness, choice……. Where else can you purchase 13 different varieties of tomatoes or 12 different types of apples or 6 different varieties of radish….etc. A foodies heaven.

[@20gdetitane]

Bio is absolutely fine. But don't put too much credit on biodynamic stuff. It's a pseudosciemtific concept created by a sect (les anthroposohes) which wouldn't in any way garantee a higher quality.

[@rowandowland1391]

@@20gdetitane Thanks for your comments however that’s not been our experience over more than 3 decades now. For example the introduction of biodynamics is both improving the quality of wine and vegetable production as well as reducing the adverse impact of traditional growing methods on the environment.

[@20gdetitane]

@@rowandowland1391 I mean simple bio would do that too. Biodynamic methods are essentially witchcraft. Sure, it's using little pesticides, etc. Which is why it can end up being better than generic products. But it's doing a lot of things that have essentially zero effect. Anyway, if that's working for you, by all means, you can most certainly keep on getting these products. Just felt like I could inform you on the matter in case you'd make any thing with that knowledge.

[@filiaaut]

@@rowandowland1391 Biodynamic agriculture follows the same rules as organic agriculture (which is why you will see an improvement over traditional/industrial agriculture on the metrics where organic fares better), but adds esoteric bullshit on top of it, which have no proven benefits (and often require the use of animal parts, for the vegan people reading this), were devised by an occultist with no agricultural knowledge whatsoever, based on his "instincts", and are still taught religiously despite their uselessness. There are no pragmatic, non religious reasons to pick a biodynamic product in place of a regular organic product, all other factors being equal.

[@rowandowland1391]

@@filiaaut Thank you for sharing your opinion. After being involved in the field for more than 3 decades I have different views and experiences to you. I expect we are seeking different objectives out of life. Regards

[@mabo4165]

Chocolate is anytime you want ! ❤

[@MoSkent1]

Very funny moment when you talk about all the kinds of "chips" that we can find, and their more or less unexpected flavors ! 👍

[@kenedstrom1556]

Great information. You guys do such a good job! I tend to go to smaller neighborhood grocery stores where the selection is much more limited, so I learned a lot about supermarchés.

[@sophiebrissaud927]

Good job, thanks! A little hair-splitting/extra info. 1. There are disposable bags in every supermarket, only you have to pay a few centimes for them. While it is not done in Paris, outside of Paris people usually have 2 or 3 sturdy plastic bags with handles in the trunk of their cars, just for supermarket shopping. They bring the full cart to their car and then divide the contents. 2. There are deli counters (cheese, charcuterie, prepared foods, sometimes fresh meat) in most large supermarkets, even in smaller Monoprix in Paris - not INSTEAD of the packaged ham and cured pork products section, but coexistent to it. 3. The brown sugar in the left-hand bag ("sucre complet de canne") is pure cane sugar, it is moist and perfect for American-style baking. If you want more types of brown sugar (including muscovado, vergeoise and cassonade), just head to the organic foods section. 4. Baking soda (both food grade and household grade) is now widely available in all the larger supermarkets. 5. About eggs, the rule in supermarkets is sell them unrefrigerated. It is recommended to refrigerate them after use, though some disagree with that. As for milk, fresh milk is in the refrigerated section. What you're showing here is UHT, i.e. sterilized milk, which needs no refrigeration as long as the carton is unopened. 6. Chocolate in breakfast cereals: yeah that puzzles me as well. But the French are very dependent on chocolate, even at breakfast. There was a time, a few decades ago, when children's breakfast was hot chocolate with milk and butterd tartines. Not so popular now, but they do eat their chocolate in cereals. Kids, also, may still drink warm ready-mixed chocolate milk drinks for breakfast. 7. "American burger sauce". In fact not the first and certainly not the last thing we call "American" which is unknown in America. A bit like French dressing in France, for instance. 8. Yup, we're very proud of our potato-chip culture. 8. Thanks for pointing out the AOP labels and Concours Général medals, they do make a difference and foreign visitors are often unaware of those marks of quality.

[@user-ys4xx9pi2x]

We just keep watching these videos for snippets about your experiences in your new country. We plan to spend a few weeks in France in the fall, and are excited to see many of these experiences for ourselves.

[@vo4wb]

Now I am hungry 😂

[@michellecbauer]

Oh my gosh this was great! You two are so funny. Raina’s face with the “American Burger” sauce is priceless. 😂 you really nailed it with the ham section comment. There cannot possibly be that much difference with all of that packaged ham to warrant like 100 kinds. The wine! I still miss that LeClerc you were in. There really is some great local wine on offer- even organic ones- for just astonishingly low prices. Baguettes, healthcare and good wine really are human rights in France! Great shot of the Beurre D’Isigny!!! I bought back six packages last winter in the suitcase. Love, love love your videos! Thanks so much this turned out great!

[@BaguetteBound]

Omg, you are even more dedicated than I thought bringing back butter in the suitcase. 😂 I love it!

[@michellecbauer]

I can totally ship you guys baking supplies!

[@RaySqw785]

there been a walt from Isigny you knows as Walt d'Isigny or in English Walt Disney ;)

[@slicksalmon6948]

Very interesting…thank you.

[@schtarell]

J'aime votre chaine , le quotidien vu par de nouveaux arrivants c'est sympa . Vous êtes les bienvenus , peut être une future famille à la double nationalité :)

[@sacroyalty]

Nice video, thanks. I miss French grocery stores! The cheeses alone.

[@odealajoie-fr]

Pour le bacon, il faut aller au comptoir à la coupe, demander de la poitrine fumée, ils peuvent faire des tranches fines dans la machine à jambon. Le Baking soda, c'est du bicarbonate de sodium, vous en trouverez en pharmacie ou au rayon nettoyage.

[@annickleroux9049]

Oh my God this supermarché is in the town where I live : Pineuilh!! Thank you for this ❤

[@atax2819]

Hi, it's really cool to see how Americans view us from the inside. Thank you! and for the ham the answer of @JSP40 was perfect

[@jean-marieg.6456]

😀very nice video again !

[@joanrojas9084]

I’m in France as I view this video and find myself saying aloud … ahhhhhhhh, that’s the system … so thank you! 🎉

[@ronyYTube]

It's so funny to see your reaction to French supermarkets. It reminds me the reaction of my American wife when we went to supermarkets in Paris. Same surprise about the same products (cloths, ham, prepared food, cheese) 😂

[@BaguetteBound]

It really is just all about what you're used to.

[@laetitiafaivre6214]

Very interesting, I may use this video with my students

[@BaguetteBound]

Très cool. 😄

[@abelmost1215]

Dans mon supermarché E-Lecler, je trouve le backing soda de 1,5 kg de la marque La Baleine Bleu au rayon où se trouve le sel.

[@gregglesjmiller3919]

Tip for you : if you don't have a euro for your trolley or if you don't have the plastic token, you can go at the reception desk to get one. It's free. Works in any supermarket or craftshop. NB : In some areas trolleys don't need coins to use them. ;-)

[@afterburner94]

Just a side info related to the topic. Any commercial parking lot which surface is equal or more of 1500m2 has the obligation from July 2023 to install solar panel canopies. Stating this as I see your supermarché is currently installing those. Do not be surprised to see these solar canopies pop up on big parking lots in the upcoming months and years in France :). I think it's such a brilliant idea to make use of sitting real estate that is not in use and give it an active use. The US should follow on the idea, really.Imagine all these Target and Walmart parking lots producing their own electricity. It would solve the grid problems in TX for example. As for commenting the video, the closest equivalent to American brown sugar I found in France is "vergeoise", that's what I use for my chocolate chip American style cookies and it works perfectly. As for the ham, you gotta give to the French people for loving their jambon lol. I think the abundance of it comes down to the pork and charcuterie industry in Brittany, we probably are the #1 pork producers in the EU but don't quote me on that. What a kickass video on French culture and life as usual guys. You are so spot-on. And it probably made all of your audience hungry, me included!

[@christophec3874]

Thanks you. I am french . I lived in USA ( Wichita, KS) 30 years ago. Welcome to France 🎉

[@zapatto51]

Hi. Interesting point of view of foreign people about the french supermarkets. I was in the US 3 weeks ago and It was so funny to compare our different ways of life... no words about the bread section ? I am so surprised. Waiting for the next video to hear about your remarks.

[@karenS6392]

Bread in America is bad. Over priced and bad quality unless you are lucky to have a good bakery near by. I miss the bread in Europe.

[@frenchfarmhouseflair]

Glad a friend told me about your channel! My husband just made that mistake in the produce section lol! 😂

[@BaguetteBound]

Lol, you only do it once! Welcome to France! 😄

[@fredr6557]

Chocolate is definitely for breakfast!

[@solangelauthier2381]

Not at all. Chocolate is drunk in the afternoon too. By kids - or by everybody when it is cold !

[@libelbulle6314]

Merci pour cette vidéo. J'ai souvenir d'avoir vu , aux Etats Unis , du camembert au chocolat et à la fraise. C'est comme pour vous la sauce Heinz pour hamburger. 😊

[@paulplaiulla9033]

I approve of your Crème brûlée choice.

[@yvesd_fr1810]

Absolument ! May I also recommand the Malo "lait emprésuré au chocolat", in its "intense" version. A killer !

[@paulplaiulla9033]

@@yvesd_fr1810 Please do, i love those as well !

[@bbmichelle7104]

A good brown sugar replacement for cookies is the brand Beghin Say. They make a sugar called Vergeoise, either "blonde" or "brune" and either are perfect for cookies. It's not found in every store, so stock up when you find it and store in the freezer. I moved to France over 30 years ago and am amazed at what's available now compared to back then. Living in the land of cheese, but nobody sold cheddar outside of Paris until recently. My fromager scolded me for even inquiring about it - but Mexican food doesn't taste right without it!

[@neroleptic77]

Avez-vous essayé la vergeoise ? C'est littéralement du brown sugar et parfait pour les cookies

[@Elliasp-xx7mb]

c'est un peu trop corsé pour la douceur des cookies ;)

[@midom9143]

sucre de canne en poudre ?

[@brunituteirihia2732]

Non, brown sugar pour les cinnamon rolls par exemple c'est un mélange avec de la mélasse, plus humide que la vergeoise et mon fils le ramène d'Angleterre.

[@sophiebrissaud927]

Le brown sugar dont il est question dans la vidéo est appelé "sucre muscovado" en France et on le trouve plutôt au rayon bio.

[@PlayandPlayinPianoClass-kp2nv]

I agree with you -we love HEB here in Texas! We also the supermarche in France.

[@DeanRamser]

Bonjour! Thank you for the referral to watch Theo to better understand the political landscape in France right now. We plan on moving to France in the fall, so this video on shopping and the other videos on why location is so important has made us rethink where we buy or rent. Merci!! Dean & Cindy

[@blueamenaa749]

Don't buy now. I'm French and we re through a huge political change. The government can be far right or far left. Both suck. Melenchon wants to tax us even more. And the far right didn't say how much money their program costs. Rent and stay mobile.

[@DeanRamser]

@@blueamenaa749 Bonjour! Thank you so much for your response and advice. I agree that staying mobile with cash is recommended for today's turbulent world. Some parts of France seem to require a car, but the big cities are next to trains. What do you think about the train system? Merci! Dean & Cindy *We are retired educators. We just finished a long stay in Europe: 5 months helping a new school open in Lvivv, one month in Krakow learning about WWII, and a month in Tallinn.

[@francocanuck]

Go for it ,better than getting stuck with a criminal wacko if somethings go wrong in the US next year

[@ninab6475]

Hello for sugar for cookies try “La Vergeoise” we don’t find it in all the supermarkets it’s used a lot in pastries, it’s a moist brown sugar with a slight caramel taste.

[@JohnPilling25]

The Super U in Thuir has a fantastic deli counter where you can get meats and cheese sliced! Especially Spanish Jamon. The wine section is fantastic and so so cheap.

[@Janpoldeu]

Salutations d'Amélie les Bains ! 👋

[@VLC8792]

The French make a big thing, & rightly so, of supporting local/regional producers. On a side note I look forward to the Spring/Autumn wine fair.

[@LisaMoo54]

Ah ha ha ha! I had the "go back and weight your produce incident" on my very first day in Carcassonne. I can't believe that the English person who took me there and dropped me off didn't warn me! Oh, the mortification! The Sel de Mer butter on a fresh baguette made up for the humiliation!

[@puccaland]

Baking soda is sold everywhere. That's bicarbonate de soude alimentaire in French.

[@leclospre]

Hello, do not buy ham in plastic containers. You should prefer to take some at the « charcutier » corner.Ask for « jambon blanc bleu blanc cœur » 😉

[@KBinturong]

Le meilleur jambon est dans les deli italiens 😂

[@LeonardBottleman]

Thanks for sharing: it was both entertaining and informative. American brown sugar is just regular sugar with molasses added (it used to be less refined sugar, but that changed decades ago) -- there are plenty of KZbin videos showing how easy it is to make brown sugar with these two ingredients.

[@jeffinabnit9819]

Interesting content. Our last home state was Texas., so we’re going to miss HEB as well.

[@BaguetteBound]

Those fresh tortillas....🤩

[@StorytellerSueW]

@@BaguetteBound let's face it: just about everything in HEB is wonderful...

[@YellowJellowKitty]

you can get streaky bacon in France, If they don't have it in the prepackaged section just go to the "charcutier" section of the store and ask the person for "lard fumé", "tranché" if you want sliced. If they ask how large you want it slice answer "assez fin, c'est pour poêler" (pretty fin, it's to cook in a pan). Also, look at the price per kg, you'll be surprised how sometimes the prepackaged stuff is sometime more expensive than the regular.

[@benoitbach6317]

for the bacon look at POITRINE FUME next to the lardon or buy poitrine in bulk and slice at will !!

[@calise8783]

Brown sugar can be made by mixing molasses and white sugar. You can find proportions for light and dark brown sugar on the internet. Then you will get the American brown sugar taste/texture.

[@lollygee172]

Was just going to say the same.

[@auremilka]

Brets is definitely a good brand of crisps, I always watch closely the flavours available when I visit a supermarket for the first time, hoping I will find the ones I prefer :D

[@niaraa8378]

hahahaha the american sauce it's funy i remember when i went to Usa Memphis i found a "french sauce" no clue what it was ! i guess some supermarket just make s... up !

[@nicobzz1]

the eggs can be kept outside fridge simply because they are not washed a lot, so they keep there protection layer against bacteria.

[@solangelauthier2381]

@@nicobzz1 Eggs need not be kept in the fridge. They will not hatch !!! The eggs you buy have not been fecondated…

[@nicobzz1]

@@solangelauthier2381 what I said is not related to fecundation, it's related to bacteria on the shell

[@Wayne72LEVRAI]

You can keep your eggs outside of a fridge for 20 days after they was made (you have the date on them), and you can keep them 7 more days if they are in the fridge. But i never seen someone put them in the fridge because in two weeks you have plenty of time to eat them (the normal size of an eggs box in France is 6). I believe that in USA they are always refrigerated because the country is huge and it don’t use local food, so the eggs can take more than a week before being sold, this is why they need those extra 7 days.

[@solangelauthier2381]

@@Wayne72LEVRAI Where does this rule of 20 days + 7 days come from ? ! And you think all the eggs they sell in France come from France ? From the nearby farm ? Ah ah ah ! In the supermarkets they may come from the other end of Europe, like the chicken ! In France you can buy eggs in boxes of 4, 6, or 12, according to the size of the family.

[@mephren]

​@@Wayne72LEVRAI Aux États-Unis, les œufs sont lavés, ça retire la couche protectrice de l'œuf, la coquille est poreuse et peut être contaminée. En France et probablement partout ailleurs en Europe, la couche protectrice est gardée et protège les œufs, on peut donc les garder à température ambiante. 20 jours ça me paraît bien, ou même plus, il suffit de les plonger dans de l'eau pour voir s'ils sont toujours bons

[@catfrexfrecat1800]

Il y a du bicarbonate de soude dans quasiment tous les supermarchés. Simplement il ne se trouve pas au rayon "patisserie" mais au rayon "droguerie" avec la lessive et les produits nettoyants pour la maison

[@bennett9117]

Ou près du sel et des condiments

[@GloupsNe]

Il y en a aussi avec le sel.

[@EthyliquementVotre]

Le bicarbonate alimentaire se trouve à côté du sel dans les magasins type Leclerc, Auchan, Intermarché etc. Facile à trouver quand on sait où chercher 😊

[@GeryDivry]

To reduce the risk of get junk food , choose “jambon supérieur”

[@MikeS29]

Glad to see you coming around to french butter, I seem to remember a previous video when you voted unanimously for American butter 😅

[@FredericConstant-vt5ly]

Thanks for sharing and giving your thought as American people. As a French person I also don't understand why do we have so many kinds of yogurts and sliced hams.

[@calvacoca]

I don't know a lot about all the different medals you can find on wine bottles (there's dozens of them), but the one you posted "Concours Général Agricole" is the most famous one, and you can trust it. Gold medal or silver medal wines are always good 👍

[@RemplacementTV]

the "burger sauce" is similar to the sauce we get inside the Macdonald's bigmac usually

[@StorytellerSueW]

Coins for carts - a la Aldi!

[@feraudyh]

About brown sugar. If you go to an organic food shop (like Bioccop) you might be able to find Mascobado sugar and some other very interesting sugars. They're worth a try.

[@victoriagossani8523]

Thanks for the video. In France, Brown sugar's name is Vergeoise. It's mostly used in the North, almost nobody use it in the South, however it's available in most of the super markets. The more big they are the more chance you've got to find some. Take care, there is a Vergeoise brune and a Vergeoise blonde. I'm absolutely certain that inside the "Leclerc" where you are in the video there is Vergeoise brune, the two brands that have some Vergeoise brune are Saint Louis and Beghin Say, and the bags (it's not in boxes) are placed on the same shelfs than Cassonade and other sugars. Probably in the upper part of the shelfs. By the way, there is a "Tarte au sucre" from the North made with Vergeoise brune. It's a brioche tart on which a big amont of Vergeoise brune and butter are poured and baked. It melt in the oven and make something very tasty, with nuances of toffee. Backing soda is not a thing in France, it's just few years that it's available in the Super Markets, it's more a Pharmacie thing. There you can find it anytime. For fun: few decades ago, it was more common to buy your gelatine for cooking at the pharmacy than in a super market. We doesn't use so much baking soda as baking powder, insteade we use "levure chimique" which is a mix of baking soda, tartaric acid and little bit of starch. It's actually very close of your use of baking soda but (if I'm not wrong?) you need to add some acid to activate the baking soda, in the French "levure chimique" the mix is ready to use.

[@JezaGaia]

The difference between most of those hams is packaging mostly, but the salt content can vary as well as the fat content, in some a bit of the lard and gelatin is on sides called la couenne in others they remove it, some use more preservatives than others. but I don't eat any of those, they're made with a lot of chemicals and it's always low grade pork meat and water to add weight. I buy mine at the charcutier in my village made with his own porks and you can see the difference.

[@Old_Wirehead]

Tomatoes are fruits in France too. However, many people are confused because it is not eaten as a dessert. The person who programmed the scale must have made this mistake. However, this is not the general case in stores in France.

[@remy2824]

You are actually entering a hyper market here. This is basically a sort of shopping mall in the countryside / suburb and all the little stores (this may include a pharmacie though) of the gallery revolve around the hyper market aka the main attraction Supermarkets are smaller in size and most of the time they are franchisees

[@jonborowski9781]

Ha! The weighing thing got me! I didn't know to weigh, so the cashier, in the most French way possible, huffed and puffed, making a spectacle of getting up, going to the scale and weighing it herself. I was so embarrassed!

[@BaguetteBound]

🫣 it's happened to us all.

[@francocanuck]

Smile you are on camera, c'est la vie

[@TheEstampe]

6:46 Chocolate is quite common for breakfast in Europe, think of pain au chocolat/chocolatine, chocolate spread or cereals as you mention.

[@baramuth71]

When shopping you have to pay attention to the following: the more expensive items are at the top of the shelves and the cheaper items are always at the bottom, so you have to compare.

[@missbee6524]

You can commonly find both brown sugar and baking soda for cooking in France. Look for sucre vergeoise (Beghin Say brand in yellow packaging) and bicarbonate alimentaire by Baleine brand in a round, blue and green canister. From another American in France 😉

[@venemautube]

Actually, each European country will have it’s own typical products. For example the wine section in the Supermarché will be waaaaay larger as any Dutch supermarkt. We have beer 😂. Also, in some countries you will find products based on colonial heritage for example, in the Netherlands you will a large variety of Indonesian style products.

[@Grytem]

I think some already said it in the comments below, but when I bake american cookies I use vergeoise, which has way more moisture than cassonade! Never used "real" american brown sugar but I think it's pretty similar given your description!

[@Mila-8765-ox4yc]

There is brown sugar (I make American cookies every two weeks). It's called cassonade, you can find it in any supermarket.

[@bernardfinocchiaro6349]

As a French buyer the first thing I control is if there's too much sugar in a product I don't buy it. Pure rubbish.Nobody,per exemple,add sugar in mayonnaise, boudin, etc. If you see sugar in a supermarket product don't buy it. Boycott it.

[@jean-marieduriez5046]

Hello ! About tomatoes and self-weighting, they are usually both in fruits and vegetables sections ;) and don’t forget there are also pictures.

[@beauthestdane]

For the brown sugar, you can make your own, 1 cup granulated sugar with 1 tablespoon of molasses for light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons for dark grown sugar. Most of the brown sugar sold in the US is just that, granulated sugar mixed with molasses. Some brands do sell brown sugar that never had the molasses removed from it.

[@beauthestdane]

If you can't find molasses, you can make something similar using honey or agave nectar, or some other liquid sweetener. The taste will be different, but it should give a similar texture.

[@gabak1292]

Of course, there is a homebaking tradition in France. It's not often people buy in bulk in Europe! For that, you have to go to METRO or another bulk store or you have to go online. These small sachets for baking powder or soda are the normal size for baking all around Europe. It's really rare to find bigger sized baking powder or soda, except maybe at Christmas time.

[@KBinturong]

Not every supermarket weight at the cash register. It can get embarrassing for french too when on holidays 😂 the best thing to do if you are in a new supermarket is to ask : either a staff member or another client.

[@chucku00]

The equivalent of thick US bacon slices isn't sold in the charcuterie section but in the pork meat boucherie section under the name "lard fumé" (next to chipolatas or Toulouse sausages), however it's usually not salted.

[@beauthestdane]

A lot of supermarkets, at least in wealthier areas, do carry a decent selection of local-ish products, particularly when it comes to some of the produce, craft beers, and even meats and dairy.

[@georgeszurbach444]

You can buy fromages et charcuteries over the counter or ready packed in every supermarket in France. Same for fish.

[@YoyoBleuFR]

For the ham: As someone already said, we find choices according to quality and tastes: Superior, organic, smoked, reduced salt, nitrite-free, with or without rind.... Small clarification: The fewer slices the ham contains, the higher the price per kilo will be. To choose a ham, I start directly with a superior, then I reduce my choices according to my preferences (organic or nitrite-free), then I take the one with the most slices to reduce the price in the long term.

[@psour33]

All of these are industrial hams, different cook, taste, but all industrial. If you want traditional ham, you need to go to the "charcuterie" (french) stand, inside ou outside the supermarket. There you can choose what type (crude or cooked) ham you want, and they will cut it for you. Same goes for cheese. And please, do not buy all those pesky industrial salads, you can do the same yourself, unless you're in the hurry. Have fun 🤣

[@tixien]

I couldn’t agree more. These come from industrial pig farms: a lot of marketing around to make it look like it’s « traditional » (« a l’étouffée », « au torchon »…) but in reality low quality meat with many added chemicals so it looks pinkier, lasts longer… Just go to a butcher shop and get the real thing for broadly the same price. As for ready meals… Please, don’t do that to yourself. You know the drill: have a look at the list of ingredients and bin the thing at the first ingredient you can’t identify.

[@matthieuappenzeller9244]

I wanted to make such a comment, so no need for me to write a specific one, especially about industrial food. I'd simply like to add : - most of the medals on the wine bottes are only marketing (maybe the ones from Paris and Mâcon fairs are OK) - avoid grated cheese, smells like plastic 😂, emmental can be bought plain and grated just before needed - buy fruits and vegetables according to the season (which you might already do) and (I think) the price label is intended to close the paper bag.

[@puccaland]

Smoked bacon is to be found at sold by weight counter and you ask for how many slices you want, how thick etc. It can also be found pre cut in shrink wrapped trays in the meat section but not sure if it's sold all year round.

[@ericmightywombatprince]

We find clothing, tire , TV , toys and plants besides food in Mary it's called Walmart, Costco, SAM club and BJ are the chains.

[@RemplacementTV]

most big french supermarkets have a deli section with fresh fishes , fresh meat , fresh cheese , etc....

[@kathyacemoi3241]

vous trouverez le bicarbonate au rayon où il y a le sel et les aromates 😉 et pour le sucre que vous chercher, nous l'appelons "vergeoise" le meilleur sucre pour les crèmes brulées...

[@birchlover3377]

Baking powder: some health food stores carry poudre à lever with cream of tartar, which is the same ingredient as in our baking powder. You buy it by the gram/scoop. The leavening agent you showed in tiny packets contains citric acid and I've never found it as effective as our baking powder. Hence French cakes are denser.

[@BaguetteBound]

Interesting!

[@coffic]

I used to guilty-pleasure watch French expats going food shopping in foreign countries, then expats coming back to do the same in France and getting reverse culture shock. Now I'm watching foreigners going to French supermarkets. Is the next step watching people in their own countries going food shopping where they always have? This food obsession is growing a personality...