Food
What can I say about the food? Food is very important to the French. They spend 20% of their income on food (Americans spend 6%). What they eat, when they eat and how they eat are instrumental in the French way of life. I love it to be honest. Each summer I lose 20lbs in France while eating pastries for breakfast, baguette sandwiches for lunch and duck breast, duck legs and duck liver for dinner. I don't know how all of that works but it's consistent. Not to mention I have no blood sugar issues eating this way.
Breakfast is light, lunch is long and dinner is late and very long. It's not uncommon to start eating dinner at 9pm and finish at 11pm or later.
In American we get a little confused at what French food is supposed to be. In Europe a croissant costs 90 cents, in America they're $3. In Europe duck breast costs $17, in America it's $30. Here we serve French bar food in Restaurants and charge double for it. There's a presumption that all French food is served in Michelin starred restaurants I guess.
Everywhere in Paris there are markets selling fish, fruit, butcher items, sliced meats, breads etc... You're never more than a 10 minute walk from a 7 day market. If you eat well in America by buying your food from PCC or Whole foods then eating in France is actually cheaper as great food costs less there than great food here. The quality however is something else indeed. The quality of produce in Paris is not available at any cost in Seattle. The same goes for the baked goods. I bought croissants from no less than 12 boulangeries this summer and I have my favorites. Out of desperation I also bought croissants from the supermarket a couple of times which are not the same quality as the bakeries. The best French croissants available in Seattle (La Panier, Le Parisienne Bakery and Cafe Beselu) for any price are roughly supermarket quality in Paris and cost 4x as much. The same goes for Baguettes.
The Foie Gras and Magret de Canard just can't be had in the same quality for any amount of money in Seattle. As such I rarely ever eat French food when I'm back home, I just wait until I'm in France.