Crepes in Paris

 
 
 

Vocabulary

tasty	delight	handle (2)
batter	organic	covered market
site	occupy	orphanage
midst	stand (2)	find/found/found
bustle	heart (2)	run/ran/ran (2)
flour	district	quarter (2)
worth	avocado	as far as possible
seed	sesame	mushroom
loyal	version	ingredient
fan (2)	amazing	win/won/won (2)
inhale	exhale	all over (2)
local	drop (2)	uniform (2)

 
 
 
 
 

Video

 

 
 
 
 

Transcript

Paris is a food lover’s delight. If you’re looking for something tasty, it won’t take you long to find it here.

The Marais District in the heart of Paris is home to the city’s oldest covered market: Marché des Enfants Rouges, named after the red uniforms of the children who lived in an orphanage which used to occupy the site.

In the midst of all the bustle lies a special find, a stand run by Alain Roussel. Alain is here from Wednesday through Sunday. He runs a crepe and sandwich bar together with his son who handles the bakery products.

Alain Roussel, Crepe and Sandwich Bar Owner: “They say I make the best Galettes in Paris. From the start, my idea was to produce a quality product, something really good that people love.

I use flour, water and salt. I add a little beer to the batter. Plus eggs and a drop of olive oil.

We try to use organic ingredients, as far as possible.”

You can order a vegan galette with mushrooms, avocado and toasted sesame seeds. Or one with ham and cheese and salad.

Or the traditional version, with lemon and sugar.

Alain Roussel, Crepe and Sandwich Bar Owner: “Sugared crepes are very French. Galettes are Breton; they are from Brittany . . . so they’re not traditionally French in the same way.”

Alain has many loyal customers, and is always winning new galette fans from all over the world.

Female Customer, One: “The mixture of ingredients. I mean you inhale all the ingredients, like amazing. And all together, it’s really good.”

Female Customer, Two: “Yeah, I actually had one last night.”

Local Parisians know the best time of day to come around.

Local Parisian, One: “Sunday mornings. There’s no wait . . . by mid-day, it can take a quarter of an hour. And after that, it can be even longer.”

But it’s well worth the way.

Bon Appetit!

 

 

Questions

1. The historic marketplace of Paris was named after a prominent merchant. True or false? Does it only sell fruits, vegetables, clothes and furnishings?

2. Does Alain work from eight to five, Monday through Friday? Why does he have this schedule?

3. Is Alain the owner, a boss or an employee of the crepe bar? Is this a family-owned business?

4. According to Alain, the crepes are uniform and mass produced. Is this right or wrong?

5. Galettes originated in Paris. Is this correct or incorrect?

6. Are all his customers omnivores? Are they only local Parisians?

7. How do they like his galettes? Do they feel satisfied?

8. What can you say about people’s daily schedules?

 

A. Pancakes, or crepes, blini, palachintas are common where I live. Yes or no?

B. What are some popular street foods, fast foods or snacks?

C. Are there traditional marketplaces in your city or region? Are they popular? Do tourists visit these places?

D. Do people like to own or work in food stalls or market stalls?

E. What might happen in the future?