10 ms·

If you do your research beforehand, and don't just follow a huge queue of tourists off a bus and into a restaurant, you'll likely have a much better experience.

NickWarner775 12y ago
100% agree. You need to do a good amount of research before traveling anywhere, let alone somewhere with as much of a restaurant scene as France.
swimfar 12y ago
Except that it's not that easy even for the French. I'm sure the law wasn't passed for tourists. Even some fancier restaurants were found to have been just warming up pre-made dishes. If a restaurant is not required to disclose this information, how would one ever find out? Although, I do agree that a small bit of research will get you away from the touristy restaurants and into some more "local" places. Sometimes it's even just a matter of getting off the main streets.
- eurleif 12y ago
  >If a restaurant is not required to disclose this information, how would one ever find out? Ask them whether the food is homemade, and if they refuse to tell you, assume it isn't? Sure, they could lie, but that's already illegal. If there's consumer demand for home-made food at restaurants, why can't they start advertising home-made dishes on their own? Why is a mandate necessary?
  - cgrand-net 12y ago
    Because "home-made" has no strict (legal) definition so it's not illegal to lie or to approximate (the topping is home-made).
- VeejayRampay 12y ago
  Indeed. As a Parisian, I can confirm that it's not easy. The worst part being that traditional French cuisine is slowly disappearing and making room for globalized food court variety dishes like stupid burgers, "Chinese" fast food, döner kebaps and myriad of pasta places, each one more bland than the other one. I couldn't believe my eyes when I came back from Canada to discover that burgers were all the rage amongst the Parisian 30-something affluent class. How we've fallen :/ Mustn't be easy for tourists really, your only option if you don't know the few places that still go the traditional way nowadays is to either get out of Paris and travel to the countryside or shell out for premium restaurants at 100 euros a meal.
  - bostonvaulter2 12y ago
    So do you have any recommendations for traditional French cuisine in Paris? Especially any lesser known ones?
- dragonwriter 12y ago
  > Even some fancier restaurants were found to have been just warming up pre-made dishes. If a restaurant is not required to disclose this information, how would one ever find out? If the meal provides experienced utility (enjoyment, etc.) that justifies the cost, why do you care?
  - dfxm12 12y ago
    Prepackaged foods tend to be loaded with preservatives and who-knows-what-else. I know it's naive to think all restaurants are only using fresh ingredients, but a lot of restaurants also claim to use the freshest ingredients, when they aren't. Also, you don't know if it will provide enjoyment to justify the cost before you eat it...
  - baby 12y ago
    Because this is not what you expect when you go to a restaurant and they sell you a "house made apple pie" that they just bought frozen and added a house made cream to it. They do that in many restaurants and I believe they won't be able to do it after the new law is passed.
  - seszett 12y ago
    > If the meal provides experienced utility (enjoyment, etc.) that justifies the cost, why do you care? Why wouldn't you care? Knowing that the meal has been prepared by the restaurant instead of an industrial factory somewhere does improve my enjoyment of it. A meal at a restaurant is more than just taste and nutrients.

NickWarner775 12y ago

100% agree. You need to do a good amount of research before traveling anywhere, let alone somewhere with as much of a restaurant scene as France.

swimfar 12y ago

Except that it's not that easy even for the French. I'm sure the law wasn't passed for tourists. Even some fancier restaurants were found to have been just warming up pre-made dishes. If a restaurant is not required to disclose this information, how would one ever find out? Although, I do agree that a small bit of research will get you away from the touristy restaurants and into some more "local" places. Sometimes it's even just a matter of getting off the main streets.

eurleif 12y ago
>If a restaurant is not required to disclose this information, how would one ever find out? Ask them whether the food is homemade, and if they refuse to tell you, assume it isn't? Sure, they could lie, but that's already illegal. If there's consumer demand for home-made food at restaurants, why can't they start advertising home-made dishes on their own? Why is a mandate necessary?
- cgrand-net 12y ago
  Because "home-made" has no strict (legal) definition so it's not illegal to lie or to approximate (the topping is home-made).
VeejayRampay 12y ago
Indeed. As a Parisian, I can confirm that it's not easy. The worst part being that traditional French cuisine is slowly disappearing and making room for globalized food court variety dishes like stupid burgers, "Chinese" fast food, döner kebaps and myriad of pasta places, each one more bland than the other one. I couldn't believe my eyes when I came back from Canada to discover that burgers were all the rage amongst the Parisian 30-something affluent class. How we've fallen :/ Mustn't be easy for tourists really, your only option if you don't know the few places that still go the traditional way nowadays is to either get out of Paris and travel to the countryside or shell out for premium restaurants at 100 euros a meal.
- bostonvaulter2 12y ago
  So do you have any recommendations for traditional French cuisine in Paris? Especially any lesser known ones?
dragonwriter 12y ago
> Even some fancier restaurants were found to have been just warming up pre-made dishes. If a restaurant is not required to disclose this information, how would one ever find out? If the meal provides experienced utility (enjoyment, etc.) that justifies the cost, why do you care?
- dfxm12 12y ago
  Prepackaged foods tend to be loaded with preservatives and who-knows-what-else. I know it's naive to think all restaurants are only using fresh ingredients, but a lot of restaurants also claim to use the freshest ingredients, when they aren't. Also, you don't know if it will provide enjoyment to justify the cost before you eat it...
- baby 12y ago
  Because this is not what you expect when you go to a restaurant and they sell you a "house made apple pie" that they just bought frozen and added a house made cream to it. They do that in many restaurants and I believe they won't be able to do it after the new law is passed.
- seszett 12y ago
  > If the meal provides experienced utility (enjoyment, etc.) that justifies the cost, why do you care? Why wouldn't you care? Knowing that the meal has been prepared by the restaurant instead of an industrial factory somewhere does improve my enjoyment of it. A meal at a restaurant is more than just taste and nutrients.