If you’ve ever wonder why an Asian country would be known for a delicacy that looks a lot like a baguette sandwich (Bánh mì) just review Vietnam’s history. The French colonized Vietnam for more than 6 decades so there are many French gastronomic influences in the Vietnamese cuisine. They brought delicious ingredients and flavors indigenous to France. While I’m here in France, I tried my favorite Vietnamese dish, Bún gà chä gïò ( grilled chicken, fried egg roll, lettuce, carrot, peanut with vermicelli) and discovered that the favors are ever more French influenced with more intensity and creaminess rather than clean and refreshing taste typical of version in California.

After 4 days in the South of French, you think I would come across French food as we know it in North America. Not! When we were in Monaco couple days ago, I went searching for Bouchon French Bistro recommended by the Lonely Planet guidebook on Provence and the Côte d’Azur. There was no snails, onion soup, nor steak-frites as the guidebook highlighted. The menu was more like California cuisine – organic eggs,cold pressed juices, and smoothies. It turns out Bouchon changed their menu concept in December 2015 and the guide book was published in January 2016. Okay, I guess I should have checked Bouchon’s website first but I am on vacation needed a break from technology. Sometimes it’s best to just wander the streets and look at the menu board and see what people are eating when you walk by their table. Well, we did just that yesterday in Cannes and found a prix fixe menu that included escargots and mussels. Score!

My first breakfast in the French Rivera was long anticipated but far from healthy. It was absolutely the best almond croissant ever and I didn’t have to go far for it. The highly popular cafe, Chez Maitre Pierre was outside the door of our hotel on Rue Massena. The nutritionist in me had to at least try to balance out my meal with some freshly squeezed orange juice. When I looked around the cafe, this is pretty much standard breakfast for the French. I wonder if the American high protein powerpack breakfast trend will catch on here anytime soon?

My daughter’s lifelong food allergies has become a way of life after living with it for 18 years. When we travel, she often compromises with what and how much she eats depending on the restaurant server’s knowledge of the ingredients. With food allergies on the rise, restaurants are no longer surprised when you ask about food ingredients. Many tend to error on the cautious side and not serve any items if they are uncertain. We appreciate the cautiousness but it narrows the choices down to none at times. All you people with food allergies can properly relate to this problem when you travel. It was so exciting to see a restaurant in the old town of Valencia noting allergens with symbols on the menu. It is not what you would expect to find in a restaurant housed in a medieval building. My daughter was able to eat the duck samosas without having to ask a bunch of questions. They were so delicious, we ordered a another plate.

On our 10th day, we discovered a new twist to in the traditional Tapas at Tapearte (www.tapearte.net), a wine bar bistro filled with locals. All the dishes we had were delicious but the 2 that showed off the innovative flavor combinations are pictured here. The grilled octopus with oreja de judas were tender prieces of octopus on a base of grilled potatoes, topped with wood ear (an edible fungus). The cruchiness of the wood ear combined with the slightly chewy texture of the octopus made this dish delightful. The other dish is “Fresh tuna grilled”. From the simple name on the menu with no description, I didn’t expect much. It turned out to be slices of tuna perfectly cooked to order of doneness over a bed of black pasta (assuming it’s squid ink pasta) and seaweed. The saltiness of the sea enhanced the tuna without needing any other condiment. The seaweed also added beautiful texture to the dish. All I can say about the flaviors is WOW!

On our 9th day in Spain, we immersed ourselves in the old town of Valencia, Ciutat Vella. It’s full of beautiful old buildings and markets. There is no better place to learn about the local diet than to shop at it’s local mercado. This is where you get everything you need to feast on a Mediterranean diet!