From her cookbooks centered around effortlessly enjoyable hosting to her iconic television show, “The Barefoot Contessa,” Ina Garten is known for her laid-back, savor-the-moment approach to cooking, entertaining, and eating. With accessible recipes and an emphasis on elegant simplicity, the author encourages people to turn things that normally seem like chores into fun activities. So, it’s no surprise that in a recent interview with “The Today Show,” Garten revealed that her favorite thing about grocery shopping in Paris is how it’s all one long, leisurely, personal experience.
“You have a walk around the neighborhood, you know the shopkeepers,” Garten mused. “[In Paris], the shopkeepers chose the plums, they chose the cheese; they ripen it themselves so you know it’s right for your dinner party.” As part of her breezy approach, the TV host recommends incorporating high-quality store-bought ingredients and items into meals rather than having to spend all day in the kitchen making everything from scratch. So, an intentional grocery shopping trip picking out those ingredients is an important part of Garten’s process. Because of the slower pace of life in France, this is less of an errand and more of an all-afternoon experience. It’s also more specialized: Instead of one huge supermarket, you go to the butcher for meat, the fishmonger for fish, the cheese shop for cheese, the bakery for bread, the patisserie for dessert, and so on. It means strolling the entire neighborhood and having helpful chats with all the shopkeepers.
How grocery shopping is different in Paris than in America
This kind of grocery shopping is pretty different than in the United States. The average American spends just 41 minutes on one market visit, significantly less than what Garten describes. Americans are far less likely to go to multiple locations for different things and get that personal experience. We dash to the supermarket and grab what’s on our list, often without any conversations with employees. The reason behind Americans’ need for speed could have something to do with our limited free time. While it’s a myth that French people work far fewer hours than Americans, they are better compensated with what’s called rest days. Americans see grocery shopping as another chore to squeeze in, and need convenience, whereas in places like Paris, food shopping can be more spread out and specialized. While this hinges partially on the size and population of our two countries, it’s worth noting the United States has around 40,000 supermarkets; France has 5,716. And moving even further away from the Parisian experience, more Americans are ordering groceries online.
While not everyone in the US has the time or the access to specialized shops it could be fun to make a Parisian afternoon out of grocery runs. Sample cheeses, try bread warm out of the oven, and chat with shopkeepers for a fun, food-focused day, especially if you’re hosting a dinner party at night — you’ll get top-notch ingredients and have the Ina-in-Paris experience.