A Few Parisians: La Motte Picquet

Easter has just been celebrated with its usual flood of colorful eggs. But the best eggs are not hidden in gardens, waiting for children to come find them, but, as surprising as it may seem, in Parisian bistros.

As I was recently reading “Le dictionaire impertinent de la gastronomie” (Impertinent Dictionary of Gastronomy) written by food columnist Perico Légasse, I lingered on the word “zinc”, which means the counter of a bar. The perfect place to eat on the go! Here, eggs play a key role, and take all possible forms: oeuf mayonnaise, œuf à la coque, œuf cocotte, œuf sur le plat …

Thus, an œuf cocotte with truffle cream tasted on the zinc at “Le Père Claude” in the district of La Motte Picquet, becomes a real gourmet dish (actually, I’m having one while I’m writing this column). But it is also on the most simple counters that you can treat yourself the most, as, basically, egg is a “populaire” product, which means popular and classless at the same time. And in front of something as basic and classic as an œuf sur le plat, I can not help but think of the character of Inspector Lavardin in the french movie “Poulet au vinaigre” directed by Claude Chabrol (1985), who explains to a stunned server the importance of properly cooking a fried egg to which paprika should be added… simply because “it’s good”.

Making the simplest pleasures exceptional things, that’s a good philosophy.

That’s why, going back to Easter, there are certainly better things to do with eggs than painting them. And I’m sure the Easter Bunny too must be delicious with a mustard sauce.

Get in touch with the author/illustrator at @David_Cessac and on Facebook, and check out his website. Check back soon for the next installation in the column A Few Parisians.