Food Diary: Burgers in Paris, Part Deux

Les nomz

Just when I was starting to get used to living in a French atmosphere I went away to Scandinavia, where everyone speaks nearly flawless English. In some ways it was almost like being at home, except that they use strange currencies and everyone is very blonde and blue-eyed...

Okay, so I guess it was more like being in an alternate universe, but the point is that I could communicate with people without wildly gesticulating and looking like an idiot. And then I returned to Paris, where my brain now struggles to form simple sentences in French. 

If you asked me during my first week here whether I would ever want go to back home, the answer would probably be no. But now that the blinders have come off a bit I'll definitely be ready to leave by next summer. There's no denying that Paris is a beautiful city, but one tends to spend most of the time looking down at the ground avoiding piles of dog poop - seriously, it's worse than Manhattan.

Le camion. Probably easier to spot by the long line that forms at lunch time.

For these reasons and more I've been feeling a little homesick, which is why I decided it was time to seek out Le camion qui fume - one of only two burger-grilling mobile food joints in Paris. Whereas Cantine California focuses more on...California/Mexican-influenced street food, Le camion qui fume is all about straight up burgers. Oh, and their fries are better than In-n-Out's.

Yes, I went there. Come to Paris and prove me wrong.

For more objective assessment on the cultural significance of food trucks in Paris, I suggest you read this NYT article.