Kebab!

It is no secret that there is a high population of Arab immigrants in France.  (That whole colonizing-major-parts-of-the-Middle East-and-North Africa-thing that France pulled is a big reason for this.)  That being said, some Middle Eastern culture has significantly become an everyday part of French life, mainly the kebab stands. (Kebab is similar to gyros, just for reference.)  I feel like everywhere I turn there is a kebab place.  No, really- on the main street in the city center there is a new kebab place being built next to an already existing kebab place.  I remember seeing kebab places in Paris but it doesn’t compare to Dijon.  Maybe it’s because the city is smaller so it appears as though there are more but honestly, how many kebabs can a small city have?  But then I think about Dunkin’ Donuts in Boston and I created this analogy to describe the situation: kebab is to Dijon as Dunkin’ is to Boston. When I google "kebab à dijon" 8 addresses are recommended but when I look at the map I can count at least 4 places not listed just from parts of the city I know.  So that isn’t even close to the actual number of kebabs here!

I decided that I should finally give the kebab a try.  So, since I’m not a big fan of meat (State-side or in France) I ordered falafel and fries. (Pretty much everything at the kebab comes with fries.)  The falafel came in yummy bread with lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and some mayo.  It was pretty good- greasy, but good.  I don’t forsee myself eating many meals from the various kebabs here but who knows—a good amount of kebabs are open on Sundays so maybe it will be the anti-Chick-fil-A (had to put a link for my New Englanders) for me. (Since everyone always wants Chic-fil-A on Sundays because you know they are closed.)  The kebab could be the anti-Chic-fil-A because I know it is one of my few options if I want to buy food out on Sundays since everything else in France is closed.

I should make one note: kebabs here definitely have some authenticity remaining but they have become a bit commercialized (like adding fries) to accommodate to their French location.  It's a bit similar to Chinese food in the States, except maybe not as changed as that!

And yes, I am aware of the fact that kebab was used almost every other word in this post.   Think of it as a writing technique to create a feeling of what it is like in Dijon :)

Word of the Post: un resto-rapide -- fast food