Isabel Silverstein
Intro Journal
September 7, 2026

Bonjour!! My name is Isabel Silverstein, and I am an Elon Dining Marketing Intern! This semester, I will be doing my Bites Abroad segment, documenting my food across my home base, Paris, and across the places I travel. I am so excited to share my journey through food with all of you.

This week was my orientation week with my program, so it was definitely a week of
firsts. But even though life may move fast in Paris, a proper pause for lunch is a daily ritual. This week, my go-to lunch was a classic French baguette sandwich enjoyed in the gorgeous Jardin du Luxembourg.

There is something so comforting about the simplicity of French food. One day, I kept it traditional with a classic jambon-beurre (just ham, cheese, and good quality butter) on a crispy baguette. It may cut up the roof of your mouth, but it sure is good! Another day, I opted for a warm, pressed panini filled with chicken, tomato, and fresh mozzarella. Simple but delicious, and what added to the experience was sitting in the garden in a classic green chair, people-watching.

During a walk from the 5th to the 6th arrondissement, I stumbled across a cozy local pizzeria. My pie came topped with a runny egg right in the center, which added an incredible richness to the sauce and the cheese. Ingredients taste so much fresher in Europe compared to the United States, so this pizza was perfect. But a big adjustment was learning that in Paris, everyone eats their slices using a fork and knife. Additionally, the other day I was eating pasta in my homestay, and I was observing my host mother cut up her pasta and eat it with a fork and a knife. It is so interesting to see the difference in the culture of eating.

To close out our week, our program gathered for our welcome dinner. We ate at a cute little classic French restaurant right near the Seine River called “Le Petit Châtelet.” We each got to sample a multi-course menu of traditional French cuisine.

I started with the Rabbit Pâté. I will admit I was a bit hesitant, but going abroad is all about trying new things. This dish exceeded my expectations. Served chilled, it tasted like a richer, more savory chicken. It came accompanied by briny cornichons. It wasn’t until after I observed somebody else eating this that you are supposed to spread the pâté onto crusty bread and top it with a pickle to cut through the richness.

For my main dish, I had the duck confit. This is a traditional French dish made by curing duck (usually the legs) in salt and slowly cooking it submerged in its own rendered fat. This was hands down my favorite dish of the trip so far. The duck was unbelievably tender, rich, and savory. It was paired with a side of potatoes au gratin that were crisp on top and melt-in-your-mouth creamy underneath.

You cannot end a proper French meal without dessert. For mine, I chose the crème
brûlée. This restaurant put a twist on a classic crème brûlée by adding fresh raspberry purée under the custard base. The tart fruit balanced the sweet caramelized sugar crust perfectly.

Reflecting on my first week of meals, the rhythm of eating here feels noticeably different from home. The typical French diet includes a lot more carbs and relies far less on heavy protein portions than a standard American diet. Yet, because meals are paced out and spent enjoying good company, everything feels balanced.

I am so excited to keep exploring local markets, neighborhood bistros, and new corners of this magical city. Thank you so much to Elon Dining for making this Bites Abroad series possible, and I will see you all next time

Isabel Silverstein
Journal 1
September 21, 2026
Bonjour!!

Welcome back to my bites abroad series! i had so many good eats this week since I last spoke to you all!! This week I decided to focus my dining on traditional French cuisine!! French cuisine is known for its high-quality ingredients, rich flavors, and elegant presentation. Even the simplest of dishes taste better here because they are made with fresh, in-season ingredients! Additionally, France is very environmentally focused, which is partly why their diet is less meat-focused. But one thing I love here is that people care less about eating the most protein and eating items that have the best macros. Instead, they eat to socialize and truly enjoy the food!

One traditional French meal I ate this week was at a spot in the 10th arrondissement called Le Petit Carillon. This was a classic neighborhood brasserie (traditional French restaurant). I ordered the langue de bœuf, which is beef tongue. This is the first time I’ve had beef tongue served this way. It was served kind of like steak. It was so, so tender and flavorful and lighter than a hearty steak. The bite was kind of fatty and melted in my mouth. The beef tongue was served with mashed potatoes. France has mastered the mashed potato. The secret is probably a lot of good quality French butter. This was a perfect lunch! → 8/10

Another day this week I went on a day trip to Auvers-sur-Oise, which is a beautiful town outside of Paris. This was Van Gogh’s final resting place, so we walked around and saw some of the landscapes he painted here. We also walked inside a chateau and explored a Van Gogh art exhibit. On the way back to the train, we stumbled upon an absinthe museum. I am of legal age, so I thought, why not try some! We learned how it was made. It is made with the herbs: grand absinthe, anise vert, star anise, fennel, lemon balm, and tansy. Then the man prepared us a traditional absinthe drink using the absinthe they make. First, you pour the liquid, then you use a special slotted spoon, put a sugar cube on top of the spoon, and let water drip and dissolve the cube into the absinthe. Then you let the cup fill with the sugar water. I was shocked that I really liked the flavor of the different herbs. The combination kind of tasted like a mild licorice! → 7/10

Another night, I was walking around and came upon this cute area with a lot of people and decided to eat at a random restaurant there. It ended up being my favorite dinner yet. The ambiance was perfect because we were in this very lively circle area in the Latin Quarter. There was not a tourist in sight. To make the vibes even better, a jazz band started playing in front of us! My friend and I ordered a salmon salad and moules frites (mussels and fries). The mussels were so insanely delicious. They were small mussels, so I assume they were from somewhere somewhat close to Paris. This was my favorite dish of study abroad so far. These were the first mussels I’ve had that did not taste fishy. They were mild and perfect. Once we ate down the mussels, the sauce was revealed! These were moules marinières, and so the sauce was a light, savory broth made from melted butter, finely chopped shallots, garlic, fresh parsley, and dry white wine, combined with the natural juices released by the steaming mussels. We made sure there was not a drop of sauce left in that pot. Also, they give you a fresh baguette in every restaurant, and it is typical that you put it straight on the table and then use the bread to soak up any sauce left on the plate. The fries were also good in the sauce. The salad we ordered was also so good. The ingredients tasted so fresh, and the salmon in it was perfect. The dressing was creamy and had fresh dill in it. It was the perfect complement to the mussels. We could not end this incredible meal yet, so for dessert we got the Pain Perdu. This dish is just like American French toast, but it was way better than that and also was served with caramel sauce and ice cream on top. I am still thinking about this. It was amazing. The caramel sauce tasted freshly made, and the ice cream melted onto the toast and got absorbed. → 10/10

Lastly, I have been having so many pastries in Paris, and I only want to document my favorites with Elon Dining! So this week my favorite pastry was a chocolate eclair from this place called Pâtisserie Julien Filoche. This eclair had a chocolate-dipped outside with cocoa nibs. The inside filling was like rich but fluffy chocolate mousse. So good. I think I could have eaten 10 of these. → 10/10

After eating this, we happened to walk past the Emily in Paris apartment, and they were setting up to film the season finale! I ended up walking back past this area later, and they had finished filming the last episode ever. The cast and some of the crew were celebrating, and I was able to spot a couple of the characters!

Thank you so much for reading about my bites abroad! I am having such an awesome time abroad, and I am looking forward to sharing more eats with you soon! See you next time!!