having just recently moved to france i must say i'm a little disappointed by the local coffee culture too. the good thing is that every little bar or brasserie uses an espresso machine to make coffee. but unfortunately in one of our main brasseries here in cagnes i had the very worst coffee / espresso experience ever!!! i think most of the time those machines are operated by people who have not been trained at all and hence have no idea what a good coffee can be about. and since everybody keeps drinking the stuff without complaining it is unfortunately the stuff they keep serving... is't just a simple matter of supply and demand...
but then, it lead me to tmc, hottop ownership and a stash of several kilos of green beans...
i have seen a shop that has a roaster (probat) sitting around but that is purely a decorative element rather than a production system. at home most people i know around france just use drip coffee machines to create some extremely concentrated and bitter stuff that is served in small cups.... horrible!!!
and the great food one very often can find around here is mainly just entrecote frite, foie gras, some fried duck breast and moule frite even when they're out of season. it all can be delicious but lacks a bit of variety sometimes... so i think french food might sometimes be a little bit overrated but i know that there are quite some local differences.
Black KvdW Speedster / Arrarex Caravel / Elektra Nino / Vario / Huky 500 / and a bunch of less frequently used things...
LMWDP #386