Beautiful France. There are so many things to describe about France, but I don’t think you can talk about France without talking about their boulangeries. France is known for many things, one of which is its bread. Bread is so ingrained into the culture, that it is one of the many fanning-flames to the French Revolution. People were so poor (how poor were they?); they could not afford their baguettes or loaves of bread.

The importance of the French baguette has not left the cultural mindset of the 21st century. Every day, between 6am-8am and 6pm-8pm the boulangeries are crowded with people waiting for their baguettes, demibaguettes, etc, all so they can go back to their homes and have the typical French breakfast or dinner.

Lunch time is the most important meal time for people in France. All major business, banks, post-offices and shops are closed anywhere between 12pm-2pm. They all run off to the local boulangeries or little restaurants for their dejeuner (lunch).

The boulangeries are more than just bread makers; they are bakeries where one can buy an assortment of cakes, treats, pastries and sandwiches. I’m not exaggerating when I say there is one on every street, sometimes more than one. Therefore, people end up going to the same boulangerie every time, and it is very common for there to be a friendly relationship between owner/workers and customers. Myself included. Since I’ve arrived here, I’ve gone to the same boulangerie, La Fragola, every time I’ve needed to buy a baguette, wanted a pastry or bought a sandwich. It’s even become so familiar, that they usually know what sandwich I want or what pastry I want.