CHIPS
I have officially found my favorite flavor of Lay's chips of ALL-TIME : Saveur Poulet Rôti (Roasted Chicken Flavor). I personally think they need to create a joint partnership with Costco and sell these marketed as Costco rotisserie chicken chips, which I think would fly off the shelves. They're herby, chicken-y, and just all around delicious. A definite must-try the next time you are in France. There's other flavors that you wouldn't see in the US, like goat cheese and pimento peppers, or Jura cheese (similar to Comté, the French equivalent of cheddar).
CHEESE
Some fun drinks, including a dragon fruit mango Fanta, mystery flavored Fanta, and one of my favorite new juices - strawberry juice! I had no clue you could even juice a strawberry!
COLD THINGS
AISLES
Protected-Origin Certified cheese is found everywhere in France, even at little local markets (like where I found the above Roquefort) Not only are they quite prevalent, but they are also surprisingly cheap! The majority of cheeses that I buy are around 3€, with more "expensive" cheeses being 5-6€. I was shocked to find blocks of certified Parmigiano Reggiano for just over 5€, since in the US those can easily go for upwards of $10-12.
Some stores have a "petit prix", or "small price", cheese section, which offers even cheaper selections in addition to their normal cheese section (you can see these two selections above)
CANNED/SHELF-STABLE
The French really know how to do convenience food right! Here we have duck confit, boeuf bourguignon (French beef stew), paella, and tartiflette (another French dish with potatoes, cheese, onions, and lardons). While I haven't tried the confit or the bourguignon yet, the paella is fantastic! It's similar to a spiced-up Rice-A-Roni with the rice and dry spices that you sauté first are in the top container and then the flavorful broth with veggies, chorizo, mussels, and bone-in chicken are in a separate can attached beneath. The tartiflette was not as good, but oh well, you win some you lose some.
These are fun little cookies that I would compare to the French version of Nilla wafers. The name literally translated to "cat tounges" which I think is so cute.
I just thought that jar of nuts was so satisfying! They're packed in some sort of sugar syrup to be used in desserts. Nesquik cereal?! Wild. Basically, they're just cocoa puffs though haha. Then there's a shelf-stable rabbit dish, which I actually tried. It wasn't my favorite, but it was still pretty decent. My other international classmates were shocked that I had the nerve to eat a dish made with rabbit. And finally, a French convenience store wouldn't be complete without a tiny jar with a truffle inside! Seriously, the American convenience stores need to step up their game.
TOMATOES
Just look at these beautiful tomatoes! I can never find a variety like this in the US, particularly the heirloom varieties they sell at a large scale.
The French are very into their yogurts and dairy-based desserts, like these fun mousse cups I found! They have layers of wafer-thin chocolate that you break through as you eat the mousse. As a food scientist, I am fascinated to know what goes on behind the scenes to make this work. And here we also have Yoda ice cream (It's not Baby Yoda, since you can see in the graphics he's holding a light saber )
Yes, that entire section is filled with a wide variety of chocolate bars. And of course, they are sooo much better quality than a simple Hershey's bar. I also thought it was interesting to see the what the French idea of Tex-Mex is, which in a word is not really Tex-Mex in my humble opinion. As you can clearly see, the dominating brand is Old El Paso, so maybe they should just rename it to the Old El Paso section? They are very much in on having these kits that have everything needed for a taco night, which we have to an extent in the US. But here, there's also "Tortilla Pockets", that look like if burritos and pitas got together on a group project.
MEAT
***Warning : If you don't have a strong stomach, stop scrolling!***
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