Viva Le Food Cart

If any of you New York or LA foodies are heading to Paris this summer you may be in for a surprise. American style food carts are now being seen along the rues and outside des parcs. This can be a good thing for a homesick Yank dying for comfort food. It will also be a break from all that fancy French fare.

Julia Moskin, usually a Wednesday Dining section contributor , wrote this for the main section of today's New  York Times. She interviews two American cart owners who are bringing both east and West Coast foods to the city where gourmet dining was born. Young Parisians , like their New York  counterparts, are swooning over a cuisine named "tres Brooklyn} (or very Brooklyn). However the burger is anything but that. The bun is actually a Tunesian Ramadan bread complete with sesame seeds on top. Croissants and even brioches are just not right for a patty. The beef has additional fat mixed in because French ground meat is devoid of it. Even chic Parisians are downing the treats, eating with their hands - something they rarely do.

California is also represented. Taco trucks are being seen and the Mexican fast food is being taken to heart by the curious French, They're even embracing the food's spiciness. Heat is rare in any Gallic dish . Chipotles along with habneras  are being eaten with the same gusto as pomme frites and croque Monsieurs.Street fare , however is nothing new in Paris, There have been pizza and crepe trucks around the city along with Moroccan merguez sausages, spicy treats that are cooked on griddles and stuffed into baguettes (think exotic hot dogs). However the American chefs use artisanal foods, and buy meats direct from the Poitou =Charentes region.

If any foodie is visiting the City of Lights this summer, stop at these trucks. Grated these burger bites or taco tgreats are sophisticated French fare. but they are a taste of home. If you're homesick and in Paris stop and try them