Cantine California

Tuesdays are the one day of the week that I don't have class, and they will be dedicated to rest, mental health, and adventures around Paris for the next four months.This morning I lied in bed enjoying the ability to sleep in and the feeling of not having anywhere to rush to. I could tell that the rain and gloom continued from Sunday due to the fuzzy, gray light that peaked around my curtains. So instead of rushing to put on my rain boots, I made myself a cup of tea and enjoyed a lazy morning.

After checking Facebook and replying to emails, I scanned some blogs for activities to bookmark for future Tuesdays. Before coming to Paris, I had bookmarked one of two food-trucks in Paris: Cantine California. For those who don't already know: I am a food truck enthusiast. I love First Fridays on Abbot Kinney. I cherish the days when my dad doesn't have lunch meetings so we can find the Grilled Cheese Truck on an off day or try a new truck on Pennsylvania Ave. I have even scoped out some in Baltimore to satisfy my need for grub on the go.

As I was perusing other blogs this morning, I stumbled onto the Cantine California website to see that it was parked at the open market just a few blocks away. This was a perfectly legitimate reason to jump out of bed and check it out. I walked down the block to the market to find a bit of a line. I stood amongst the diverse crowd consisting of university students, couples, old women, Chinese tourists, and other parisians waiting to place my order. After internally debating whether to get a burger or tacos, I settled on a burger (feeling a little iron-deficient) just as it was my turn to order. The flannel-clad guy asked for my name in French. I responded with "Jordan" in my audible American accent. He enthusiastically responded in English, "I'll remember that! My name is Jordan too". We then continued to have a very brief chat and discovered we are both from California. Small win!

I waited for my burger and observed the crowd. Finally my order was up. My "Cali Classic" burger with cheddar cheese, bacon, avocado, lettuce (which I picked off, not a surprise to those who know me), and BBQ sauce was DELICIOUS. I was not disappointed in the slightest! The meat was tender. There was the perfect amount of avocado and BBQ sauce for each bite: never wanting to add more, but never slipping off the sides of the bun. And the bacon reminded me of my favorite burger (other than In-n-Out) from Plan Check back home.This was the perfect mini-adventure, and a delicious way to spend my Tuesday.