To begin my fifth week in Tours, I decided to wake up early on Sunday to explore parts of the city that I had not yet seen. For a late breakfast, I met my friends at a small café that one of their host moms had recommended. She told us to try the poached eggs au chinon. I had certainly seen poached eggs many times, but I had never tried them, so I did not know what to expect.
Two eggs were served on a small piece of baguette with spinach and tomatoes on the side. It was one of the most delicious meals I have ever had. My friends and I thought that they looked very similar to over-easy eggs but we all agreed that they tasted at least slightly different, and so one of my friends asked the waitress (with some help from Google Images) the difference between the two dishes. She explained that poached eggs are boiled, while over-easy eggs are simply fried in a pan. Our waitress also told us that these eggs were among the most popular local dish, though omelets were also popular.
After breakfast, my friends and I went to the Botanical Garden in Tours. The city has many beautiful gardens, especially considering its relatively small size. My host mom told me that the gardens in Paris are essential to the Parisian culture, and a point of pride for the residents of the city, and that Tours has a similar relationship with its public gardens and parks. There is another park that my friends and I have visited multiple times called l’Île Simon, which is a small piece of land in the middle of the Loire. We go there after classes some days to play cards.
À bientot!