Remember a week and a half ago when I was bemoaning the gray skies and cold temps in May? Well that seems to be behind us. Paris just skipped Spring-like weather and went full force into summer (well, a Parisian summer) with 80+° temperatures and a cloudless sky. The sandals have been officially brought out of winter hibernation and the layers are coming off. What better way to enjoy Paris in the sun than with a public roast on the square of L’Hôtel de Ville (city hall)!

Before you say to yourself, that not only sounds disgusting but why would anyone go to that? First of all, the city hosts all kinds of free activities throughout the year, often right in front of city hall, as a way to educate its citizens and encourage actions. Several weeks ago there was a weekend-long “get active” kind of festival where free activities, like biking, hiking, and rock climbing, were planned all over the city, with tents in front of L’Hôtel de Ville full of booths sharing information for people of all ages about the many ways to get exercise and get healthy. I quite like the fact that themed activities like these are a regular occurrence and free to the public. It upholds France’s commitment to learning and cultural awareness and boy, is meat part of the French culture. 

Since I have a partially herniated disc and a pinched sciatic nerve in my back, walking has been extremely tough these days but after 2 solid days of laying around reading and petting my cat instead of playing outside (that’s the only thing I can think of doing when the weather is this spectacular), walking is starting to get easier and hopefully I’ll be in physical therapy once all the inflammation is gone. I’ll talk more about this medical experience later, but my outing today was Meat Roast (and sampling) at city hall since it’s only a 10 minute bus ride and didn’t require much walking. 

Essentially a giant barbecue, La Grande Dégustation brought together artisan butchers from all over Paris who talked about their profession, the health benefits of meat, and how to choose quality cuts from the market. But what drew the most attention was the roasting of 3 cows, 11 lambs and one calf which would later be cut into pieces and distributed to the drooling onlookers. When we first arrived, I thought to myself how PETA would have a field day with a set-up like this and sure enough, peaceful protesters were making the rounds trying to convince starving carnivores at lunchtime that being a vegetarian was the proper and humane lifestyle. 

I couldn’t see very much and to be honest, that’s okay. I’m a guilty meat eater. I don’t eat pork, lamb, or duck but I eat beef, veal (causes the most guilt), turkey and chicken (if we’re putting poultry under the overarching category of meat), and I certainly don’t want to see the animal being roasted. I know, I know, I’m exactly what’s wrong with the world – people who don’t “care” where their meat comes from or how the animals are treated. Well, I do care how the animals are treated, am fairly well read on American food industry and try to buy organic meat whenever possible. From what I’ve read and understand, animals are treated much more humanely in France than in the United States.

“Abolish the death penalty. Become Vegetarian”

“Meat: an essential resource”

 

At the “Meat: an essential resource” booth, artisans talked about the nutritional benefits of eating meat and how to work it into a healthy diet. The butcher asked everyone questions relating to meat and whoever answered them correctly received a cow notepad. I’m not going to lie, I kind of wanted to win but I thought it was inappropriate to fight with an 8 year old over it. Maybe next year. Anyway, regardless of your opinions on eating meat or vegetarianism, it’s hard to find fault with offering free activities that encourage learning and seek to foster better decision making for youth and adults alike.