“

I’ve been frustrated by my inability to find a good baguette. I’d tried the local bakery nearby, which was reputed to have one of the best baguettes in New York. It was too big, too dense, too bland, and (ultimately) too expensive.

What I remember about the baguettes in Paris is that they were cheap and I never had a desire to put anything on them. They are a meal onto themselves. And I also suspect they were laced with narcotics.

…

But yesterday I took my walk and on the loop back stopped at Whole Foods to buy some oatmeal. They were selling baguettes for two bucks. I figured I’d take the gamble. It’s fashionable to talk shit about Whole Foods. But the baguette I got there almost—almost—as good as my daily special from Eric Kayser. I brought it home, sat up with my wife and my kid and we all got high.

When I was leaving Paris, I wrote about how the things I valued seemed to be valued over there. High on that list are things you stuff into your body. And when I thought about what I stuffed into my body, while in Paris, I didn’t feel like a foodie. I didn’t feel special. I felt like I was learning French.

”

– http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/09/how-to-become-a-foodie/279555/