I may have been disappointed with the shops in the marchés de noel, but I was more than happy with the street food options that we found. 

The day was cold — much colder that we’d had in Paris all week — and we were nervous about staying warm through the day.  Turns out there was plenty of warm and tasty food (and an occasional fireplace) on hand to keep us happy.  No Michelin stars, but inexpensive and satisfying!

Beignet

Strasbourg sausages, with bread and sauerkraut

We had literally just finished our sausage and sauerkraut when we came upon the raclette stand.  When Amanda told me she’d never had raclette, I announced that we would be having an emergency second lunch to remedy that travesty — because friends don’t let friends go through life not knowing about the goodness of raclette.

Raclette cheese with potatoes and cornichons (and a fireplace!)

Raclette cheese

I’d never seen these raclette grills before — they melt the cheese and then skim the melted portion off onto your plate



Hot orange juice with honey

Flammkuchen with Munster cheese

Boule de neige (marshmallow covered in dark chocolate and coconut); hot cider with cinnamon

By the end of the day we were tired of dealing with the crowds in the streets, so we ducked into a little kebab place near the cathedral and got doner kebabs and frites.