I'm an American in Paris who spends $150 a week on groceries. Here are the best things I buy at the market for 2.
I'm an American living in Paris, and my shopping routine looks very different here. I typically spend $150 at street markets for the bulk of my food.
Moriah Costa
- I'm an American in Paris, and I do my grocery shopping at the local market every week.
- I typically spend almost $150 a week, but it's worth it for the community feel.
- Shopping at markets has also helped me eat locally sourced food that's in season.
I'm an American who's lived in Paris for over two years. One of my favorite French traditions is going to the local market on Sundays to get produce, meat, cheese, and even street food.
In France, the market is more than just a place to shop. It's also where the community comes together to talk with friends over a glass of wine or coffee.
Nearly every Sunday, my husband and I go to the Marché Gisèle Halimi to do our shopping for the week. It's a bit more expensive than going to a regular grocery store, but I prefer to support the local market.
Here's what we get for a week's worth of groceries for 140 euros, or about $150.
Moriah Costa
This week, we tried a new vendor at the market who had a lot of produce from local organic farmers.
We try to buy organic food when we can, even though it is more expensive. I think it's worth it as the quality is often better.
I walked away with avocados, corn salad, a Jerusalem artichoke, leeks, clementines, a red onion, carrots, and a bundle of fresh herbs for about 22 euros total.
He didn't have many endives left, so I also bought those from another vendor for 4.34 euros.
Moriah Costa
Cheese is essential in any French household.
I already had a few hard cheeses at home, so I opted to get three soft cheeses — Brie de melon (4.18 euros) and St. Marcelin (1.90 euros) to eat with bread and a Roquefort blue cheese (6.81 euros) to go on salads.
Our cheese vendor also sells eggs, so we bought some for 3.50 euros as well.
Moriah Costa
I opted for a fish that's in season in February in France: pollock.
I got just over 1 pound of fish for 18.12 euros, which was a bit expensive. But we only buy fish occasionally, so I was OK with the price.
Plus, it tasted delicious when cooked with some cream, lemon, garlic, and herbs.
Moriah Costa
Nearly every market I've been to in France has a Lebanese stand where you can get fresh sandwiches, hummus, and other spreads.
We like to eat the spreads for lunch, so I bought some tabbouleh, pepper spread, and artichoke spread along with some flatbread for 18.54 euros.
Moriah Costa
Getting a roast and potatoes for Sunday lunch is another French tradition I like to participate in.
The roaster we go to at the market is very popular, and we often have to stand in line for 15 to 30 minutes.
This week, we got a mix of sausages, roasted ham, hash browns, and fried bread mixed with zucchini for 31.50 euros.
Moriah Costa
Sometimes I buy a prepared meal for Sunday dinner so we can have a lazy day.
This week, I bought salmon tajine (stew) for 11 euros.
Moriah Costa
I adore oysters, and they're in season in February. We're very lucky that our oyster shop is very cheap — usually 8 to 12 euros for a dozen.
In France, you can get two types of oysters: special or fine de Claire. I like fine de Claire as they tend to be saltier.
We grabbed some oysters and glasses of wine for 18.70 euros, which we enjoyed in the market before going home to eat our roast.