Today we went to Rungis, the biggest market in Europe, and possibly the world!
Rungis is a "market" in a series of warehouses containing everything you could ever want to eat by category. Every category has several warehouses. For example the vegetable section is made up of 9 different warehouses, that being long halls FILLED with veggies.
First they made us put on these REDICULOUS plastic gowns and caps.
We started in the veal warehouse. This was the most frightening. I said to my host mother later that it was strange to see meat on a rack like that because I'd never seen it before. She thought that was strange.
Then we saw the poltry warehouse, but it was closing so there wasn't much to see. Oh, did I mention it closes at 8AM?!??! Rungis does the majority of it's commerce between 3-8am.
Then we saw the cheese warehouse. People from all over the world order food from Rungis! But if it is going to the United States most things need to fly in to New York then be shipped out from there because customs (except in ny) won't accept most of the food from France.
The cheese was ENORMOUS and smelled great (for the most part).
Rows and ROWS of cheese.
They told us that for this cheese it won't sell unless it is brown like this.
The cheese wheels got pretty big.
Then we went to a flower warehouse. Flowers were flown in from all over the world! Bamboo from China, Tulips from Holland. You name it, it was there.
And finally we ended in the Fruit and Veggie warehouse. There were things there I had never seen in my life! And we got to sample a pear. I HATE pear, but this was so fresh and sweet and juicy that I LOVED IT! Everything was as Fresh as if you had just taken it off the tree.
It was great! Or as the French might say, "C'était génial!"
