15 Grocery and Shopping Differences Between France and Canada

1. Grocery Stores

Grocery stores in France are just as varied as home. Instead of Sobeys, Co-op, and Superstore, we have Auchan, LeClerc, and Monoprix. Almost every grocery store I’ve been in, big or small, has their own butcher, baker, fishmonger, and cheese specialist, and it’s more common to buy from them than the pre-packaged options. If you want tofu or anything slightly “hippie-food” as my Dad would call it, save yourself the trouble of searching every single aisle of Auchan and head to a Bio-Coop or Nature-O store. Looking for a great selection of fresh herbs? Go to Le Grand Frais, because even the biggest chain stores likely don’t have many (if any). What they all have, though? Wine, and lots of it!

2. Cafe Tabacs

Every little town has a Cafe Tabac, and in a city like Arras, almost every street has their own. A Cafe Tabac is the closest equivalent to a convenience store; you can buy tobacco, lottery tickets, money orders, stamps, newspapers, and a small selection of soft drinks. There is always a bar, you can often smoke inside, and there’s rarely any food service. Some are lively gathering spots, while others are purely pit-stops for cigarettes and lotto tickets. They are popular because you cannot buy tobacco or lottery tickets anywhere else — not even at gas stations.

o3. Gas Stations

Gas stations here have way more types of fuel, so make sure to check what your specific vehicle requires (usually there’s a sticker on the inside flap of the flap to the gas tank). Diesel is much more common, even for small cars and unexpected models like a Ford Focus. Some stations offer a few snacks and soft drinks, especially the larger ones or those along a highway. Many are unmanned kiosks, with credit card pre-payment as the only option. Not totally unlike home, with the main difference being that you can’t by tobacco or lotto tickets, and only the largest ones have to-go coffee stations.

5. Pharmacies

Along with a Bakery and a Cafe Tabac, the Pharmacy rounds out the trifecta of stores every little town will have. Unlike the little-bit-of-everything pharmacies at home that are more like convenience stores (think Shoppers or Jean Couteau), pharmacies in France do not carry food, beverages, greeting cards, or giftware. They have health and personal care products. Many items that we can grab at any small store in Canada (like Advil, contact solution, or heartburn pills) are available only by asking the pharmacist. Pharmacies in France are not really designed to browse, so be prepared to speak to the pharmacist or other employee right away and they will help you find what you’re looking for. Also, most of the medicinal items you buy at a pharmacy, you can ONLY buy at a pharmacy. Don’t expect to grab a box of bandaids or big bottle of ibupfrofen at the grocery store!

6. Chocolate Bars

You know how there is a row of chocolate bars at (or near) every check-out, in almost every store, just calling out to go home with you? Not here. Not only are there no chocolate bars close to the check-outs, there are just very few chocolate bars in general, at least not the brands and sizes I am very good friends with. In the candy aisle there are usually selections of larger Lindt-style chocolate bars, and a large variety of baking chocolate bars. I have only seen a few Kit-Kat, Kinder, and Smarties brand products. Much to my dismay, I have yet to stumble upon the delicious milk-chocolate bubbles of an Areo bar, or a glorious package of Cadbury mini-eggs. Oh, and I can’t find red licorice anywhere! No twizzlers, no pull-n-peels, no nibs. CUE ADULT TANTRUM.

7. Sweet vs. Salty

In a land of gourmet desserts that make your mouth water just at the mere sight of them, you might expect an overly sweet and sugary taste. However, many of the rich desserts are less sickly sweet than their Canadian counterparts. It’s quite lovely. What’s jarring, though, is the way extra sugar seems to creep into many other unexpected places, like caesar salad dressing, oyster sauce, and ketchup. Yes, these things all contain sugar no matter where you are, but in France there seems to be a slightly different recipe with a little extra sweetness.

8. Fruits & Veggies

 If you want strawberries in the middle of winter, good luck. We’ve noticed that the only fruits and veggies regularly available are in-season, either in France, Spain, or Morocco. It’s actually a much more sensible and respoinsible way to stock and buy food! At first it was slightly frustrating – what if I want a watermelon right now? Then I realized just how much of a whiny ‘first-world problem’ that was; we are conditioned by the constant availability of everything under the sun in our massive supermarket chains. Why, though? I’ve come to really appreciate the focus on fresh and local ingredients, and plan to continue being aware of seasonal products even after we return home to the land of everything all the time. As I mentioned before, our favorite place to buy the best and freshest fruit and veggies is Le Grand Frais. They have a beautiful layout and presentation of everything they sell, and they often bring in a variety of interesting exotic fruits and vegetables in addition to the staples.

9. Spicy Food

French cooking is known for robust flavors, and rich, savory goodness. Finding a good spicy dish is difficult! We are both spicy food lovers. My preferred heat level is the one where you need to blow your nose at least a few times by the end of the meal. I have yet to get anything even close to that kind of heat here, but keep in mind we do live in a small city with fewer food options compared to somewhere like Paris or Lyon. It’s also tough to find spicy cooking ingredients here, so we loaded up on chili powder and flakes while we were home. We decided to grow some of our own hot peppers in the back yard, and now I put that sh*t in everything! (Pardon my French.)

11. Bread!

Welcome to bread heaven! Ok, so bread is not unique to France, but it sure is available in more varieties and locations here than anywhere I’ve been before. We are lucky to have a wonderful bakery just around the corner, and some mornings I wake up to the glorious smell of baking bread. People really do pop in to their favorite shop every day to buy a fresh baguette or loaf of bread. It’s made without preservatives, so buying a fresh warm baguette every day makes much more sense than getting a 6-pack that will be stale and crusty by the end of the week. I’m constantly amazed by how many different types of bread each little shop offers. A variety of baguettes, loaves, fruit and nut breads, croissants and pastries, and seasonal specialties which the bakers get up every morning to have fresh on the shelves.

12. Looking, Browsing, Ordering

One of the things I love about France is how much priority is given to each customer as they browse and order. People really take their time to pick out fruit and veggies at the market; they spend a while chatting with the butcher about the best cut of meat for their dish; they smell and taste a few stinky cheeses before selecting a chunk to take home. At first I felt like I was holding up the whole line as I fumbled through my attempts to order in broken French. I realized after a few store experiences that most people are happy to wait their turn, with no impatient throat clearing or aggressive watch-checking. In the beginning it was actually quite helpful for me to stand near people (the best being little old ladies!) who asked many questions and had detailed orders. I learned some useful terminology, and I became much more used to the whole experience of browsing and ordering. If you ever have the chance to peruse a local French market, allow yourself to take the time to chat with the vendors and pick out what you really want. Comme les Français!

13. Baking Ingredients

Because France is such a culinary nation, you better believe they also have an amazing selection of baking ingredients that I’ve never even heard of. They have a huge variety of gelatins, extracts, and flavors for fine patisseries. White sugar is available in far more grades from powder and extra fine to fine, course, and crystal. Despite the abundance of baking ingredients, there are also quite a few staples that I just can’t find in a typical French grocery store. For example: baking powder, cocoa powder, brown sugar, molasses, and chocolate chips. At first I assumed I was just looking in the wrong place, but after scouring many shelves I did some helpful googling. It’s not that they don’t exist at all, but they are either a different format or in an unexpected place. A few things I’ve learned:

– Baking powder comes in small packets if you can find them;
– The closest thing to cocoa powder is actually pure hot chocolate mix, found with the tea and coffee;
– Brown sugar as we know it just doesn’t exist here (sad). I’ve been substituting dark cane sugar and a bit of maple syrup;
– I’ve never seen molasses, not even in a bio-store;
– Chocolate chips exist, but only in very small, expensive packages. Better to buy a nice bar of cooking chocolate and chop it up!

14. Milk

Milk is not nearly as common or available in France as it is in Canada; it is most certainly not a daily beverage. There are far more varieties of shelf-stable milk than refrigerated milk. At home, even in a small convenience store or gas station, you would expect a cooler filled with small bottles of at least 1% and 2% milk, probably some chocolate milk, and one type of creamer. Even in our big supermarkets here, there may only be two types of refrigerated milk. It is used much more for baking than any type of drink or breakfast.

Comments

What do you think? Would you like to know more about anything I mentioned? Let me know in the comments below.
(I love comments!)