americana burgers & fries

Last night, before Barack Obama won his second term in the White House, I took a red, cherry-flavored shot of vodka with a friend from New York and another from D.C. to celebrate our 3rd place trivia game victory. The shots were followed by Czech beer. We were at an Election Night Meetup at a Scottish Pub on Paris' left bank.

It is (and has been) an interesting experience to be abroad during election season. For one thing, I haven't been bombarded by political ads or phone calls. For another, Obama is overwhelmingly popular in France, as he is in other countries. Am I happy about the re-election? Simply put, yes. To quote the wonderfully-wise Alyssa Arminio:

Disclaimer: I respect ALL political opinions, even if they do not match my own. That being said, this election was extremely near and dear to my heart and I needed to share that. I'm a woman, and I deserve control over my own body. I'm a member of the middle class, and I deserve affordable healthcare. Some of my very best friends are members of the LGBT community, and they deserve the same basic human rights that everyone else has. To me, giving equality to our fellow Americans is more important than giving tax cuts to the wealthy. It's not about money. It's about compassion. And always will be.

[Burger Campagne (ground beef, wild mushrooms, caramelized onions, aged gruyère), "French" fries]

With that said, on a not political note, I will now segue into American food in France. It's pretty awesome to have the opportunity to view/taste my own culture through another culture's eyes. While in Bretagne, I passed more than one "Buffalo Grill," whereas here in Paris I've enjoyed more than one American chef-led establishment: Verjus, Semilla, Bob's Juice Bar, and most recently, Le Camion Qui Fume.

More and more Parisians are embracing gourmet burgers and food trucks, and Le Camion qui Fume is at the forefront of this culinary revolution. I learned just how rightfully so as I savored every last morsel of the 10€ burger and fries. Scrumpitous! And this is coming from an American who is anything but "a burger person."