Snapshots from Paris: Perrier with Smaller Bubbles
"It was more sparkly than Badoit, less sparkly than the green Perrier in a can."
[Photographs: Kerry Saretsky]
I was baking like a clam in the Luxembourg gardens one boiling hot day recently. It was time for a can of Perrier. Yes, a can. I love how its looks like soda. An older American ex-pat with a round belly looked up at me and scolded, “The French never drink Perrier.”
“Well, my parents are French and they drink Perrier!” They buy cases of it at Costco every two weeks.
“The bubbles are too big.” He closed his eyes and sunk back into the heat.
Hmph. I marched off to the little pagoda and demanded my cold can of Perrier. And I drank it, and loved it.
"Delicately sparkling" Perrier
A couple of days later I was in the supermarket and spotted a bottle of Perrier that was blue rather than green. “Finement pétillante,” it read. Translation: delicately sparkling. Perrier with small bubbles.
I had to try this.
Waiting for some cataclysmic realization to smack me in the mouth, it was actually just another sparkling water—more sparkly than Badoit, less sparkly than the green Perrier in a can.
I like the variety, but I didn’t feel more French for drinking the “delicately sparkling” version. After all, we mustn’t forget, Perrier is like soda in France!
What kind of bubbles do you like in your water?
About the author: Kerry Saretsky is the creator of French Revolution Food, where she reinvents her family's classic French recipes in a fresh, chic, modern way. She writes the French in a Flash series for Serious Eats.
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17 Comments:
So funny reading this... I accidentally ordered Badoit one day in Monaco and found it absurdly carbonated. Can't imagine sparkling waters that are more carbonated than that. Then again, I don't like carbonated anything.
lexophile at 2:56PM on 09/11/09
My husband grew up in France never drinks it, he prefers Pellegrino.
JerzeeTomato at 3:03PM on 09/11/09
As a sparkling mineral water lover; thanks for the good read Kerry. Growing up our pantry and fridge was always stocked with Perrier or Pellegrino or appollinaris or Gerolsteiner. When I would order water at a resturaunt I'd be like "still water? what?" and realized that I was spoiled at home. I'd totally be down with trying this "less sparkly" version with some Gin and Lemon wedges XD
I find natural spring water chemistry facinating personally. Naturally occurring sparkling water can be created by rare and natural geological conditions. Volcanic activity is often attributed to creating naturally occurring sparkling water. This process helps the water near the volcano or magma absorb a high level of minerals.
Its such a refreshing drink for me I drink it all the time. Especially since I just moved to a city where the water tastes like poop. for real.
hungrychristel at 3:08PM on 09/11/09
when I am parched I crave carbonated water - the more carbonated, the better. I like how my throat is cleared of thirst's dry, dusty film after I gulp it down. I am always bummed when fountain soda is on the flat-side. Funny how some people love it and others hate it.
juliebean at 3:26PM on 09/11/09
Not trying to sound like an ad, but sounds like youl need to get a soda making machine (I have a soda club).
It makes soda, you can carbonate it to your exact degree of desired carbonation, it ends up being dramatically cheaper, and it is WAY greener to make it at home rather than the energy it takes to make the bottles, and truck and ship the bottles everywhere.
Also it makes a fun burping noise when it carbonates.
SkinnyFatty at 4:26PM on 09/11/09
@skinnyFatty: I thought about those the thing is that Perrier et al. are naturally carbonated; which has additional minerals :) is there a machine for that?
hungrychristel at 4:33PM on 09/11/09
Some say naturally full of minerals others say naturally full of Benzene and Sodium.
SkinnyFatty at 4:44PM on 09/11/09
Plus if you carbonate tap water, you get the flouride kindly provided by a paternalist government.
SkinnyFatty at 4:44PM on 09/11/09
I should get one anyway they ARE pretty friggin sweet
hungrychristel at 4:48PM on 09/11/09
@Christel: Heck Yeah!!!
@ Sodastream You really should have put me in your infomercial
SkinnyFatty at 4:53PM on 09/11/09
Funny thing you mention that American ex-pat. On one of those Dateline, 20/20 shows, they went out to France to see how Europeans would react to American tourists and ot see if they were really as rude as they are thought to be by Americans. Most of the French embraced the Americans and enjoyed their company, as annoying as they were. It was the French-Americans, or ex-pats, that were the most rude to them.
dre2112 at 8:01PM on 09/11/09
Perrier is fine and it's all over France; perhaps the basketball-bellied American should get out more and stop spouting nonsense. One of the joys experienced in Europe was the marvelous selection of sparkling and mineral waters.
My favorite was Valser.
And I do like them "chalky."
Here in my area in the USA, it's San Pel, Perrier and the occasional find of Gerolsteiner.
TikiPundit at 9:35PM on 09/11/09
I like bubbles in my water when they also come with quinine and gin flavorings.
shoneyjoe at 9:57AM on 09/12/09
In Italy the only water I could find was San Benedetto.. "frizzante" was sparkling, and by the end of my stay there I preferred it to the non-carbonated.
DanielJ at 10:54PM on 09/12/09
I like perrier precisely because the bubbles are big; what can I say - I'm from NYC where we drink ultra-carbonated seltzer (and like it). Pellegrino tastes flat to me; can't stand it. I also like ketchup on my frites. So shoot me.
sam_the_man at 9:37PM on 09/13/09
Perrier and Orangina are two of my fave French things that I've never seen actual French nationals drink.
I love the design on the blue bottle. I'll keep my eyes open for it if it ever makes its way to Los Angeles.
oh_no_eric at 6:44PM on 09/14/09
where can I buy this in the US
foodie11 at 1:09AM on 09/15/09