by Jennifer Morris
Cake and tea. Photo by Jennifer Morris.
One of my goals this semester is to find the best tea salons in town. I worked at a café in the United States for two summers and I developed an interest in hot beverages, specifically tea. After speaking with my hosts, searching the internet, and walking around town I visited some salons that I like. They all have different, unique atmospheres that are good for going with a friend, working, or reading in your free time. French culture is much more relaxed than in the U.S. ; lunch can last for two hours because it’s a time to talk with your family or your friends. For example, the children of my hosts return to our house every day to eat lunch because they have the free time during the day. When you go to a café to eat lunch or simply to hang out for awhile in the afternoon it’s completely normal to sit at your table for several hours with a cup of tea. There are lots of different types to chose from, and menus specifically for all the different kinds of tea. The menu is divided into sections by taste, like black teas, green teas, and fruity teas. In the U.S., there is usually around five types of tea to chose from, and I thought that fifteen at the place where I worked was a lot, but in Toulouse each salon has around fifty options. Because I live in a residential neighborhood that’s rather far from the center of town I like to go to a café between the end of my classes and dinner instead of going back to my host’s house.
Here are a couple salons I’ve visited during my first month in Toulouse:
Dips is located near Carmes at 28 Pharaon Street. It has good pastries like cheesecake, chocolate cake and a raspberry pie that’s my favorite. There’s indoor and outdoor seating so it’s a good salon for all different types of weather. The salon has a modern ambiance and I saw a lot of young people there when I went with my friends. The waiters were very nice and friendly with American students.
The Dips Café terrace in Carmes. Photo by Jennifer Morris.
You can find L’Autre Salon du Thé (ha ha) at 45 Tourneurs Street between Capitole and Esquirol Place in the town center. It’s more sophisticated than Dips with ancient art on the walls and ancient furniture inside. It’s speciality is a well-known dessert in Toulouse : banoffee. It’s name comes from a contraction of bananas and toffee. It’s a pastry made with bananas, cream, and caramel. You can also add chocolate and coffee.
The cake dsiplay. Photo by Jennifer Morris.
The décor in l’Autre Salon de Thé. Photo by Jennifer Morris.
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