David Toutain
I wasn't supposed to eat at David Toutain. At least, the original plan did not include this restaurant. I had wanted to eat at Septime, but slackers gonna slack, and needless to say, I did not get a reservation. So a friend recommended this place, and out of laziness and desperation and resignation, I went for it. Now, this probably doesn't paint the restaurant in a great light, but really, this is a reflection on me and the overwhelming weariness that I feel when at the tail end of planning a trip. Picture me: haggard, sleep-deprived, hangrier than normal, and looking like a person whom you might tell politely, "You look tired." All of this is not far off from my daily waking state except that I feel it right down to my old-lady bones and it continues until trip planning is complete. So, I said why not, and everything was all set.
Flash forward, it's my last day in France, and I walk into the restaurant with my mood just as hollow as before, although for entirely different reasons. I'd gotten a nasty stomach bug at the beginning of the trip, and as anyone that has suffered any GI ailment while traveling will understand: you can get better and sleep more and be able to eat again, but it leaves you with an unshakeable fatigue at the your core that is ever-present. In the end, this was one of my favorite meals of the trip. It was a reminder that I can research and plan until I'm half-dead, but I can't control how I'll enjoy each individual experience, and sometimes that's the best part of all.
Date: April 2016
Camera: Canon 6D