Pastries That Make You Salivate

Text and photos by Chen Chi-Hsiang. I am not a gourmet, but I enjoy eating desserts. Having something sweet after a meal brings a sense of satisfaction and even happiness. I don’t eat them often, but when the opportunity arises, I never miss it. After working or laboring in the countryside, washing away the fatigue of body and mind, drinking tea and eating desserts during afternoon tea is a craving that brings a sweet pleasure. Especially with French pastries that are insanely delicious; upon taking a bite, the tip of the tongue automatically rolls, and the internal organs dance joyfully, awakening the dormant spleen and stomach. It seems to have an invigorating effect. That pleasure is indescribable in language, making one feel sweetly and euphorically floating like an immortal.

Eating is also a matter of context. In the countryside, everything seems delicious, and the appetite is particularly good. Whether it’s a big meal, a small meal, or afternoon tea desserts, there is always a sense of satisfaction. Holidays are times for cravings, where one feels particularly sensitive to food. In Paris, when going to a bakery, I only buy bread and have no connection with the dazzling array of attractive pastries. But in the leisurely context of the countryside, truly insanely, I cannot resist French desserts at all. Their beauty is edible, stimulating the body, mind, and spleen. Pastries seem to be eaten for pure satisfaction, without any fear of being too sweet or high in calories. Anyway, the sweet mist makes one feel happy and sweet-hearted.

French desserts with their color, aroma, and taste are world-class. With a dazzling variety of types and diverse textures, these insanely delicious pastries leave no one able to withstand their temptation. In the countryside, across the village, there is a traditional, authentic country bakery and pastry shop. Its products follow tradition and are genuine: fresh, solid texture, complete in color, aroma, and taste. They are limited daily, and once out of the oven, they sell out quickly. The fresh bread is very pure and authentic; crispy outside and soft inside (bread bought in Paris usually becomes hard overnight, but here it remains soft even after two days, and returns to its original state when baked in the oven). The fresh pastries have a texture full of color, aroma, and taste, which is even more charming. Just looking at them makes you salivate and unable to resist. After tasting, you are caught by the texture, unable to escape the clutches of gastronomy, leaving you convinced and utterly impressed.

I have been going to the countryside frequently this year, so I visit every time. Although I go only to buy bread, I unexpectedly bring back a small box of pastries each time, satisfying my desire for the familiar yet new flavors and happiness of the countryside. These are all French traditional pastries (such as Salonpo). I found that French traditional pastries are colorful, elegantly shaped, and finely textured, each with its own beautiful name or allusion. For example, a white (powdered sugar) round hollow pastry is called "Paris-Brest," named after the opening tea-time pastries at the inauguration ceremony of the train line from Paris to Brest (a port city at the western end of the Brittany peninsula) in the early 20th century, possessing a commemorative nature. "Salonpo" is an ancient traditional pastry, rare in Parisian pastry shops, half purple-green (syrup) and half dark brown (chopped chocolate) in shape. Or the "coffee or chocolate éclair," loved by both children and adults, is no exception. Many French people grow up eating it; often after school, mothers would take children to pastry shops to buy snacks. Rectangular on top, covered with light brown-green coffee or black chocolate. The characteristic of these pastries is the fresh cream filling inside, each with its unique difference in taste. Their rich texture leaves you convinced and utterly impressed, sweetly filled with happiness.