Eating at ADONYS

 Ever since coming to France, I have been craving Mediterranean food. When I saw how diverse the restaurant market was, I knew that there had to be some Mediterranean food somewhere. However, when I’d look up places online it would just show multiple places that were “Kebab” street food. I would be so confused 😕. 


“I’m in the mood for shawarma and spinach pies, not fries and sandwiches!”

To give some context, two weeks ago I was in search of a “traditional” Mediterranean restaurant, and I found a place called “ADONYS”. When I saw the pictures on Google Maps with the various hummus and shish-kebabs of meat I made it a mission to go. (Sadly I wasn’t able to go when I wanted to because the restaurant was closing in a few minutes,) However, last Monday when I was looking at the list of places to visit, I clicked the “best Lebanese restaurant” list and ADONYS was the first one to pop up. It was fate.


If you haven’t guessed yet, I chose to go to a Lebanese restaurant called ADONYS near the center of Hotel de Ville (not the other one in Bellecordiere). It was nicely decorated. The stone walls were a cozy touch as well as the picture of multiple families and trinkets on the walls. The ceiling was so colorful, I couldn’t stop staring at it. I also noticed along with the Christmas decorations, there were Fez hats perched here and there around the restaurant. The staff was nice, it took a while for the waitress to take my order, because it was SUPER packed. I was lucky enough to come at 20h because by the time it was 20h30 there was nowhere to sit.


When I was making my order, I (as usual couldn’t articulate the questions I had and asked if she spoke English). She said that she didn’t know any English and for some reason that struck me. I don’t know why, but I am so used to many Francophone people knowing a little English. I don’t know if that has anything to do with her and her environment? (I don’t want to assume)



I noticed the difference in the Mediterranean culture and French culture by looking at the people around me and what they chose to eat. I could tell that one couple chose a combination meal of shawarma and fries (which reminded me of the many “Kebab” places that had sandwiches and fries). But I noticed that there was a group of older adults who ordered assorted platters of meats, rice, hummus, and vegetables. It made me think about the Kebab places I saw and how I was so confused because I never categorized it as Mediterranean while France does. (i guess?) It kind of reminds me of how certain restaurants in the US, like some Mexican restaurants, have their food and then like “American food” like a side of mac and cheese or fries etc. It’s like the restaurants are trying to introduce their cuisine, but still trying to appease the “Eurocentric” majority. It’s a shame, but it just boils down to assimilation and wanting to fit in. I can’t help but think of all these characters that moved to France like in The Art of Losing or The Arab of the Future, and how they want to keep and share their roots, but are also somewhat embarrassed by them, and desire to fit into France’s culture more.


All in all I am so glad that I went to ADONYS. It was very crowded and the atmosphere was very lively, but it was nice to observe. The food slapped so hard, I never felt so much nostalgia from food. I was born in Detroit, Michigan and lived there up until I was 10. There was a place called the Pita Cafe which was much bigger than ADONYS but gave off the chaotic atmosphere. The spinach pies there were my favorite, and

they would always run out of them every Thursday-Saturday night. I didn’t realize that the word used for the spinach pie I was used to was “Samboussek Epinard”. I saw “spinach” and hoped that it was what I was thinking, and IT WAS! It tasted just like the pies I would have in Detroit. I was so happy, I asked to buy three more to go. A really great place I highly recommend 😋. 


PS: I’m not sure if there is a difference between “Lebanese food'' and ``Mediterranean food”? In Detroit, there were places like ADONYS on almost every corner of the street. That type of cuisine had always been labeled as Mediterranean. So I guess that is sort of a testament towards my initial confusion when trying to find that type of cuisine in France and all I saw were sandwiches and fries. (If you have any insight let me know!)






Comments

  1. Cameo GreenDecember 3, 2022 at 3:11 PM

    Is it Lebanese or is it called Mediterranean? And does anyone know what I mean by the "Kebab" Restaurants? (Every time I want to order in or go to a restaurant with that cuisine, it just shows "Kebab This" and Kebab "That". And what irritates me the most is that in my mind the food is not a shish-kebab but sandwiches and fries...

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    1. Ava FischerDecember 13, 2022 at 1:59 PM

      This was such an enjoyable read! First, what struck me was when you said you were slightly surprised that the waitress didn't speak any English. Being here, we're so used to French people speaking English to us (whether we like it or not haha) that even though we're in a foreign country, we still have that language cushion to fall back on. I've experienced this too, when suddenly there's no cushion and you just have to full send it with the French. (Reminds me of an experience in Marseille where the waiter didn't speak much English and the group of us were still making progress on our French. He was a great guy and it ended up being such a lovely experience!)

      I like how you pointed out the integration factor in the restaurants' serving of food. We see that a lot in the States, where the menu becomes either Americanized or otherwise changed in some way or the other. so that they're able to bring in business. Recently, for a class at my home university I worked on a documentary project about corn and its influence and importance to Mexican and Central American food cultures, and we interviewed some restaurant owners. They often talked about how much they love sharing their traditional food with their family and passing down recipes from their home country. That's another way of creating community (I'm coming off commenting on Jaedyn's post, so I've got restaurants and community on the brain), and I've see a lot of my friends and fellow students who are Mexican or Central American find solace and comfort in these restaurants, especially during challenging times in college.

      Delete
  2. Jaedyn FeddDecember 7, 2022 at 9:28 AM

    First off, reading your post made me soooooo hungry. Secondly, I hadn’t realized until reading what you said that I have also had trouble finding places with traditional Mediterranean food. I always had the same results when I looked them up, “Kebab. Kebab. Oh! Oh…another Kebab place.” It really wasn’t until I learned about Guillotière and had key words to use to narrow my search down to the type of “traditional” Mediterranean food (like authentic food with authentic names, and not just Americanized version of them) that I could find new places. But even now, I haven’t really ventured to those new places outside of class.
    I think the comparison you made between the “American” part of menus and the point the Arab of the Future and the Art of Losing made about the need/pressure minority groups have to fit in, was interesting. I agree with it, and I also realized that I see that everywhere I go. No matter the country, if there is a business selling goods that are not strictly from that country, then there is always that section or part of the menu for the majority of the population who want to be adventurous and try new things, but still want access to what they know. I also think it brings into question the place of America as the universal fallback/standard for most businesses (food and otherwise). In your post, you specifically said how in the U.S., Mexican restaurants have the “American food” section of the menu. But I think this idea of the “American Menu” extends well past Mexican Restaurants, France, and food in general. No matter what country one is in, there are always American food, American clothes, and just stores that sell the American way of life. America is everywhere, and that global presence, is just highlighted in what you said about struggling to not find American versions of “authentic” foods. Furthermore, America’s global presence is also exhibited in your observation that it was often the Americanized versions of “traditional” food that people (French or other) would fall back on when they did not want to fully engage with authentic experience of that cultural food. It is interesting how through everything, no matter where you are, American culture is always one of the dominant cultures.

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  3. USAC Lyon December 15, 2022 at 9:10 AM

    très intéressant!

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