Emily Monaco's User Profile - Atlas Obscura

Emily Monaco

Hi, I’m Emily, and I tell stories for a living. I was born and raised in New York, but in 2007, I moved to Paris, and via a series of strange events, I ended up making the French capital my permanent home. After pursuing a Masters degree in 19th century French literature – and many years of trying – I have come to the conclusion that I will likely never be French… but I’m not really all that American anymore either. I navigate the world of culture shock and write about food and drink for various publications and on my blog.

http://www.emilymmonaco.com

2017
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holidays with a twist

The Weird, Wonderful World of Collecting French Cake Figurines

Porcelain or plastic, Harry Potter or copulating couple, fèves come in all shapes and sizes.

December 8, 2023

How Summer Road-Trippers Put a Southern French Sweet on the Map

Montélimar nougat rose to fame thanks to vacationers' traffic jams.

The Last Mustard Maker in Dijon

Nicolas Charvy is bringing a culinary art back to its ancestral home.

January 27, 2023

The Brewer Updating an Ancient French Beer for Modern Drinkers

Thomas Deck's cervoise-inspired brew is herbal and delicious.

December 12, 2022

Introducing 'Food Grammar,' the Unspoken Rules of Every Cuisine

Technically, spaghetti and meatballs is bad grammar.

January 29, 2021

controversial cuisine

Not a Fan of Hawaiian Pizza, Processed Cheese, and California Rolls? Blame Canada

Fusion foods and innovations associated with the U.S. quietly have roots farther north.

October 15, 2020

These French Falconers Are a Family Act

Their diverse, globetrotting work is equal parts science and spectacle.

The Triumphant Return of France’s ‘Forgotten Vegetables’

Chefs are helping hardy roots overcome a World War II stigma.

How Long-Ago Lava Flows Created a Unique French Cheese

Cellars chipped out of volcanic ash are the best place to age the famed Saint-Nectaire.

November 19, 2019

What It's Like to Build and Operate a Tiny Traveling Bookshop

A French theater director crowdsourced his dream.

October 22, 2019

This Fraternity of Frenchmen Is Reviving the Beloved Pâté-Croûte

A foodie brotherhood launched a world competition dedicated to their favorite meaty pastry.

October 4, 2019

In 1590, Starving Parisians Ground Human Bones Into Bread

During a siege, desperation drove people to disinter skeletons from cemeteries.

October 29, 2018

Why Menu Translations Go Terribly Wrong

Toward a grand unified theory of hilarious and odd foreign-language menus.

January 24, 2018

underground cooking

The Secret History of Paris's Catacomb Mushrooms

In the 1800s, farmers cultivated mushrooms in abandoned quarries underneath the French capital.

October 31, 2017