In France They Cook Bacon-with-Eggs in Red Wine

Wandering around the old Lyon center on Saturday noon, I was amazed by how lively the restaurant area appeared. By then I had understood deeper why restaurants would hope their customers to sit outside -- they could attract more passers-by. I was infected by their bright shirts in the sun, their laughter in their talking and their food glistering on the plates. Their happy faces were the best advertisements the owners could ever design.Since the outside seats were all taken by the time we got in, we picked a table in the corner. The interior was rich of decorations at first sight, and under further observation, it convinced my of how delicate and history-accumulated each piece was. Besides a specimen of a standing raccoon up on the porch, there was one kind of animal that dominated the atmosphere of this diner – chicken. There were porcelain hens and roosters, small paintings of chicken on the wall – even the signs for restrooms were instructed by a picture of a hen and a rooster (and there were more decorations of chicken suspended from the way inside the space-limited lady’s room). In a word, the sense of harmony had permeated into every inch of this place, and it was more than just throwing in random ornaments.The starter I had in this "House of Chicken" was the Poached Egg with Bacon and Croutons in Red Wine Sauce. I already saw this starter in several menus in France and this was the first time choosing it. And I got in love with it. The elements, bacon, toast, and egg, which were casually cooked and ubiquitous on the breakfast tables in the United States, all contributed to build a coherent and delicate French dish. The bacon strip was deep fried (which was the only way I enjoy bacon: crispy~!); the poached egg sat gently on the crouton slice -- after I cut the egg open, the yoke ran into the toast. The red wine sauce had undoubtedly the most interesting and appetizing flavor: sweet, vinous, a little sour and salty. For all the French restaurants that give out free baguettes for customers, this sauce would be depleted if you decide to dip the bread in it before each bite.Mom ordered the Tripe Sausage (Andouillette) again to see how this restaurant would cook it. It turned out perfectly -- the use of black pepper within the tripe pushed the dish to the next level: we kept eating and wanted more! It took out the negative fleshy taste and turned it into a can-not-stop snack-like dish.