Why This Emily In Paris Season 2 Food Scene Is So Unrealistic
Ever since Netflix came out with the first season of "Emily in Paris" in 2021 — and gave a world struck with lockdown-induced boredom a fresh show to watch — viewers and critics have more or less agreed on one thing: The show portrays a clichéd version of Paris and Parisians, especially when it comes to food. It's hard to forget the iconic scene at Gabriel's restaurant involving what Emily thinks is an undercooked steak and the famous "In America, the customer is always right" dialogue (via Eater). Plus, there were coffees and croissants everywhere; you could even make a drinking game out of the sheer number of scenes that had the two stereotypically French items.
Unsurprisingly, Lily Collins and her character have been slammed for the ignorance that she confidently carries throughout the course of the first season. Even Collins herself knew about the backlash that season one had received, and realized that there was room for improvement in the upcoming season (via Vogue Arabia). The show's creator Darren Star also told Variety that as the show progresses, Emily will be seen embracing French culture more — and with it, there will be a different portrayal of Paris on the show.
When season two premiered, viewers were hopeful that "Emily in Paris" would have a more honest portrayal of Paris, at least when it came to its food. But as it turns out, food still happens to be one of the show's pain points.
Gabriel's restaurant is at the center of unrealistic food scenes once again
The highlight of season two was Gabriel's new restaurant Chez Lavaux, owned by Antoine Lambert and run by Emily's dashing neighbor (via Eater). On their pre-opening tasting dinner, Gabriel and Lambert find themselves at odds with each other over a dish that Gabriel wants to serve, tripe à la normande (which Eater says is "tripes à la mode de Caen" in reality). It seems bizarre for Gabriel and Lambert to disagree over a dish slated to be served in a few minutes. Considering how important the dinner was, one would think that the two would have agreed on the menu days in advance!
In another instance, Emily gets a delivery of frozen Chicago pizza in her office for her birthday. Sylvie walks into the room and instantly asks what the weird smell was, referring to the frozen pizza. To this, Eater suggests that it seems very unrealistic for anyone to be able to smell frozen food, let alone the kind that is sealed in a box.
Newsweek also finds the episode where Sylvie and Julien claim that French women drink a "magic leek soup" to lose weight to be a very problematic scene, as it promotes a diet fad that can lead to eating disorders. While Emily does voice out her concerns, the team proceeds to sell a cold-pressed leek juice as a diet fad anyway (while considering the possibility of getting a Kardashian to market it).