I recently went to Vie De France in Ogaki Station. The café recently started carrying a new variety of the croque-monsieur sandwich I love: a corn pizza variety! 

However, what is a croque-monsieur? The dish originates from France, and it’s name can be translated as “bite-mister (Mr.)”. The ingredients of the sandwich can vary by region, but the primary characteristics usually include grilled bread with cheese melted on top. Ham is quite common in the dish too. 

I have a history with the croque-monsieur that dates back 25 years when I was attending elementary school in Canada. Much like how English is a required subject in Japan, French is a required subject in Canada. 

When I was in the sixth grade circa 1997, my French class was required to make a croque-monsieur. We received a worksheet to follow, and on the top of the page, there was a question accompanied with a funny picture. I tried to replicate the memory below:

Truthfully, I don’t remember much from this class other than my French teacher getting mad at my group for not following the directions on the recipe. I distinctly remember she said to us in English, “You need to redo your sandwiches to follow what the recipe says.” ^^;

I regret not keeping my planners and assignments from grade school, because they would be fun to look back on as a teacher now. But, the croque-monsieur offered by Vie De France invoked this special memory of mine from Canada, and for that I’m grateful. 

If you haven’t tried the seasonal corn pizza croque-monsieur from Vie De France, you should try it today. ♡