Ahh..if we start talking about food, there will be no turning back. I do so love Thai food, and there is no place to get it in my little beach town. But, there is a lot of merit to the point Frogblogger makes about immersion. I think its the only true way to fully experience a culture. Whenever I have traveled, and not enough by my estimation, I have always tried to blend. Ahhh, the cheese though. That is something I would not want to do without.
Another thing I miss about Paris, Ile de France (and then I must mow the lawn), is the accessibility of public transportation. AAhhhh, trains, buses, deisel fuel belching into the gray sky. I miss Paris, even its pollution. Nothing could ruin that place for me.