Before I start, allow me to acknowledge the horror of the events some 1700 miles away. People in France are highly aware of the war and have set up refugee centers, places to donate goods, and websites to help Ukrainians. It seems, worldwide, people want to help in whatever way they can. But, while being concerned about the plight of these besieged people, one continues to live one’s life, as best one can.
On that note, here are my latest musings on life abroad.
Food is an extremely important part of French daily life. Shopping for it, cooking it (or eating it out), and savoring it, is key to a satisfying daily life.
The above picture was taken in Saintes-Maries-sur-la-Mer, a tiny village near Montpellier. The size of the town doesn’t matter — people value having access to the freshest fruit and veg enough that they keep such a stall in business, rather than shopping for everything in a supermarket. Each bin must have the name of the fruit or veg, as well as its origin, clearly stated (by law). Viewing these signs becomes a regular geography lesson, as countries around the Mediterranean, and even Africa, provide their produce.
Before diving into this subject, though, it is necessary to finish up some business from last week, namely, the 6-word contest. Having received two entries, I am going to declare it a tie. Congrats to both on their creativity! Nicely done!
From P. Nelson…who may or may not have indicated some familiarity with the events at hand:
Was great! Slept well. Feel bad.
From K. Kirkpatrick, providing a French twist:
Partied ’til cinq, bottles are rank!
Of course, most people have heard about the daily trek by the French to the boulangerie for bread, the fromagerie for cheese, the poissonerie for fish, and the boucherie for meat. For dessert, of course, there is the patisserie.
This idea is more a relic of the past, however, as supermarkets have sprung up, and priorities have changed. Sometimes convenience trumps all.
There is a way to shop that hovers somewhere in between, though, which is Les Halles, the covered market hall in all but the smallest cities. Central Montpellier has four that I am aware of, and no doubt more in neighborhoods I have not visited. These are places where you can buy your produce, cheese, meat, olives, bread, and wine in one place, by walking from stall to stall. Most have seating at picnic tables where you can eat a meal from the things you’ve bought. Or, you can sit at a counter and be served.
In Narbonne, where I went with friends recently, we decided to have lunch at the covered market. We went to one stall to buy some fresh fish (tuna), which we then took back to a stall with a counter, where the fish was seasoned, cooked, and then served with a salad and fries. A glass of local white wine nicely complemented this meal, which was delectable!
No post about food can be complete without mention of restaurants, as I would say, unabashedly, the French have perfected the art of dining out. After all, we even use their word for the place to do this. From history.com comes this explanation of its origin:
“The word restaurant comes from the French verb restaurer, ‘to restore oneself,’ and the first true French restaurants, opened decades before the 1789 Revolution, purported to be health-food shops selling one principal dish: bouillon. The French description for this type of slow-simmered bone broth or consommé is a bouillon restaurant or ‘restorative broth.’”
As a sidenote, in the tradition of old things becoming new again, bouillon restaurants, originally created for the working class, are making a comeback in Paris, but now, having become fashionable, are attracting a different clientele…
The photos below are of desserts, the left one, an apple tart with vanilla ice cream, every bite delicious. Note the almond shape of the scoops of ice cream. When served as an accompaniment to a tart or cake, it seems that this is the preferred look, not the round mound that one finds atop apple pie in the States, for example.
The right one is of a lemon tart, accompanied by a caramel sauce. Wonderful! These desserts are not exceptional (for France) in their appearance or taste, but a typical way to end a good meal.
And then, there’s cafe life. When it’s sunny, as it is most days, one finds seemingly most of Montpellier sitting at a table enjoying a Perrier, a Panaché (half lemonade, half beer), a beer, a coffee, or any number of other drinks…for perhaps an hour or more, sometimes alone, usually with friends. Spending time with people dear to you is an important part of French culture. And, what better way to do that than to indulge together in fabulous French fare.