Hi Again From France:
This is a bit of a house cleaning tale today. Sophia’s birthday is tomorrow (Friday the 15th), her party is Saturday afternoon, and Keaka and I will be at his Saturdayafternoon hockey game in Montpellier (90 minutes away). We may get back for the end of the party. Don’t know if that will be good or bad.
As you may recall, we’ve been battling the meat here in France. I did read about the U.S. vs. French meat saga. It seems as though the key is that U.S. beef is corn fed and given hormones, while French beef is grass fed. Many folks are on record as saying that French beef has an inferior flavor and is tough. There are some who swear by French beef. We’re not converts, yet. Pork, lamb and veal rule in France. I purchased a small pork roast this morning and prepared it with a recipe I hadn’t used in 20-30 years. The sauce is the trick, but I thought the pork comparable to U.S. pork. Marlene thought it was dry, but I believe that was a reflection on the chef. Anyway, we actually prepared meat here and had a good experience. As is the case with so many things in an unfamiliar land, it takes some time to adjust and get yourself into satisfying patterns. We still agree every day that most everything we eat here is just good enough to get by, but certainly not something you’d hurry to dig your teeth into again. My line is simple, “If food is distressing, life isn’t worth living.” Your reaction should be something like, “Hey, you put far too much emphasis on food”. Our waistlines prove that point. And, by the way, we agreed today that you see very few overweight French people.
May this question be posed? We’ve heard over and over again in the U.S. to eat a good breakfast and not eat after 6:00 pm. How doe you explain that the French don’t eat breakfast and they eat dinner between 7:30 and 9:30 pm. How does that work?
Please note the photo of a sandwich menu from a Marseille brasserie. Remember, the French sandwich is based upon a baquette sliced down the middle, without garnishes such as mustard and mayonnaise. Here’s the translation:
Ham & Butter
Sausage & Butter
Ham & Cheese
Veggies & Cheese
Veggies & Ham
Bread Bagnet (don’t know what a bagnet is)
Bread Bagnet Round
Veggies & Chicken
Veggies Omelet
Chicken & French Fries (I believe the French Fries come on the sandwich)
Veggies, Chicken & French Fries
Omelet & French Fries
Veggies, Chicken & French Fries
Veggie Omelet & French Fries
Veggies & North African Sausage
North African Sausage & French Fries
Three Cheese
Marseille and Provence have had a huge cultural push this year, declaring the area the European Capital Of Culture – 2013. Going to the photos, we visited the Old Port area and downtown Marseille in September. You see Marlene admiring some street art, while I’m standing next to a most interesting piece of art. The architecture in Marseille does not disappoint, as the triangular building shows. Marseille is like many of the large cities we’ve encountered, with a low skyline (about six stories tops) in the central area. It reminds one much of Washington, DC, with its low skyline to preserve the view of the Capital and the monuments. More interesting art and Marlene posing in front of the Old Port. There’s a new and much larger port about a mile down the coast, which is very active, with everything from freighters, to ocean passenger liners and large ferry boats going to Corsica, Tunisia and Algeria. I’d love to make all three trips, but then you can only do so much in 11 months.
The next time you have a tuna fish salad sandwich, please think of us.
The Wilsons
