The week that was….

 Well, it has been a very pleasant semain  down here in La Sud de France. Pleasant as in sun, sea, Soirees and serenity. We wish you were all here to share this beautiful situation with us.

New Orleans Night at Ken and Alison's 

New Orleans ladies

On the 28^th Fevrier, we went to Ken and Alison’s New Orleans night in Pouzolles. We had 12 in all but the nice thing was we were able to see friends beyond our usual group. Pezenas, Valros, Alignan and Tourbes were represented including Anna and Jacob who we seldom get to see. The food was typical and as usual very good. Crevette (shrimp, boiled in this case) served on newspaper in the center of the table. You grab a shrimp, peel it, eat it and throw the shells back on the newspaper. Rouge, Blanc, and Rose in pichets all on the table.  For aperitif, there were Hurricanes, pastis, and a kir like drink.  Louisiana sunburst salad with a crawfish beignet in a tasty dressing was followed by a sumptuous buffet of chicken and okra Gumbo, Cajun sausage, duck and smoked sausage jambalaya, blackened fish with sides of Cajun corn, peas in a roux and hushpuppies. Dessert was New Orleans bread pudding in a bourbon sauce. Beaucoup wine and café included for 19€. The buffet was enough for two trips if you wanted more. We enjoyed spending time with old friends especially our Dutch friends Anna and Jacob. Most were unfamiliar with the New Orleans style food so we did a lot of explaining as all thought (rightly) that while New Orleans was French, its food bears little resemblance to the French food we see here.

Mayors Lunch

On Saturday the 1^st of Mars, we were invited personally to the Mayor’s luncheon. The Salle des Fetes was already filled when we arrived at exactly the appointed time. At first we didn't see anyone we knew to sit with and ended up with the last two seats at a table of total strangers. They babbled away in French and did their best to make us comfortable. Directly across was a lady who has lived in the village for 65 years. Down the way, we met a couple who were Español, and other French natives of the village. The crowd was largely seniors with perhaps 30 % under 60, 40% 60-70 and the rest over 70 years old. On the table was 6 bottles of wine (for 10 people), large baskets of bread and an aperitif of a Vin de Liqueur. Pat didn't care for it and had wine instead. Shortly the Mayor started his welcome which was brief and to the point. He then introduced another dignitary which we think had something to do with organizing the event since its beginning many, many mayors ago.  The man was quite elderly (though very spry) and started giving his welcome. For the next 10-15 minutes, he and the Mayor “fought” over the microphone. The Mayor couldn't get him off the stage! He just kept on talking and talking. When he finally left there was a rousing ovation out of respect or just joy that he finished. When the Mayor regained control, he introduced the entertainment (a three piece band) and proclaimed “bon appetit!"

The event was catered by L’Essential a nice restaurant in Pezenas. How they served a sit-down luncheon for 400 so efficiently I will never know. The first course was a very large piece of foie gras on thin toast with petit greens and a figue confiture complement. While they were serving we got to

Foie Gras

know the people at our table and began to relax a little. I can’t stress enough how inadequate you feel when 1) you are an outsider, 2) you don’t know what to expect or how to behave properly and 3) have the language barrier that minimizes your interaction with others. However, as I have said many times, the French are wonderful in their welcoming attitude and will embrace even the feeblest as we are.

The foie gras was excellent and the wine was the best our Cave has to offer.

As the tables near the front began to finish their entrée, the band started and the dancing commenced. We love the way the music and dancing is done here. No matter the venue, the dancing usually starts with some of the older dances and progresses very slowly toward more modern rhythms. Usually the oldest generations are on the floor first dancing to the rhythms of their youth. While most of the music down here has a distinctive Spanish influence, the beats of tangos, sambas, cha-cha, Paso dobles, bossa-nova, etc., there are also dances that must be local. You can see 2-3 variations during the same song by different couples.   On others, everyone is on the same page with very distinctive steps and styles. The elders are the first on the floor. It is a thing of beauty to watch couples fresh in from the vines and all dressed up dance the same dances that they have for 40 or even 60 years. As tables continue to be cleared, the dancing expands but the early music doesn't change. Plenty of time for other music later.

The second course is ready. Now we are having Langouste (lobster) sliced vertically down the middle.  Served only with a slice of lemon and a tiny sprig of rosemary, I thought this is nice but a little strange for a main course. Pat and I managed to navigate the tail meat which was superb. The claws also had meat and some of the French fought until they cracked the claw for a tiny tidbit of

reward. Some of the French also ate the body parts but at our end, my companion did not recommend it. I always thought the lemon slice was to squeeze over the seafood, but I also saw the French women using the lemon slice to cleanse their fingers after the lobster. Now I know! Then more dancing which was still old and Spanish, but slightly upbeat and more modern. The tangos were slightly faster and the sambas were much more animated. As the wine begins to kick in, we have many more dancers who are really beginning to enjoy themselves.

It’s time for a “Poire William” which is a light pear brandy. Ours was served over glace (ice cream) as a palette cleanser between the meal courses. Quite nice after the lobster but I was concerned at the time that it was dessert. Now the music is getting louder and more upbeat and folks are really getting

into the dancing. The floor is crowded with couples. Some of the men won’t dance so the ladies pair up and carry on without them. Some of the men (moi) shouldn't dance, but insist on acting a fool on the dance floor. I thought some might fall over as they “jitter bugged” all around.

After an interlude of dancing, the Mayor grabs the mic again and offers an ode a la agneau (toast and thanks for the lamb main course). Suddenly from the back of the room (kitchen area) comes a procession of waiters carrying a large tabletop with two sides of lamb adorned with fireworks “sparklers” stuck in them. The French national anthem is played by the band and the procession goes down one side of the room and up the other showing off the meal. 

As it will take a while to carve and serve the lamb, more dancing and of course more wine is in order. By this time a couple of guests are really feeling the wine, one was a younger woman,  bright purplish red dyed hair,  maybe 50 who wanted to dance with every man there. And did, I think. She was having such a good time. The other well-oiled guest was a man who had the same objective, dance with every woman here. Too bad the two never met on the dance floor. But he would find a group of ladies dancing solo on the floor and interject himself right in the middle and dance with all until the group dissipated.

The lamb was served with a side of choufleur (cauliflower) and pomme de terre au four (baked potato). The room got unusually quiet for a few moments as everyone was served. The band took a   

Pomme de Terre au Four

break and conversation was limited to your immediate table and after praising the quality of the meal, we concentrated on the food. It was quite a large cut of lamb and must have been either shoulder or ham to get that size of cut. But it was good quality according to all around.

The band returns and the dancing starts again this time with modern (for France) selections to get the blood pumping. Mostly fast songs for jitterbug type or fast dancing. They mixed in a couple of slow ones along the way.

Oops, here comes the red head and sets her sights on a man at the other end of our table. She couldn't manage to get him up but my companion across the table started pointing to me. Here she comes! After much protestation didn't work, I resorted to the old football injury trick pointing to my “bad knee” and then directing her to my companion who had pointed at me. Strangely he had the same malady and started pointing to his own knee. She calls for reinforcements and after some discussions went along her way.

Dessert was a Norwegian Omelet. This is a little ring of pound cake with ice cream inside and

Norwegian Omelette

meringue outside that is flambé. After the dishes were cleared, the head maintenance man in the village came wandering around with two bottles. I don’t know if it was officially part of the meal or not, but he had many takers on his offerings. He had an eau de vie (local distilled liquor) and an Armagnac. Pat and I tried the Armagnac which was very nice. (Armagnac is similar to Cognac or Brandy and comes from a certain region in France). When the lad reached the table just behind us, one of the guests pulled out from beneath the table his own eau de vie. He offered some to the lad

Almagnac

who was obliged to take it or offend a village elder. It must have been what we call “white lightning” or moonshine. The young man’s breath was taken away and he turned many colors in a very few seconds. When he caught his breath, he remarked how good it was and quickly downed the remainder to the same effect. He quickly went along his way gasping and laughing.

The next round of dancing started to thin the crowd of ol-timers. Upbeat and modern and somewhat structured in a little different way. Several line dances weeded out the pretenders such as myself and many others. Manola, our neighbor, tried to teach me one but I could never hop or turn at the right time. The French like their line dancing and “The Madison” is a crowd favorite. Pat calls it the “electric slide” and it is very popular here.

We started at promptly 12:30 and it is now 5:00. By the way, it was all free! While the crowd is beginning to evaporate, there are still a lot of dancers giving it their best effort. We stagger away early as we are expected at Jerome’s in Tourbes at 7:30 to begin again this eating and merrymaking.

Jerome’s on a Saturday night

On to Jerome’s, actually La Table des Vignerons. While we did not eat after eating all afternoon, it was very nice to relax with 17 of our expat friends. No language barriers and very familiar  

T
Typical menu

companions. Jerome does mostly grillades, French for anything cooked on the grill over wood here mostly grape vines and stumps. He had nice lamb brochettes that everyone just raved about. We finished around 10:30 with café and their desserts. It is very sad that Jerome has lost the contract on the restaurant as of July. We are told that the restaurant stays but Jerome goes. It was also very sad as Jerome’s brother, a gardener who does tree work as well, fell from a tree 2 weeks ago, broke his neck and was killed instantly. It is a very close community and while it hit everyone very hard we went specifically this night to support Jerome.

Narbonne Market

On Sunday we headed down to Narbonne for the market. The outdoor market is on Thursdays and Sundays and is one of the largest around. It was a little quiet as it is still winter some vendor has selective hours. I went into the Halles which is a large indoor market open every day. I needed some fresh items for an Irish stew that I was making. I found everything except fresh thyme. Pat also picked up a fresh bouquet of fluers for the Galzys’ but unfortunately never gave them as she could not catch them at home. The Halles has virtually

Grande omelette at le Halles

everything fresh: meats, offal, fish, cheese, veggies, flowers, spices plus several stand-up places making fresh meals. There must have been 300 people clogging the paths and standing in line for the fresh goodies.

We left and went down to the Med at Gruisson. It is a nice little beach and port town but we parked on the opposite side of the port and walked about a mile to find a restaurant for a light lunch. I had a

A view to enjoy a quiet lunch 

dozen fresh oysters (huitres) and Pat had the soup de Poisson. My oysters were plump and tasty but it was the first time I had ever had them served with both shells. They were simply opened and I discovered the top shell has a bit of oyster as well. Pat enjoyed the soup but said she had seen better.

The Boucher’s pain

On Tuesday our boulangerie is closed but you can still get bread at the boucherie. There, I had to wait for an indecisive lady customer to finish her shopping which is normally the case at the markets. Finally, the butcher himself came out carrying a large batch of fresh ground beef. He took it behind the counter and placed it in the display case with the other meats. He saw me waiting and asked if he could help me. After discussing the types of breads he had, I decided on a plain baguette. He picked up the baguette and started to hand it to me. I asked for a sack to carry it in but he had no sacks. He then wrapped the baguette in butcher paper and handed it over. Now, he had just brought red raw ground beef and his hands were still literally bloody and without the little gloves that food people usually use. He thought nothing of it and after paying him my change and butcher paper had just a little addition of ground beef and blood to go with my morning baguette. Very normal in le Sud de France but what would happen to him in the USA? Here, we just swallow and carry on.