For Molly and I, what started as a trip to southern France, has transformed into one giant history lesson about Europe’s darkest 32 years. Everywhere on this continent there is death, loss, violence and destruction.
We left Bassac two weeks ago and I’m very much missing most everything about France but most of all I miss cognac and pineau des charentes, made only in our region and plentiful in all the local stores.
General de Gaulle once said: “How can anyone govern a nation that has 246 types of cheese?” His challenge was our splendor and indeed, the cheese aisle in the supermarket is truly a map of France.
With Barb gone and Molly tired of my rants on French language purism, I thought I’d share with you a brief history of the French language and some of what we’ve learned from The Story of French.
Béchamel sauce is one of the mother sauces of France. It’s a simple sauce to top off meat and vegetables and it’s a great way to revive your leftovers with a soul food flare.
The Charente River flows from the Limousin region of France and westward through into the Atlantic Ocean. It has provided the backdrop for many important moments in the history of Western France.
In the French Intermarché grocery storechain where we do all of our grocery shopping, you can buy a flat screen t.v., new pajamas, kitchen appliances, school supplies, a sewing kit and jewelry, all in one fell swoop.
