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.
In every town we’ve visited here in France there is a World War I memorial. These are the names of those killed in action, who were sent to war from that particular town.
For the record, before I came to France it was my belief that crêpes are highly overrated and that specialty crêpe restaurants in the U.S. are doomed to fail, much like the overpriced cupcake store.
Bonne Femme is French for “good wife.” But in French cuisine, the expression refers to a style of cooking. It is the fresh, honest, and simple cuisine served every day in French homes.
Adam and Molly Go 