What a great post. You covered so much, including a great recipe (I love boudin aux pommes), a fabulous market haul and you reminded me of my childhood excursions, when I left home on my bike after lunch and got back 3 hours later. My parents hadn't got a clue where I'd been.
I've been impressed with Marseillan's strides in pet cleanup over the years that we have been visiting. But one incident is seared in memory. When strolling through the church square one afternoon we encountered a chic young woman with a large dog. Just outside the boucherie the dog squatted and produced a quite heroic deposit. We and several horrified onlookers gazing through the boucherie window watched to see what would happen next, but the woman merely met our eyes, gave a classic gallic shrug, and sauntered off leaving the steaming evidence behind. Appalling manners but truly impressive sangefroid!
Oh my goodness! I'm surprised one of those red-aproned butchers didn't race after her with a cleaver. Also, this is such a small place someone in the butcher's will have known her, or her mum, or her auntie. The news of that awful behaviour will have reached them before she even got home.
I first went to France in the '70s with my (Norman) French husband. The dog poop was horrendous! The narrow sidewalks and gutters were full beyond the limit. It has gotten better, and it sounds fantastic where you live! I was starting to really hate dog owners until things got cleaned up. Same in NYC, too, where I now live.
There really is no excuse is there? Those people like the ones Alicia describes - who pick it up and then leave the bad behind for some else to deal with - are absolute monsters as well.
We have dog parks here (divided into Big Dogs and Little Dogs, with a tiny "stream" running through the middle of both) which provide bags and disposal baskets. Everyone watches everyone else, so no one cheats. This has led to people being MUCH more careful on the streets, as well!
I bet she had some great dishes. I have a Norwegian neighbour here in Marseillan and she is an excellent cook. You know, if you want to make a lot of your belle-mère's recipes, you might think about investing in an electronic scale with a tare system (this means you can reset it to zero and keep measuring things that are cooked in the same step into the same bowl, saving on washing up). They are very cheap and so useful. I have noticed that quite a few American books, magazines and websites have metric alongside the cup measures now too. Young chefs particularly seem to like it because it is so easy to be accurate, especially in baking.
The same in Canada, Nancy. Ironically, when faced with an American recipe I convert all the volumes to European metric weights because it's less mess and more accurate. To convert in your direction, you'd need a scale - or the easiest way, ask Google.
I suppose it depends on what you grew up using. Weighing is so much simpler to me. I have no idea what to do with half a cup of butter, for example 😊
I was quite surprised at the number of dogs I saw in Paris, but quite pleased to see them, too. The majority were small breeds, which makes sense, but I also met one lovely border collie, which concerned me a bit. As I have two collies, I know they thrive when allowed to run around off the lead. I hoped the collie I met in Montmartre had access to big open spaces.
What a great post. You covered so much, including a great recipe (I love boudin aux pommes), a fabulous market haul and you reminded me of my childhood excursions, when I left home on my bike after lunch and got back 3 hours later. My parents hadn't got a clue where I'd been.
Reminds me of my Cornish friends collies which are officially 'off lead dogs'. BTW excuse the sub editor in me, but your baking dish size says xxxcm x
Arrgh! Oh god. Thank you so much! X
My inner 6 year old is giggling that you gave us a boudin recipe! It sounds delicious.
😘
There has been a big improvement in the doggy poo department in France. I remember it being a problem in the 90s.
It is so mcuh better now, no question.
I've been impressed with Marseillan's strides in pet cleanup over the years that we have been visiting. But one incident is seared in memory. When strolling through the church square one afternoon we encountered a chic young woman with a large dog. Just outside the boucherie the dog squatted and produced a quite heroic deposit. We and several horrified onlookers gazing through the boucherie window watched to see what would happen next, but the woman merely met our eyes, gave a classic gallic shrug, and sauntered off leaving the steaming evidence behind. Appalling manners but truly impressive sangefroid!
Oh my goodness! I'm surprised one of those red-aproned butchers didn't race after her with a cleaver. Also, this is such a small place someone in the butcher's will have known her, or her mum, or her auntie. The news of that awful behaviour will have reached them before she even got home.
I first went to France in the '70s with my (Norman) French husband. The dog poop was horrendous! The narrow sidewalks and gutters were full beyond the limit. It has gotten better, and it sounds fantastic where you live! I was starting to really hate dog owners until things got cleaned up. Same in NYC, too, where I now live.
There really is no excuse is there? Those people like the ones Alicia describes - who pick it up and then leave the bad behind for some else to deal with - are absolute monsters as well.
We have dog parks here (divided into Big Dogs and Little Dogs, with a tiny "stream" running through the middle of both) which provide bags and disposal baskets. Everyone watches everyone else, so no one cheats. This has led to people being MUCH more careful on the streets, as well!
I love your recipes, but in the US we use standardized cup and spoon measures and Fahrenheit degrees in the oven. How can I convert?
Hello Nancy, you could try convertrecipe.com - I think it is very comprehensive. Good luck and do ask if you want any further clarification.
Thanks! I need that for all the recipes I got from Micheline, my belle-mère. She taught cooking/home ec in a local lycée––and judged the pastries in the final exams in the big chef's school in Le Havre (where we lived). She was of Norwegian and Italian heritage, but cooked more Norwegian: fabulous and healthy!!
I bet she had some great dishes. I have a Norwegian neighbour here in Marseillan and she is an excellent cook. You know, if you want to make a lot of your belle-mère's recipes, you might think about investing in an electronic scale with a tare system (this means you can reset it to zero and keep measuring things that are cooked in the same step into the same bowl, saving on washing up). They are very cheap and so useful. I have noticed that quite a few American books, magazines and websites have metric alongside the cup measures now too. Young chefs particularly seem to like it because it is so easy to be accurate, especially in baking.
The same in Canada, Nancy. Ironically, when faced with an American recipe I convert all the volumes to European metric weights because it's less mess and more accurate. To convert in your direction, you'd need a scale - or the easiest way, ask Google.
I have a scale, but our way is soooo much easier! My belle-mère switched to our system when I gave her the cups and spoons.
I suppose it depends on what you grew up using. Weighing is so much simpler to me. I have no idea what to do with half a cup of butter, for example 😊
I was quite surprised at the number of dogs I saw in Paris, but quite pleased to see them, too. The majority were small breeds, which makes sense, but I also met one lovely border collie, which concerned me a bit. As I have two collies, I know they thrive when allowed to run around off the lead. I hoped the collie I met in Montmartre had access to big open spaces.
I always hated seeing Border Collies and the like in London. Such a stressful environment for them.
Oh god, that recipe! Sounds like utter heaven and I've never seen anything like it and am the biggest fan of black pudding.
Do try it Debbie. It is delicious and so easy.
I like the DNA tested poo idea. Would do away with the poo bags hung in hedges that plague Bedfordshire.
That would be brilliant, wouldn't it?