My Boucherie
Wednesday, April 7, 2010 at 5:02AM ;)
This is the Boucherie just down the street from me. Isn't it cool! The butcher looks the least French of anyone I've seen here. He's got that mid-west salt-of-the-earth vibe going. No scarf thrown casually round the neck just so. No ancient but perfect sweater that I'd kill to run across in a vintage store. I think the last time I was in there he was wearing a dunk-hunting vest. And his English is as good as my French. HA!
;)
I went in the other day to get pancetta, and he sold me something like it. We figured out what I meant, he and I together. The hunk of meat he sliced me was beautiful - solid and heavy, and when I chopped it into bits and sauteed it the whole family came running to see what the smell was. I made pasta: garlic, parmesan, parsley, a little olive oil, and this wonderful hand-cured meat. That's all. At dinner, when Owen took his first bite, he stopped talking for the first time in what seems like days. My ears rang with delicious silence. Ahhh...
Brenna Gibson Redpath | 5 Comments | Email Article | Stumble, Digg, etc. | in Food, France | tagged St quentin la poterie, living provence
Reader Comments (5)
Wings! They have WINGS!!!
That your boucherie wears a duck hunting vest makes the story that much better! :)
Umm, those cow "tails" are *interesting*.
Also, what -exactly- are those pigs up to?
Finally- send me some pancetta. Send it and I'll take Owen too. Not kidding.
I've just been thinking a lot about the last post and the criticism you received, Brenna, about not adhering to your intention for your trip. It upsets me that someone would question your amazing journey and put you on the defensive. I have to wonder what their motive is; where that attitude comes from. The truth is that you are always 'interviewing' your contacts, looking for kinship with people of the different countries you visit, and exploring their alternative ways of living. Some of these discoveries are subtle and some will be exciting, but they are all valid and wonderful. I don't believe that staunch adherence to a set 'plan' is always best; we are human, we change, we experience, we grow. Just follow your heart over there and do what you feel. So many of us love sharing your beautiful journey!
Well said, Jane!
What a wonderful painting!!! How French! With a boucherie like that how could you ever be able to shop the boring meat departments in this country again? Not even Trader Joe's comes close.
Sounds as if you don't need much French, just smile, gesture, and the outcome is marvelous!
Great going Brenna! Love Ya!