Lucky me! I just returned from a wonderful trip to the Cote d’Azur and the Provence region of France. Rather an impromtu trip as a friend of mine “won” a house in an auction and I tagged along. One of the most outstanding aspects of our trip was the fresh food we bought daily at the markets and cooked in our beautiful little sea-side villa. Do not get me wrong. This is not my normal activity to hop “the pond” to France with little notice and stay in a private villa on the coast. But, hey. Would you turn that down? I think not…
So, there we are, a random party of 10 — five kids (none my own!), a divorced couple (how awesome they can travel together?) a great-aunt, Bo (my “boyfriend”) and me! Ya know, you just gotta go with these things when they present themselves…
Why is it that fresh produce bought in outdoor markets tastes so damn good? The experience of going to the market, meeting the growers/sellers, delighting in the smells… and then cooking it — is soulful. It makes food taste better, digest better, and just feel better. A remarkable experience that we should all do more often.
And, notice the first photo: When I asked Livi and Bo what they each purchased, this is what they pulled out of the bag: Livi bought a shirt and Bo? Of course, he’s a boy… he found a sausage.
Vive La France!