Marché et Dejeuner à Dimanche

10 Fevrier 2011


Last saturday, my host mom told me I could invite some friends over for sunday lunch, very kind and generous of her! She has been very nice and thoughtful, much more than I was anticipating. That sunday  morning before lunch she took me along to the market. On sundays, most shops are closed, such as the supermarkets (Monoprix, Edo, and most Franprix). However, in the morning there's the market, boulangeries, and charchuteries that are still open. For everyone who doesn't know...


A boulangerie is where you can buy bread, sandwiches, and pasteries (like a bakery)
A charchuterie is where you can buy meats (like a butcher's)
A patisserie is where you can buy candy and other sweets (like a bakery/candy shop)
A viennoiserie is where you can also buy bread, sandwiches, and pasteries (but has a different history than a boulangerie)


At the market, there was so much to see! Fruits, vegetables, seafood, meats, and of course, cheese. I was actually kind of surprised to see oysters at the market (huîtres) because I never see seafood in our farmers' markets back home. But, then again, we don't have much seafood in the Midwest.


The most interesting part of the market (besides the bright colors of the fruits) was the cheese. We had to wait in line for the cheese because it was very busy. Half of their stock was cheese from a cow, the other half goat cheese. They also had firm cheese too, which the workers had to skillfully cut with a large knife. The workers learned I was a foreign student, and gave me a piece of cheese, which was nice.


For lunch, we had seven people, including my host mom. Typically, we eat in the kitchen, but we had so many people we ate out in the dining area. We first had a salad (one leaf and the other a tomato-avocado combination) and juice. Then, we ate galettes with various types of spreads. Next, we had panne noir and baguettes with several types of cheeses (brie, two types of chevre, camembert). Also, Spanish guitar music was playing throughout the meal, which was very tranquil. Then for dessert, we had tarte citron with vanilla ice cream (glace vanille) and black coffee. Delicious!


At the end, my host mom showed us her big books of photography, which were interesting and beautiful. Eventually, everyone left because it was late sunday afternoon and we all had homework to do for class the next day. But, we all enjoyed the French meal and it was a great end to the weekend.


Au demain


MM