"Opinicus" wrote ...
wrote

****aladière. And salad Nicoise. (I ate one of those, too). Anyway,
the slice had to be heated in the microwave. It was a trifle doughy,
and lacking in great flavors, so why this food item is held in high
esteem is beyond me.

Even the British had the good sense and manners to cook Jeanner d'Arc over
an open fire. That the modern French would resort to a microwave forms a
disgusting commentary on "The Fall of France".

You got a bad batch. And any time I see something allegedly edible that's
about to be handed to me being microwaved, I take "French leave", as it
were.

Chorus of "Amens" from my back bench!

I've just finished working my way through Rick Stein's "French Odyssey".
Despite his cheery assurances at the end that French cuisine is alive and
kicking, I have my doubts.


On our last visit, one could certainly dine well for 150 Euros or so, but
the back street cafes in which once, long ago, for a few francs one could
imagine oneself to have found Jesus seemed almost impossible to find. Now
we have too many "chefs" and "showplaces" in lieu of good cafes and sound
brasseries. The best one of those I've been in in recent years was in
Chicago, not a Frenchiefied venue.

I wish I could remember the name of the little cafe in Nice, a few doors
back from the quai, 1963 or so, where I discovered the fixed price all day
menu, that first day a clear shellfish soup followed by jugged hare, bread,
a little endive with oil and vinegar, and a small piece of apricot tart.
Having been at sea for a while, I was able to dine three times in the same
day (and would have gone back again, but the joint closed about 10PM. The
old lady laughed when I arrived for the third go-round (and gave me a demi
to drink with it).

That and an evening meal with my wife and young daughters in an old
hotel-former convent in Arras about 1983 remain French waypoints along
life's dining highway.

TMO