Notes on the French Riviera:
I have been working on this e-mail to update you on my trip, but I have become seduced by all of the sights, sounds, smells of the French Riviera, and there seems to be so much to take in that it leaves little time to sit and contemplate how it is changing me as a person. It just seems that I am living my wish, that I made at Kripalu at the end of last year to see the world with a beginner's mind, as if I were a child with fresh eyes and an unspoiled mind.
I am working as a private chef in Cap d'Antibes. The house is on a hill, hence the "cap", right next to a lighthouse with gorgeous view of the many yachts drifting in the harbor. When I first arrived I was very anxious to learn how to get around, to shop for food that I would be cooking, to deal with the day to day things that I required to achieve my standards of success for work. After all that is the primary reason why I'm here, to cook-in France. I decided to take baby steps, first venturing to the marche provencal, where you can get fresh tomatoes that taste so sweet they could be mistaken for candy, cheeses from the fromager, seafood with the head and eyes bulging out at you, all kinds of meats, which are done in the charcuterie format, or whole cuts, which if you're not careful to ask (in French) you might mistakenly buy cheval (horsemeat), which looks very similar to skirt steak. The problem with the market is that it's located in vielle Antibes (old town), which has tiny, narrow cobbled streets, jammed with scooters, trucks, and pedestrians. It is a nerve racking affair trying to squeeze through through these ancient passages without leaving a scratch on your car. So far so good, even for a girl inherited her driving skills from the intrepid driving culture of Massachusetts, and now can freely switch among the 6 lanes on the 405 in California!
To say that the French take great pride in their food is an understatement. They take their time to show you their produce, and there is absolutely no rush, even if there's 20 people waiting behind you. Marketing is a daily part of their existence, which is evident in the mornings when you see everyone up and early with their market baskets and carts, bumping along the uneven streets. They have a different sense of personal space, so cutting is good French form, which, being determined to do as the French do, I have mastered completely. Except that I shop for food for a large number of people, so I pity those who get stuck behind me. Every morning at 7 AM I go to the boulangerie to buy croissants and baguettes for work bringing my own boxes so the pastries don't get squished. I get about 20 different pastries and at least 8 baguettes, and it takes a while to pack them into my boxes and inevitably there is always a guy behind me who just wants one croissant. While there certainly are regular grocery stores, I generally avoid them and only go there for things like yogurt, cereal,olive oil, and wine. Otherwise you have to go to the fishmonger for fresh seafood, the boucherie for meat, the marche for produce, the boulangerie for bread and pastries and so on. It is an involved processional from shop to shop, but as a chef half of my job requires sourcing the best possible ingredients and I quite enjoy it.
The food here is Mediterranean food, which complements my own style of healthy, flavorful Asian influenced cooking. Fresh produce, seafood, herbs and spices, influenced by North African foodways, olives, garlic, parsley, the bounty of the sea, and the pastas and pizzas from nearby Italy all abound. Meat, if you noticed in French food needs to be "worked"-- it's either cured, charcuteried, or stewed and braised in wines and stocks, because it isn't as good as you would expect, but the seafood is just as good as New England.
As for fun, I have 2 days off which I take advantage of to the fullest. I've been to Monaco, which is straight out of a James Bond novel, mega yachts, $money, $money, $money. The yachting scene is the thing here. I've been to Cannes, which is 2 stops on the very efficient local train- great shopping. Nice is the biggest city, which has everything, it's about 25 minutes away on the train. I've taken the ferry to St. Tropez, which has a great Saturday market where you can buy paella, Provencal lavendar, sausages, scarves, and vintage Hermes and LV bags. There is also Grasse, the perfume capital of France, and Italy , which is only about 1 hour away on teh local train. I'm planning a trip to San Remo, Italy for my last week here.
Last week I decided to get out of this LA of France and headed to Aix en Provence, which is 3 hours away by train. I stopped in Marseille, which is the oldest city in France, and the namesake of their national anthem. Marseille has a different vibe than any other city in France because it is the largest port city in the south, and has through its history been a gateway for Muslim immigrants from French colonies in North Africa, it is more multicultural, working class, and a melange of languages. Marseille is also the hip hop capital of France, and I met a young man who was listening to Tupac on his ipod. The train ride from Antibes to Marseille follows the Mediterranean coast, with views of the nooks and crannies where people plunge into the teal Mediterranean, then gives way to the fig trees, and lush, green vineyards, then approaching Marseille you see more humble villages with graffiti along the train tracks for miles, like a moving modern art show. Aix en Provence is a 30 minute train ride inland, famous for being Cezanne's home and inspiration. It's a university town, which was not unlike Cambridge, full of students, and professor types. I enjoyed it immensely. Well, there's another 3 weeks of work, then Tim is coming out here. We will be traveling to Cassis, Avignon, Cote Rotie, Condrieu, Chateneuf de Pape, Burgundy, Champagne and then on to Paris before we get home on August 10th. I'm looking forward to having someone to share all of this with. I'll keep you all updated on our wine travels.
Miss You & Love You
From France
xoxo
Minnie
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