Sorry for the radio silence, my Mac has given up the ghost and has had to go in for repairs, so I’m having to write this from work (don’t tell the boss).
So France was awesome as expected. We were staying in Provence at a place my folks had rented with the rest of my familly, about an hour north of Marseille, near a town called Fourcalquier. I’m sure this is going to come over like I’m a smug ponce, but it really is a lovely part of the world. The landscape is amazing. Rolling fields of poppies, lavender and crops, the climate is awesome, and you really notice how quiet it is compared to London.
Aside from spending time with my familly, eating, drinking and doing a bit of cooking, the two highlights for me were going to Forcalquier market and hanging out in a little village called Banon.
Forcalquier marché happens every Monday morning and is a peculiar mixture of food, clothing and a whole lot of baskets. The produce on display was a food lovers dream. Amazing meat, bread, cheese, tarts, and other goodies like salami, garlic, olive oil, fruit and veg, all produced in the local area.
The farmers and stall holders are obviously really proud of their produce, encouraging you to try their wares at every turn. They are also refreshingly un-prissy about how they handle their food. They poke, prod and handle it. Not in an aggressive way, but like they are connected to and care about it. None of the rubber glove wearing supermarket staff who look scared to handle a chicken breast like you get over here.
We dropped ALOT of cash, but it was well worth it.
Banon also had a market; it wasn’t really in the same league as Fourcalquier’s, but it was a lovely place. Kind of how you imagine a little French village to be. Nice bar on the square, people pootling around, a good boulangerie and an amazing boucherie where the picture of the ’salami curtain’ was taken. A great place to hang out, relax and watch the World go by.
I’ll get some more France related stuff up soon when my Mac gets fixed. Don’t hold your breath.
Tags: France Food Markets Provence Forcalquier Banon Cooking Sun Culture
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