Jun 19
Bastide #5 was Cordes-Sur-Ciel. As with the other towns we visited, tourism is the main industry. The city was much more touristy than the other bastides. However, our accommodations here were probably the best of those outside Paris. We stayed at a delightful bed and breakfast called Le Secret du Chat. Alain and Marie are …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/19/to-the-bastides-parte-deux/
Jun 17
We visited several hilltop villages in southern France called bastides. The peasants could retreat behind their walls when under attack during the Hundred Years’ War. The walls have crumbled, but the towns have survived. Accessing these towns is not easy for modern tourists, even though nobody’s pouring boiling oil on you from the ramparts. The …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/17/to-the-bastides/
Jun 13
“Why a duck? Why a no chicken?” (Chico Marx, The Cocoanuts) The Millau Viaduct is the highest bridge in the world, and the tallest structure of any kind in France. It opened for traffic in 2005. It’s an amazing bit of engineering and good-looking to boot. We had lunch at the rest stop/visitors’ center just …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/13/more-on-rest-stops-the-millau-viaduct/
Jun 13
We’re attending a birthday party tonight for our friend who is intolerant of onions, garlic, and the like. As you may know from my original post of this title, our friends have a plethora of allergies, intolerances, and aversions. My philosophy is to make something that the maximum amount of people can eat. So I …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/13/feeding-between-the-lines-part-two/
Jun 12
The arrival of Copper River Salmon is one of those big deal events for some in Seattle. The flesh of this salmon is higher in fat than fish from other origins, particularly farm-raised. The fish have to lay on extra fat to survive the long trip to their hatching place to spawn. More fat equals …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/12/copper-river-salmon-gemisch/
Jun 11
It’s hard to think of a culture more gluten-centered than the French. Baguettes are a daily tradition, as are pastries, croissants, cakes, biscuits (cookies in the US), and tarts. Then you have flour-thickened sauces such as bêchamel and velouté. So it was a bit of a surprise to find a selection of gluten-free fad diet …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/11/glutenous-maximus/
Jun 11
Sometimes you drive past an establishment and you have to think twice about what they’re selling…
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/11/double-take-time/
Jun 05
The weather in Amsterdam and Paris was moderate, with highs in the 60’s. So it was a bit of a shock when the temperature upon our arrival in St. Cirq-Lapopie was 86° (30°C). The climate in southern France, even in the high country, is dictated by the warm Mediterranean rather than the icy Atlantic. We …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/05/quenching-ones-thirst/
Jun 04
Corn is not a major ingredient in French cuisine except in the Basque country. So how come we saw corn fields in the Dordogne Valley? Two words: Foie gras. Corn is a key component of overfeeding ducks and geese to produce the fatty liver that’s such a delicacy in the region. Julian had some duck …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/04/cornfields-in-france/
Jun 04
Your standard American rest area on an interstate toll road is little more than a bad vending machine. Forty years ago rest areas were run by Howard Johnson in the northeast, Stuckey’s in the south, and other chains elsewhere. If you drive the New Jersey Turnpike these days, you might find a Roy Rogers, Subway, …
Permanent link to this article: http://ediblethoughts.com/2015/06/04/rest-stops-a-la-francais/
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