I'm Baaaack! Pics from France

Got back yesterday from a trip to Bergerac and the Correze, with side trips to Cahors, Madiran and several non-wine (yes, such things do exist) attractions.

I'll try to post some notes when I am less jet lagged and when I have time to edit my photos, but thought I'd post some pics of what we ate at home on a daily basis - usually skipping lunch and having a bite (the pics) around 5 PM, then dinner around 8 PM. The 3 of us went through about 3 bottles a day plus incessant tasting and winery visits. I am told that my rusty French becomes more fluent with increased wine consumption....

Here you go:


Pleasant unoaked cahors with jambon persille


Pate and a local Bergerac sparkling Semillon


Veg, duck breast and duck sausage with Bergerac red


Endives, sausages and another red Bergerac


A white Montravel with duck gratton etc.


Madiran and the usual suspects


Nice white Bergerac with little pies


Very unusual AOC a half dozen growers) with chunk of foie gras


Tarte l'oignon, white asparagus and a Pacherenc - anther rare one


Modest white St. Emilion

Lovely photos, Bill, and welcome back! I believe that I recognize the table in photo#3...

Mark Lipton

Lovely photos, Bill, and welcome back! I believe that I recognize the table in photo#3...

Mark Lipton

All taken on the dining table at the house we were renting in Saussignac - complete with non-Riedel steware...

complete with non-Riedel steware...

Frustrating stuff.

Sometimes, depending how long I am staying, it is worth it to buy one or two decent glasses, to better enjoy the wine I came all that way to drink!

Also, nice photos. I can see you stuck to a strict vegetarian diet

Also, nice photos. I can see you stuck to a strict vegetarian diet

Well, we balanced ou diet with vegetables, and if you consider foie gras an honorary veggie....what, you don't??

Wow. I can feel my arteries getting blocked just looking at these photos.

I am told that my rusty French becomes more fluent with increased wine consumption....

Reminds me of a previous visit to France, we were invited to the home of some neighbors for some 11:00 am Champagne. Naturally, it was going to my head much faster than usual and I said in my pathetic French, "le plus que je bois, the moins que je comprends," and my host immediately corrected me by saying, "non, non, le plus que tu bois, le plus que tu comprends." (Apologies for the likely misspelling, poor grammar, etc.) Sure enough, the more we drank, the more I thought I understood everything clearly and the more I thought I was making sense.

[David M. Bueker]

It all makes sense: saucisson in Saussignac

Bruce, that's largely true. When dead sober and inhibitted, you try to make nice complete sentences using proper grammar and syntax, and what happens is that you come ot word that you can't remember and the train screeches to a halt.

When you are among friends and have lost some of that inhibition, you just tos it off with "Je ne sais pas le mot juste - stick in the English term, and move along. They usually get it.

The whole of this part of France is rife with expat Brits, BTW. They range from having no French at all and seemingly indifferent, to mre commonly fluent in French. It isn't as bad as Torremolinos, which looks like a chunk of the (worst) part of ye olde England transplanted to the Med, fish and chip shops and all, mind you.

I even had one chap that operates one of the best wineries in the area patiently receive our French request for an appointment and directions, only to greet us on arrival with "Hello there, glad you found us alright" in a British (well, Welsh, actually) accent.

[Jenise]

Ah, charcuterie! I shouldn't, but could easily, live on those foods. Don't blame you for not being able to resist them. Though I see you resisted your usual arrangement of cornichons and olives (or cherry tomatoes).

When dead sober and inhibitted, you try to make nice complete sentences using proper grammar and syntax, and what happens is that you come ot word that you can't remember and the train screeches to a halt.

When you are among friends and have lost some of that inhibition, you just tos it off with "Je ne sais pas le mot juste - stick in the English term, and move along. They usually get it.

I might add that once one starts slurring one's words, it's much harder to tell that it's one's French language skills, rather than the alcohol, that is the cause of incoherence.

Ah, charcuterie! I shouldn't, but could easily, live on those foods. Don't blame you for not being able to resist them. Though I see you resisted your usual arrangement of cornichons and olives (or cherry tomatoes).

Yes, I must admit to practicing the arcane art of charcuterie in the privacy of my home.

We could buy a 200 ml jar of grattons of duck - shredded duck with a little duck fat (not too much) (see http://www.chezpim.com/blogs/2007/03/another_reason_.html ) for a couple of €. Of course we were also buying confit de canard in large tins for €6 for four of them....I'm getting duck withdrawal just talking about it!