French Cuisine

Max and I arrived in Nantes last Thursday to be welcomed by Jean Claude- nicknamed JC because he has been our savior. JC has a B&B and it doesn't etb.

JC has introduced us to Nantes in a traditional fashion. On top of breakfast- which is simply baguette or croissant and coffee- JC and his wife Annick have fed us lunch every single day. We start with an aperitif and mini laughing cow cheese squares, then the main dish along with red wine from Bordeaux, always followed by Camembert and goat cheese with more wine, then a pudding dessert and lastly a cup of espresso with a piece of dark chocolate. Merci!

So, how do the French stay thin? Well, they don't snack for one. A little breakfast loaded with carbs starts the day, then they have the leisure to take two hours to eat a meal without gorging, and this satisfies for the rest of the day and they end with a light dinner so their bellies aren't full while they sleep.

Since we are on the subject of food, I have a confession to make. So JC speaks broken English, and yesterday he was going to the market to pick up food for lunch. He asked Max and I if we liked what sounded like "house meat". Having no clue what he meant, we thought maybe it was like house wine or a bad grade. After much effort, we realized he meant horse meat! Instantly I froze. I looked at Max with horror, and not wanting to be rude we sheepishly agreed to try. And I hate to even admit, but it was actually really tender. The only thing I could do was drink lots of wine and pretend it was not it was-although it is what it is. Tiffany and Hasa forgive me! And all the other horses I love... Tiniki, Mia, Blue Willow, Tonto...

Today we had black pudding. Again, I had to guzzle some wine to stomach the thought. I only tasted it, but Max was raving. A true Irishman!

Tomorrow we leave for Lucon, the town where I will be teaching. I heard the delicacies there are sweetbread and frog legs- more palate adventures to come...

Stay tuned for more updates and photos.

with love, max and em