1er, First Market Day

First market day and Sandy describes me as a bloodhound on the trail as I plow eagerly through our daily market. The sights, smells and sounds are pure bliss to me and I know now that I can gather it all up, take it home and cook it up and I will eat like a prince!
Oh the "joie d' vivre", I've walked the entire affair, reviewed my options, sniffed-not touched, bad manners that, well ok, maybe I did sneak a feel or two.
The market vendors who return here daily, they are passionate about their bounty, they recognize their "regulars", me included, I am a curosity as well. There is the social "transaction" that must occour before the financial and it is not to be rushed. My failings with the language, shame on me, do not seem to deter this tradition, for we speak with the common language of beautiful, good, fresh local food.
What could be more elemental?
OK, now, let's see, for the salade, luscious carrotte- fresh with green tops, a little earth still clinging (they love that touch here, me too), radis- long tubular pink and crisp, also with fresh green tops and dirt, poivre rouge like enormous red lanterns, the concombre- long thin and crisp, what we call English, the tomate and heirloom variety (not here) called couer de boeuf (beefsteak) I could smell them even before I picked them up, and of course the salade- whole floppy heads of leaf lettuce, various shades of green meant to be eaten ajourdui (today). Salade complete!
Ahhh' the cavillion melons are here and that perfume, you just know this little beauty is going to be great. A box of fraises (strawberries) from nearby Carpentras, red thru and thru, must be eaten promptly- hope they make it to breakfast, yuuummm!
And of course the olives! A vendor for that too- olives & spices- the ladies are so sweet. Picholine avec fenuille (local green in EVO with fennel seed/stems) Sandy's
favorite and for me the little nutty black Niceoise in EVO with herbes d' provence.
Cest tutto? No madame, le pinons (pine nuts),and non chinoise (chinese), she looks at me , no monseiur, only francais! Oui madame, 100 grammes sil vous plait.
Some cheese, bien sur! (of course) got two fromagers here today and the specialte d' jour, Gruyere d' Savoie, French and at 25e/kg not cheap, but can't resist, 250 g sil vous plait.
Finally on my blitz thru - couldn't miss the big locally caught crevettes (shrimp)
pink, bright with only a hint of the smell of the sea. Sauteed in EVO/butter and garlic, tonight's dinner! Une demi killo sil vous plait, 24 big plump shrimps counted out before my eyes, .489 kilos @ 5e, 60 you betcha. Whoops, back for some of those little fingerling potatoes, encrusted in earth, the smell fantastic, I'll sautee them with the crevettes. Oh yeaah!
Oops, forgot aoil (garlic) pink and rosy and I'll pick up one of the ubiquitous potted basil plants, it's the size of a small shrub, better transplant to bigger pot when I get home. Sandy looks at it, smiles and sees her favorite, salade caprese.
Can't carry much more, our Harris-Tetter cloth bags heavy with bounty, but wait, must stop by our boulanger (bakery,there are 5 in the village) for a fresh baguette on the way home.
Sandy says, stop, we 've got to go home, we can't carry any more! I have to agree.
God, I love this place!!
Back at the house- unpack all of this glorious fresh food and stow it away.
12h and all the shops are closing, time for the 2 hour lunch, how civilized is that.
First, however, 2 Pastis, 51 of course, and some of those anticipated olives out on the patio- now this is how to start a two hour lunch! Slices of that warm baguette dipped into the olive "broth"- oh God! Sufficently lubricated, time to prep the just sourced salade. Chopping, chopping and more chopping- finely- brought my own knives for this-build the salade layer by layer- top with tuna in oil from the initial grocery run- some toasted pine nuts and vinagrette. More sliced baguette, EVO from the market in Bormes les Mimosas yesterday and oh yes,, a cold Stella Artois. Lunch done perfect! AAhh, snooze by the pool with a glass of rose d' St Tropez, yes, this is the life! Slippin' deep into the blue now!
Tan, if not a little red, fresh and ready for a visit to "the cafe", deux Pastis sil vous plait. Staff always remembers us from year to year and we them, fondly. "My chair" is still there, best view in the whole harbor and still the best pours. Questions/ Cest va? Cest va bien- everyone's well. Do you like futbol? Yeah I guess I do. We gotta get you a Marseille t shirt- I'm actually anticipating that, a few folks back home will really "appreciate" it.
Did I say, God I love this place!!
Back at the maison, a cold Stella to wash down the arduous 5min. trek up the hill. Thoughts turn to dinner, dix neuf, 19h, 7pm. The locals eat a little earlier here. About those crevettes. Chop off the heads, they weird Sandy out- set aside. Slice the petite fingerlings toss into a pan of quivering EVO, sautee until gold, add a little sliced garlic, shallotes & herbes d' provence, finish with a generous pat of buerre. The smell is rapturous! OK, toss in the crevettes, bit more buerre and seasonings, et viola! Yep ther'e ready. Add baguette picked up on that arduous if not a little wobbly trek up hill, some of that EVO, a simple salade verte with a chopped cour de beouf and vinagrette, simply delicious.
Yes!!
This is what i've been waiting for. Pure joy!!
More of that rose, AAAAAHHHHHHH!
But wait!, there's more! Remember the little cavallion melon- I do. Thinnly sliced, aromatic as hell, it's gone.
Not quite bedtime, wander back down the hill to the port and "the cafe" for deux expresso, sil vous plait. Two petite little cups of mud, but taste like the most awesome coffee you've ever had. It taste glorious, the harbor lights, the lights streched out along the bay, yeeesss!
have I said, God!!! I love this place!!!
And the blue now washes over me!
A biento
Cousin