Goût de la France

Tonight, we had escargot chez Marchetto. A few dinners ago, Mme Marchetto asked us if there were any French dishes we'd heard about but hadn't had a chance to try, and Elyse said escargot. I was apparently the only one who knew she was joking, so we weren't too surprised when there were two snails on our salad plates tonight. While Mme Marchetto was in the kitchen, Eloise, one of the Sewanee girls who is American but has French parents, started singing "We're all in this together." They tasted pretty good, even though the thought of eating snails is weird, and they are very chewy, so actually consuming them isn't the most enjoyable experience. Also, they don't look very appetizing once out of the shell...or in the shell, really. I'd definitely eat them again, although I don't plan on scooping them out of the gutters to cook (Mme Marchetto said French people actually do that in certain areas). There was also fish in the gratin, so it was a pretty rough dinner for Elyse.

At both houses, we usually have yogurt or fruit-based things for dessert. Eloise is allergic to gluten, so that rules out cakes and pastries, etc, which is kind of unfortunate, but actually not that big a deal. One time at the Daniels', we each had a pear to eat with gorgonzola cheese, and it was awesome. I love pears.

I'm really glad we get to eat with two families because the experiences are so different. The Daniels always have a lot to say, and we often don't get a word in edgewise, but they are really generous with the food, which is really, really good. Mme Daniel always says "Tout va disparaître!" (everything must disappear!), and M. Daniel refills our wine glasses about a million times. They always drink rosé, which is the wine of Provence. M. Daniel often murmurs to himself, likes to say basic French phrases with an exaggerated southern American accent ("mayor-see-boo-coo"), and sometimes sings. Mme Daniel is usually un petit peu gaie (tipsy), according to our dinnermates, although Elyse and I usually sit at M. Daniel's end of the table, so we were unaware. One of the students who was here over the summer too says she always drinks while cooking, and then of course, she drinks while we're eating, and he thinks she has some wine every time she goes back to the kitchen to get the next course. They are really funny.

At the Marchettos', the food is delicious too, and with the exception of tonight's meal, probably more similar to what Americans eat. There are often long pauses in the conversation, but Alexia and her mom ask more questions and want to how things are in the United States versus en France. Tonight we talked about marriage and divorce, which our Contemporary France prof had said was a taboo topic--the French discuss politics and religion with anyone and everyone, but they don't like to bring up family history, relationships, etc with people they don't know well--so I was kind of surprised.

On a somewhat related note, kissing someone on the cheek in greeting (faire la bise) is actually what the French do whenever they meet someone for the first time. I had kind of assumed that it was reserved for greeting people you knew, but au contraire. Elyse and I have had a few awkward encounters with people who expected us to faire la bise after saying hello when we didn't see it coming. Hugs are reserved for romantic relationships. Oh, and they do occasionally shake hands, although usually just men. Some people even kiss each cheek twice instead of once, but I have yet to personally experience that.

Mme Marchetto asked if any of us had objections to eating rabbit (lapin), and no one did, so we're having that on Thursday. For some reason, I feel like that will be harder for me to eat than anything else--not that the escargot was really hard for me to eat--even though I had a bite of Evan's once in Italy, so I already know how it tastes. We will see.