Market Day at Josselin - 31/03/07
Comments from the author:
On a Saturday morning, I like to go into the early morning market at Josselin. I'm not so interested in bargains but I do know that I'll get the best seafood in the area and vegetables that will make my mouth water.
The most obvious one is the rotisserie. The smell of gently roasting chickens can cause a hurried rush to the bar - in order to calm down. I very rarely buy a roast chicken (after all, Saturday is Fruits des Mer night), but I do like a good sniff.
I can also, often be found having a good sniff at the Paella stall - I'm not saying that food is the most important thing in life but... What is it that we do, 3 or 4 times a day, 7 days a week - all our lives - sex maniacs needn't answer!
It's a way of bringing a community together, it's way of becoming part of the community - I like that!
Why do we think about this so much - and, why not?"
Some of the vegetables that I can buy in my local market were still in the ground, yesterday! They taste different to the supermarket ones because they are different.
And, also, the people who have grown them (and picked them), will offer me advice on how to cook them - no need for a French cookbook, if you live in France.
For me, Saturday night is "Fruits des Mer" night. The market is excellent for this. I know that all the product has been caught locally - it might be more expensive than the supermarket stuff but, who cares? It's the taste that counts!
I budget 20 euros a week for my "Fruits des Mer" - I frequently go over budget!
I find it so hard to resist those Whelks that are on special offer - or, those oysters that are going cheap. The fish (scaled and de-boned, as you want them), just look so fresh - you could squint a bit (to make yourself look Japansese) and then pile on some HorseRadish sauce - and, eat them raw!
And the vegetables. I could go on and on about how fresh they taste - you wouldn't understand!
You have got to have eaten a fresh carrot (perhaps with vinagerette) to understand it all - sorry, if you're used to buying your pre-packed vegetable from the supermarket, you'll never understand!
For me, it's such a joy to buy some local produce from the people who have grown it. That's why I live in France, that's why I'm happy here - that's why I could never go back!
And, finally, the onion and shallot stall. I stock up every week. The potatoes are also very good there and the tomato plants I bought from him, last year, turned into triffids and took over the garden.
The patron always finds time to talk to me - he knows, as I do, life's too short to eat rubbish!
