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The Flying Dutchman

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Two evenings ago the hostess at Idiartekoborda B and B said that a guest had just arrived on bicycle and she had to drive him to a restaurant in the village for dinner.   It was understandable since the nearest place to eat was over two miles away, the road leading to the B and B was quite steep, and he had already spent the day riding over mountains    I told her I would drive him to a restaurant and have dinner with him.   It turns out he spoke very good English and was a vegetarian to boot. So, having considerable bicycling vittles in my larder I said I would prepare dinner for both of us in the B&B's communal kitchen. Being no stranger to the best foods to consume for long distance bicycling (I did one across the state of Massachusetts long ago) I told him I would prepare a dinner of carbohydrates. A half hour latter we sat down to a plate mounded with boiled potatoes, a huge salad, baguette, and a large plate of sliced fruit for dessert. He is r...
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Enchanterelled

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Fresh mushrooms, sliced, sauteed in a little olive oil with finely minced garlic and finished with crème fraiche was the star of my vegetarian lunch today. I have meat in my larder including the southern French version of jamon crudo plus a cured sausage that looks like it’s old enough to vote.  But, the veggies here are so fresh and have much more flavor than those on our grocery shelves in the US, so I often wind up eating a plate of them sans viand. A local told me to shred carrots and mix them with oregano and a dash of wasabi powder no less.   The finely chopped oregano and a dash of hot sauce in place of the wasabi really enhanced the flavor of the dish.    On the wine tasting front I was invited to dinner by an American couple who have owned a house in one of the small villages near here going on 8 years.  They had invited another couple.  The husband, Danielle, brought a bottle of his wine.  He produces about 450 bottle...
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Western France

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I lose track of the number of times I have been to France – maybe five or six.   Perhaps I am drawn here in part since my heritage and a petite bit of sang du France pulses in my veins. (according to our book of genealogy, Jean dejarnat, a Huguenot, fled the country to avoid religious persecution after the king revoked the Edict of Nantes.   The Edict of Nantes, a document signed in 1598 by Henry IV, aimed to give Calvinist Protestants amnesty and restore their civil rights in a country where the predominant religion was Catholicism.  .   Some years later it went through what we shall call a ‘shaky period’.   Finally, in 1685 Louis XIV gave it the coup de grace.   Protestants were given two weeks to leave the country or convert to Catholicism.   To exacerbate the situation and cause immense confusion Protestants were forbidden to leave the country.   (Hmm, reminds me of present day Presidential proclamations.)   Still, some severa...
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