What happened to all those vegetables? Being French I might be able to bring some light here.
Let’s have a look at it.
Below is a definition found on the internet of the gastronomic meal enjoyed by the French: The writing in red are the words I would take out if I was to explain to our English friends what a meal at home is about.:
“The gastronomic meal of the French is a customary social practice for celebrating important moments in the lives of individuals and groups, such as births, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, achievements and reunions. It is a festive meal bringing people together for an occasion to enjoy the art of good eating and drinking. The gastronomic meal emphasizes togetherness, the pleasure of taste, and the balance between human beings and the products of nature. Important elements include the careful selection of dishes from a constantly growing repertoire of recipes; the purchase of good, preferably local products whose flavours go well together; the pairing of food with wine; the setting of a beautiful table; and specific actions during consumption, such as smelling and tasting items at the table. The gastronomic meal should respect a fixed structure, commencing with an apéritif (drinks before the meal) and ending with liqueurs, containing in between at least four successive courses, namely a starter, fish and/or meat with vegetables, cheese and dessert. Individuals called gastronomes who possess deep knowledge of the tradition and preserve its memory watch over the living practice of the rites, thus contributing to their oral and/or written transmission, in particular to younger generations. The gastronomic meal draws circles of family and friends closer together and, more generally, strengthens social ties.” This is a pretty accurate definition of a meal in our family.
When we arrived from Algeria, early 60’s, we’d lost everything, and the money was scarce. The little we had was borrowed anyway. As little children we were unaware of our parents hardship and thought we were in paradise because living on a farm, we could go barefoot everywhere from morning to night without a care in the world other than the one of checking on the new wild ducklings, or those kittens we’d heard miaowing in the hay. The truth was we were penniless, we wore second-hand clothed handed down from cousins, repaired our socks, never went to the hair dresser, cycled to school in all weathers, had only one pair of shoes…and so on, and yet, there was a 3 course meal on the table everyday, with a specific way of laying the table with spoons and knives on the right and forks on the left….there was always wine on the table, and we washed our hands before sitting at the table. My dad insisted on us waiting for mum to sit down and serve everyone before starting to eat….All these things were taken for granted and still are. That’s how it was. When as a young mum in London, I used to come home to France for the summer with my little boy, the conversation at lunchtime was always: What shall we have for tea? And when having tea, the conversation would be: what shall we have for lunch tomorrow? It was a family decision and everyone pulled in to offer ideas and preferences..I never worried about this kind of thing in the UK but being back in France after 35 years away, I now find myself laying the table in the same way, and preparing 3 course meals as a matter of habit and soooo enjoying it, and when it happens that we don’t, it’s terribly missing like something’s wrong….
So what happened to those vegetables you may ask again?
Well, the meat and 3 veg that one is used to and enjoys when one is British, doesn’t have a place here in France. All the vegetables are cooked in addition to others and transformed such that apart from a salad as a starter, you would not recognize any of the vegetables when they reach your table. Where the British like their salad without dressing( mostly) we, the French would not touch it with a barge pole as we’re not rabbits would have said my old Aunt Titoune. A good dressing is an important well balanced and very palatable addition to any salad dish and there are so many variations of a good one. Roasted potatoes are delicious in their jackets aren’t they? Most roasted vegetables are scrumptious but you Brits like your boiled vegetables. Boiling vegetables isn’t considered COOKING, merely messing about in the kitchen…. Have I answered the question of vegetables ?
Martine Lewis
Val says Not sure still that I know where the vegetables go Martine, but I enjoyed the post anyway.
