Hello Val,
I have been reading the Carrefour/Simply debate with interest. One or two points to make.....(or maybe three)!
As residents on 'the other side of the river' the Simply supermarket has been wonderful for us. It has meant that folk from this side have not had to negotiate the bridge and make their way up to Carrefour, adding to the already congested traffic in Summer. Parking is easy and is undercover if needed when wet. The welcome has always been warm and friendly.
Fresh milk was in plentiful supply but the meat was not really up to scratch. If we can get the Carrefour management to supply a good butcher, fresh bread and vegetables and also cater for those who do not care for homogenised milk, it will be an improvement.
I can appreciate that a small town like St Antonin cannot support two supermarkets, but after all, the Simply site is not exactly kilometres away! For those who live in the town, there is always Casino for emergency supplies! And the Sunday market of course.
As to the supply of some produce from Spain and Morocco - I can't see the problem! Naturally, it's always best to have locally sourced food, but the Spanish depend on their exports for their economy, which is in dire straits. We do belong to the European market! In UK, the choice is much wider than in France because of the international market. Think of imports from South Africa, Kenya, Chile, Holland and so on. While there is an issue with airmiles, I still believe we need to trade with other nations, who depend on richer countries to support them - e.g. flowers from Kenya, strawberries from Spain, and so on. For example, ever since Marco Polo and the Silk route we have imported spices and cloth. Would your readers who object to Spanish imports not buy turmeric, cloves, cinnamon? Not French for sure! Or think of Sir Walter Raleigh and his imported potatoes in Elizabethan times! (Best forget the tobacco maybe)...Wot no frites!
The organic and GM debate is another question all together! Suffice it to say, that many children go blind or develp rickets in developing countries because they are given white polished rice as a staple food and do not have access to sufficient quantities of Vitamins A,K and D. GM golden rice has genetically added Vitamin A in the form of carotene, which would greatly alleviate this situation, but at the moment it is banned. I refer again to history - we already eat genetically modified crops! The wheat we eat today bears no resemblance to its origins. Mendel had fun with growing the best peas through selective cross pollination. Our meat is selectively bred to produce the best quality.
Just some post Bank holiday thoughts to get people going!
Ann
Val says Interesting post, just mention before someone else does that the Casino closed quite some months ago
Comments to taglines82@gmail.com
