As we were going to spend some months in France, we thought we would try and get our ears better attuned to French before setting off and, with this in mind, we started to watch several of the Channel 4 ‘Walter Presents’ french language series. Two of the series we enjoyed featured a bearded detective solving vicious murders in beautiful lake locations. The series are subtitled and one of the many words and phrases we picked up on and thought would be useful was ‘n’importe quoi’ which can be translated in various ways including ‘whatever’ or ‘rubbish’.
As yet we haven’t had the chance to put it into use when engaging with locals, however the meaning was clear in a late-night tearful exchange overheard between our current neighbours. Having moved pitch once on the campsite due to voluble warring french families on either side of us, we were content to have found a quieter corner even when a younger couple moved in next to us, accompanied by three well-behaved children, the eldest of whom was proud to try out some English on us. It transpired at the end of the week that the two older children were actually their nieces when their own parents arrived to stay for the weekend and to collect them. At this point the family dynamics changed. Yet again the combination of high temperatures and families in close proximity under canvas with young children who are overtired and hungry, seems to heighten tensions for even the calmest. The flashpoint was the husband’s apparent lack of attention in watching the simmering courgettes as requested (probably nothing to do with the actual issue), resulting in recriminations and tears and the husband’s repeated use of ‘n’importe quoi’ which Joe was delighted to hear in French, in real life (although the wife was probably less delighted). It was a very subdued family the next day. Courgettes are off the menu for us the foreseeable future to avoid similar disharmony!
Pastis de Quercy
Another local speciality seen at every market we’ve been to, is a cake/pastry called ‘pastis de Quercy’. Pastis is usually a word that we might associate with the aniseed based drinks Ricard and Pernod. In fact the word in this context apparently derives from ‘patisserie’. The cake itself is essentially made from a very thin pastry, very similar to a filo pastry, which is then rolled up like a snake creating inner layers. Moisture is provided by some chopped apples (optional) and a syrup based on rum or Armagnac. They tend to be sold either as individual tartlets or in larger family sized versions. Connoisseurs also seem to have their own preferences as to whether the tarts are well done (croustillant) or less well done (moelleux), so there is a selection of each on the market stalls. We tried one from the pâtissier who comes to the campsite market each week and his name for them is ‘anguille’ or ‘eel’, alluding to the way the pastry is rolled up. Given the tart is pretty much solid pastry, it does benefit from some heating to make it less stodgy – but pastry and alcohol will always taste pretty good! If you’re interested there is more background about the history of the tarts at the link below.
https://www.cuisinealafrancaise.com/fr/dgal/produits/82-pastis-du-quercy
Doors
I (Claire) have a thing about doors in foreign villages, towns and cities and in the past I have bought posters and postcards featuring doors from a particular area. Joe is always very patient when I stop to take a photo of (yawn) yet another door. I think it’s the history behind the doors that fascinates me. Does it denote a grand or lowly household? Who has knocked at those doors over the years using the sometimes very ornate door knockers? Some doors had separate door knockers to identify if a man or lady was visiting – the smaller, more delicate door knocker often depicted a lady’s hand. Often one side of the stone threshold is worn down on the side where everyone stepped inside. The places we have visited so far have offered lots of opportunities to photograph doors (poor Joe) so here are a selection.
Since I absolutely adore doors, I was thrilled to receive this – sorry Joe!
So glad to hear that Mary! I thought I was the only one. X
Bonjour. Really enjoyed reading this post, Claire.
How funny to hear “n’importe quoi” in real life, although obviously in fraught circumstances. Les pauvres francais!
The cake sounds yummy. Love filo, apples and rum. Delicieux!
I have a similar fascination to you with doors (and windows!) You have some lovely photos of examples you have seen. Lots of them look very old.
Amities Clare x
We certainly see it all here on the campsite – it’s fascinating. Glad you like the doors too. x