7-Coffee, Bread, and Wine

Dear Friends,

Eating and drinking provide much of the structure of the day here  in France, and we are happy to fall into a pattern ourselves. Camping  and cycling every day, however, means that our routine is a little different from that of the French. Mostly we are earlier for meals--we  get hungry! We prepare and cook our own meals rather than eat out. But don't feel sorry for us! Not only is the above a logical choice, but we add some special tidbits to each day's meals, and we really eat very  well!

There is no wrong time of the day for coffee, which here in France means espresso. Last year in New Zealand we got hooked on  cappuccino. In France we tried for a while to order cafe au lait, or  coffee with milk. It's a shot of espresso with warm milk, in a fairly large cup. Not too different from cappuccino. But after a few times we felt it was on the weak side--something like coffee-flavored milk, and  not nearly as good as we make at home for ourselves. One day I noticed a gentleman near us with an espresso-sized cup with milk in his coffee. I thought, "That's what we want to try." The very next day we stopped at a lovely cafe, with an owner who spoke English. I described what we  wanted, and he brought us the perfect beverage: a cup of espresso with a little warm milk, two sugar packets, and a miniature spoon for  stirring. Voila! We'd found our coffee choice! Therefore I asked what it was called, so we coud always order it. The answer, a "noisette," or  hazelnut-colored coffee. "Petite" if they ask, rather than "grande." We  rarely see the noisette named anywhere that coffees and prices are listed, but the order of "deux (two) noisette" has never failed us. We aim to have our coffee some time between 10:30 and noon, after we've  biked some miles. And sometimes we add a melt-in-your-mouth croissant.  Chocolate is the clear favorite here.

Speaking of croissants leads right into the bread category. Bakeries here, called boulangerie or patisserie (referring to cakes), are sights to behold, and to smell. The French baguette, a long, crusty white bread, is an absolute daily staple. You'll see  people carrying around one or two, just sticking out of a narrow paper  bag, or sometimes rolled in a piece of paper which is twisted or taped  together. Sadly, we have to do what must be unthinkable to the French:  we cut, tear, or fold the baguette in half, in order to fit it into the  pannier or on the back of the bike! Nonetheless, it always tastes good, with a smear of camembert cheese and a glass of wine in the late  afternoon.

Which brings us to the center of French gastronomy: wine. Many years ago, also on a bike trip, we learned that French wine is readily available, good, relatively inexpensive, and essential for life here in  France. We became accustomed to our daily bottle, never being able to  transport part of a bottle on our bike the following day anyway.  Besides, food tastes better when accompanied by wine, and we sleep  really well!

But how to choose, when there are several shelves of wine bottles in even the smallest village shop? First, we like red, or rouge. But that only narrows the choices slightly. Next, we've picked a price  range of 3 or 4 euros. If we're in a small out-of-the-way place, we go  higher in the range, to match the quality we're used to from the larger supermarkets. Third, we aim for wine from the local area we're in at the moment. And there are still many options. Finally I hit upon the method of scanning the shelf in our price range for the type which has one or two bottles missing. I figured that if someone else bought that kind, it must be OK. Actually, we have never had a bad wine here. Fortunately, a bottle of wine nestles neatly within the extra tires strapped on the  back of our tandem, above the tent and air mattresses. And we rarely  have to ride far with it.

So, by 4:30 or 5:00 of an afternoon, we pop open the bottle for our first "glass." I put that word in quotes because the liquid container  is actually our multi-purpose plastic cup. Now, don't laugh! Remember,  we are transporting all necessities by our own power, with obvious space and weight considerations. We're in France, drinking wine, and we're not complaining! A couple more glasses go with our evening meal, and we polish off a final nightcap with a cookie or, best yet, some dark  chocolate. What a way to live!

Love, Ellen & Lowell