Food Glorious Food

We live one block from the La Rochelle Marché Central and occasionally hear the rumble of trucks as the merchants begin arriving as early as 4 AM. A beautiful example of the architecture of the era, the building opened in 1835; additions were made in 1893. It houses 60 merchants selling fish, wine, meat, vegetables, charcuterie, baked goods. They are the lucky ones as their stalls stay in place throughout the week; they arrive in time to arrange their wares. Outside the building on the Place, 18 regular merchants have much more work. They need to set up their tables, raise the awnings, arrange their produce, all before the customers start to appear around 7:00. If one of these regular merchants is missing at 7:30, their space is rented to people with home gardens selling their fruit, vegetables, cheese and baked goods. The selection is much smaller than the market gardeners around them and their produce is often cheaper. There is a real hierarchy to the placement of tables. Our family doctor explained to us that the prices are highest inside the building. The further away you go, the lower the prices. Then she gave us directions to the best and cheapest stalls. On Wednesdays and particularly Saturdays, the mrket spills into three of the surrounding streets. The whole area is closed to cars until 15:00 by which time everything has been cleaned up.

I now have a favourite fishmonger. As well as taking orders, weighing and wrapping the fish, Anthony also entertains with a non-stop monologue. "Alors" he says to us in line, "move up to the front here. I like a llittle discipline in my lines." "Ah Mme. I will give you a bargain today (as he knocks 10 centimes off the price)." As the time moves towards Noon (the market closes at 13:30), he begins his cry:"One kilo of fish for €10". Next to him is a fruit and vegetable seller who joins in the fun and they joke back and forth. There is always a long line at these stalls. I expect that others, like me, come for the entertainment as well as the good produce. There are few glum faces among the merchants. If you watch the video below, you will hear them say that they would never want a store, that they enjoy the ambience of the market, the colleagues around them and their contact with regular customers. Their enjoyment shows.

The process of shopping at the Market, like many things in La Rochelle, is more time-consuming but also more fun. I wander about first to see what is available. Having chosen, I then stand in line. Lining up in France is not a disciplined exercise and you have to be quick off the mark when the merchant asks for the next customer. At first I was completely undone with the stress of figuring out what I wanted and in what quantity. How to know how much 100 grams of mâche might be? Then I discovered the useful term "poignée"—a handful. And as time has gone by, I now know that one kilo of onions is too much but a kilo of apples is just right. The merchants choose your produce carefully, enquiring when you want to eat it and sometimes how you will cook it. Even if there is a line, they patiently give advice about cooking or wait for change to be counted out. And then I am off to the next stall to repeat the process.

We have found a variety of strange and delicious things to eat at the market:

the black radish which looks very odd but is more mellow and much bigger than the red ones. The choufleur Romanesque which tastes like cauliflower.
While the available food is generally seasonal, there are imported fruits and vegetables for sale as well. Right now, endives, leeks and beets are plentiful and cheap; green beans are very expensive. Apples and winter pears are everywhere; strawberries are just coming into season as well as local kiwis. Green peas are just in and are very expensive.  Well . . . everything seems expensive to us if we translate into Canadian dollars . . . best to think in euros and enjoy the taste and the experience. Just after we arrived, we went off to the market and visited a stall selling only mushrooms. We asked the advice of the seller and she suggested some ordinary looking ones that she said were delicious. So we asked for a handful and she asked us for 23€!! They were cêpe mushrooms, which I had only seen dried in a package. We carefully gave her back these precious items and asked for something a bit cheaper. Now I know we should have kept a few to taste. We may still be here when they come into season again and then we will know better.

Before I left Toronto, my French teacher told me I would be spoiled forever once I had tasted fresh French food. I am beginning to think she might be right. We both notice a difference in the flavour of what we eat, most especially the vegetables and fruit. Will this easy five minute walk to the delights of the Marché Central be replaced with trips by TTC to the St.Lawrence Market?

Here is the short news video that will show you our market. It is in French but the pictures are fun.
http://www.ville-larochelle.fr/videotheque/detail/h/a23985aa19/video/31/back/524.html