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A year in a French market: Bouquet vivant
By Ann | September 18, 2009
Picture this: Three young American women, out for dinner in Paris. We’re all French speakers — indeed, my two friends are French education professionals, who have been speaking, reading, writing, living French for over fifteen years — so when the waiter props the blackboard menu on our table, we’re confident we won’t have any problems.
We breeze past entrées like salade de tomates, and plats like filet de lieu jaune (fish). Only one dish gives us pause, a first course: Bouquet vivant, sauce au buerre et au whisky d’Islay. It translates literally to “living bouquet with whisky butter sauce,” but bouquet of what? We ask our waiter.
“Oh,” he says. “They’re poached and then sautéed in butter and whisky.” He dashes off to attend to another table.
What did he say? Butter sauce? Whisky? But what? Vegetables? Yeah, vegetables.
Okay, one bouquet vivant, coming right up.
Imagine our surprise, mes amis, when what appeared was not a plate of lovely vegetables coated with buttery whisky sauce. But a heaping pile of bright pink, unshelled, steamed, SHRIMP.
Oh, how we laughed. And squirmed with embarrassment.
We good-naturedly ate the living bouquet, peeling off the shells with our fingers, popping off the heads and swirling the shrimp in the sauce. Of course, as we left the restaurant I noted that all the French were eating their shrimp with knives and forks, primly dissecting each one.
You can take the girl out of America, but you can’t take America out of the girl.
I leave with you a few pictures of this week’s market, as summer turns to fall.
Finally, figs…
Butter-colored girolle mushrooms…
And young potatoes… Autumn is coming!
Topics: A year in a French market: Summer |
6 Responses to “A year in a French market: Bouquet vivant”
Comments
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September 18th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Now THAT’S a (shell)fish story! Those girolles look like they’d be great in an omelette or with pasta …
September 18th, 2009 at 8:10 am
Oh, guilty as charged! And I’m from the Redneck Riviera too so my manners are just so-so
Love your description Ann and am jealous of the beautiful market.
September 18th, 2009 at 11:50 am
Ha! The names of fish and shellfish continue to stump me.
I picked up some gorgeous figs from the produce guy on my corner. Going to give them a try with the A Filetta - per your suggestion.
September 22nd, 2009 at 2:39 pm
Chris — It was certainly a fishy story!
Heather — You didn’t have to OUT yourself!!! I was trying to protect your anonymity! Must admit, it made me feel better that you shared in the confusion.
Camille — How were the figs with the cheese? I made roasted figs with Greek yogurt and honey for dessert last Saturday. Yummy. Love fig season!
September 25th, 2009 at 3:04 am
Hello, I found this story amusing, especially as you are all French speaking, and your friends educational proffesionals…I wonder what chance I would of stood. I can only read a bit of french, and have very little knowledge of speaking…!
Whoever eats Shrimps with a knife and fork..I would be eating them like you too!
September 25th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Ha, Anne! I’m sure you would’ve been fine at the restaurant because you would have done what I was too pig-headed to do — ASK AGAIN, or ask in English! Serves me right. I certainly learned my lesson!