Monday, June 24, 2013

Marché Gastronomique

I was sitting on the #42 bus Saturday coming from the pool when we passed a bunch of red and white striped awning food stands.  Marche gastronomique Popup Alert! Bells went off and I jumped off the bus.
I've yet to figure out when and where these regional marches will be. They aren't announced in the free Metro papers. If you know do please tell dear PBers. This gent from the Haute Alpes was at Pasteur last winter.
Chef Marthe whispered to me,
 
"This guy could sell milk to a cow".
 
He did sell us great hunks of pricey but very delicious Beaufort plus elegant dried beef from his region. This time I kept my purse well hidden.
 
Specialties from so many regions and it's a chance to get fresh artisanal products. Plus the venders are awfully charming to boot.
 
Tasting/goute is expected/de rigueur. Their feelings are hurt if you don't taste and voice an opinion. No wonder French kids love cheese early and everything else.
 
There is always at least one stand with Corsican products if not more.
 
I bought picholine olives from the Provencal seller. I would have bought these sun-dried tomatoes but I still have the ones I bought  in Aix a week or so ago.
 
Organic caramels from Baramel in Brittany, a co-op.
 
Wine is always flowing at the marche gastronomique. Alsace had a several stands.
 
Plus gastronome Alsatian Daniel Zenner was making choucroute crue with caraway seeds/carvi and miel de Sapin, recipe included.
 
Since no one was demonstrating any kitchen gadgets I walked away with a big kilo bucket of raw sauerkraut. Later on I had no trouble finding caraways seeds at Franprix.
 
But the miel/honey de Sapin/pine is still eluding me. And I just noticed the bucket says it must be eaten by 19-07-13. That's a lot of sauerkraut for just one person to wolf down...uh oh
 
I went back Sunday for another look but they were closing down. Just the Basques were still standing. I stood there eyeballing the saucisson. The seller (wearing a black beret) took one look at me, grabbed the six sampling sausages, tossed them in a bag and handed them to me. I said,
"How much?
"It's a cadeaux!" he said.
That's what happens at a French popup marche gastronomique.
I didn't notice any dogs but today this saucisson pup reminded me of my good fortune.
 

18 comments:

  1. Quels beaux cadeuax ces saucisoons..!
    Ih I would have jumped off the bus too..That kid is too cute dressed all in white..

    And your aquarelle is as delish as the cheese an saucisson..Love the saucissons et olives par-dessus.

    What fun..I like saurkraut too..come on you can do it..you have one month almost!

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  2. Would be nice if I could type..

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  3. Yay for the alarm bells! What a delicious discovery!


    xoxo

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  4. With all those saucissons and sauerkraut you can have a housewarming party at our new place ... or a farewell to the old (so you won't have to move it all!)

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  5. Does this help?
    http://www.marches-producteurs.com/correze/marche-paris-xvii-square-des-batignolles-739

    I can't read french, nor speak it but I think I do, and it doesn't seem as if any of these markets are in Paris...but maybe a day a whey?

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    1. Big Merci Nancy!
      This was HUGELY helpful!
      XCarolg

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    2. I think they are called
      marche gastronomique
      Still working on it...

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  6. Haha
    Look at the caraway seeds
    It looks like a Toulouse Lautrec horseback rider doesn't it?

    http://parlez-vousphotography.quietplacetolive.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/50.-ToulouseLautrec.jpg

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    1. Anonymous11:14 PM

      No it's a Degas jockey...
      Lucinda

      http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edgar_Degas_-_'Jockey_on_Horse',_charcoal_on_paper,.jpg

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  7. I have heard how much eating sauerkraut is beneficial to our digestion. So eat up. :)
    You do find the most interesting places to visit.

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  8. Anonymous1:02 AM

    I just love your blogs - they light up my day!
    Un grand merci
    Kathy

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  9. Love the look of the cheese and saucisson, reminds me of being in Alsace last year for the grape harvest, yum! But the sauerkraut totally passed me by, sorry!
    Great Blog xxx

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  10. Carol, I do like your lead off watercolor...every bit of it says Paris! How wise you were to hop off that bus.

    xo

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  11. Love your playful red and white market awning sketches--so pretty. Sounds like a fun day--I could go sampling my way through that place in a heartbeat! What luck that they gave you des cadeaux!

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  12. cyndi from SD10:45 AM

    Sigh...
    Cyndi

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  13. WOW!! Lucky it's dinnertime or else (after reading this delicious sounding post) I'd be sunk!
    Even to the (gasp) cute little saucisson pup!!
    (cadeaux HAS to be one of the best French words!)

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  14. Looks divine and delicious! Bet you ate well that day!

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  15. I love how you can just jump off a bus and do what you like, Carol. Great fun. These markets are dangerous. I still have 4 pots of unused snail spread that seemed so alluring at the time. I'm still working on the Corsican accent for their stalls, though.

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