Marchés Flottants du Sud-Ouest Weekend Fete

 

Unless you live in Paris you may not know there is a BIG Rugby game on & everyone is celebrating 🥳 including ducks 🦆 

Especially the annual 3-day LES MARCHÉS FLOTTANTS DU SUD-OUEST 🤸‍♂️at quai de Montebello, across from Notre Dame

What I brought home on Friday & Saturday. I’ll go back today. 

Their Melon de Lectoure are heavy! 2 for 5€ They numbered mine #1 & 2 in order of ripeness! 👍 Samples of freshly-made melon juice were given out.

This is one of the most generous foodie events in Paris👍 They always give you a paper bag & fill it with local produce: garlic, plums, apples, grapes of Chasselas from the region🤸‍♂️

Where the hell is the ‘SUD-OUEST’ you’re asking?

A closer look…

Yesterday I bought a cornet of jambon sec/dried ham. I asked where is it from? They answered, “le Sud-Ouest!” Duh, but WHERE exactly. “Oh, jambon de Montauban” 

Years ago, in another of my wild goose chases, I did a same-day 5-hr train ride to & from Montauban, home of master draftsman, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres to visit the musee. 

I was mad ❤️ to see his drawing ✏️ Back then, they let me sit and HOLD INGRE DRAWINGS IN MY HANDS! without supervision. That would never happen today.

This Chèvre producteur would have made a good subject for Ingres, if he ever painted anyone besides aristocratic portraits which he didn’t.

The Sud-Ouest is of course home to fabulous truffles

Wouldn’t Monsieur Bernard Rosa, the truffle seller, be another potential sitter for Ingres.

I was smitten by these sacs of hazelnuts/noisettes (5€) but I couldn’t carry them and the melons.

Also tempted by their noisette butter with petit beret hats. France has terrific walnuts from Aveyron , 

Almonds from Provence and noisette from the Sud-Ouest. You can never go wrong buying kilo bags of nuts 🌰 in France.

This crowd on opening day included our mayor, Madame Hidalgo…

They were hovering over the ancient dessert, Pastis Gascon, pomme croustadières - apple tartes under a kind of crunchy fillo dough + a dash of Armagnac. I did not resist on Friday. And I had one on Sud-Ouest turf in Toulouse. 

Ah…the Armagnac is flowing…une petite goutte svp🙏

But the piece de resistance, are you sitting down, is what we think of as the lowly prune, raised high in France to top drawer status, LE PRUNEAU D’AGEN ! 

Even Berthillon has an ice cream 🍦 flavor, Agenaise with a hint of Armagnac.

I offered to buy these pillows..but not for sale 😳

You will become addicted too if you move to France, I promise 

OK I’m running over for a few little things I missed. Will I see you there PBers?

And Don’t miss out visiting my Etsy shop SVP🥰

                 👋 People in this town love ❤️ to wave at boats 👋