Writing this made me hungry...

How anyone in France can not be passionate about food, I just don't know.  Especially the south of France-- it's the country's gastronomical heart!  This is where the wine and cheese and truffles come from! This is where eating duck is more common than eating chicken, where there are top-class chefs in the restaurants creating filet mignon aux oignons, Rognons au de Veau flambés au Madère (veal), pate du lapin (rabbit), and so much more!... With all the farms in this region, you can get the freshest of everything.  That's why French people shop at farmer's markets regularly: because they know that in order to make the most delicious food, you need to use the finest ingredients.

Maybe the French give off a passionate vibe about food just in the way they approach it.  They put time into it: lots of famous French dishes take hours in the oven and meticulous care.  The French also take time eating it: in courses.  They drink the right wines with the right foods, serve the right kind of cheese... Of course, it's not everyone, and it's not everyday. There's fast food and microwave meals and of course families don't linger over wine and cheese every night, but as a whole, the French seem to take a lot of pride in their food.

It's doubly enticing because there are so many things that I've never tried, things that I've never even heard of... Like all the little treats in the boulangeries:

And presentation is everything, everything laid out so nicely... some of the desserts are so exquisite that I wouldn't want to eat them.

Even some of the stores themselves are beautiful, like this one.  It was a biscuiterie in Sete with ornate walls and mirrors and rows and rows of Madeleines.

 

Now, I like to cook under normal circumstances.. and being surrounded by these titilating foods makes me want to become the next Julia Child even more.  I don't have an oven, so my options are limited-- I won't be making any quiche lorraine, flan, or tartes. But plenty can be done stovetop.  I've only just begun...  I made crepes!  Yes, it is possible to make crepes without a measuring cup, whisk, or crepe grill... And they are SO versatile! They can go in so many directions! Savory: meat or veggies or cheese. Sweet: sugar, fruit, jelly... I tried a cheese one: two kinds, Roquefort and Camembert, melted. Really good. Another I tried with tomato, cheese, and herbs.  And for my dessert crepe I sauteed a pear in white wine and cinnamon.  SO many things still to be tried...