Fiona Alderman: More of Fifi’s story from Rural France

Mushrooms in the cellar

We take them for granted our lovely “champignons de Paris” and I hadn’t realised where they had really come from?

They are now in fact cultivated in underground caves in the Loire region of France and have become both a culinary delight as well as a tourist attraction. However, they’ve been around since Louis 14th the Sun King’s reign at the Palace of Versailles. They are cultivated using the heat of summer and the cold of winter to generate the moist conditions of fermentation; within the tunnels and deep cellars of Paris. They are always called champignons de Paris no matter where they are then exported. Even in China which apparently is the highest recipient.

Used widely in recipes, in sauces and in stuffings or a salad, the list is endless and I often buy some which I throw in abandon into my stews and even curries!

In the Loire there is a museum totally consecrated to these mushrooms. Based deep down in a medieval grotto where you can sample the local dishes with mushrooms, evidently,  accompanied with the lovely wine from the Loire Valley, well only the French could do this!

African dancing in Salignac

I have been going for a few years to a local African dance class, which is a complete change of style to mine in contemporary dance. However I have learnt to adapt and really enjoy it. It is lead by an African man from Togo, who has been in France for 20 years and goes everywhere to provide classes and training courses in percussion as well as dance. A tall striking figure dressed in his native coloured flowing robes, he sets the pace early and for one and a half hours we move to the rhythms of his drumming. It makes you forget your troubles and is very therapeutic but quite tiring too! I have met many people there of different nationalities. African , Moroccan , Portuguese, Algerian and Italian.Through the language of dance we can communicate very well.

I am also amazed by the stream of people he gets every week and some that come and try the dance out to see if it is for them or not. It makes it hard though for the teacher as he has to repeat certain things again for the beginner so the rest of us “oldies” can get a bit fed up. At the end of June there is normally a presentation to the public and it is a chance to show what we have learned. It is a chance too to meet up with other groups of dancers in other regions where he teaches and see the differences. International dance I call it!

Back to the optician’s

In my last month’s article I spoke of the trials going to this optician’s?  Well we went back to see her, still unsure of her very peculiar manner. The waiting room this time was packed so we resigned ourselves to wait for a long time. In France when you go into and out of a shop, restaurant , café and all surgeries you must always address a bonjour and then to check if it is just women or men or mixed! It determines if it is a bonjour messieurs, mesdames for several men and women or a bonjour monsieur, madame for just one of each.

After that is accomplished successfully you can sit down . I usually read the magazines to avoid not staring at people or listening in to their conversations. All was very quiet until the SS doctor boomed out Mr Patton yes they still call him Patton with two t’s after the General called Patton . We used to correct them but now we don’t bother, it is really not worth it!

After a very quick but intense eye test and still she doesn’t speak directly to Barry just to me with her back to me filling in her notes. I suddenly noticed a very familiar Scottish pot. A Dundee marmalade pot which was a really old earthenware one. I started to laugh and she looked up sternly. I tried to explain why I recognised it and she told me it had been her grandmother’s favourite and she remembered going to her house as a child and eating this marvellous jam. How strange? I couldn’t ask anything more as she was already shoving us out the door for her next prey.

Fifi’s story from rural France. March 2015.

April Blog from France - Fiona Alderman
Fiona Alderman, blogging from Rural France, February, 2015

This section: Fiona Alderman blogging from The Salignac Foundation France

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Avatar of PatByrne Publisher of Pat's Guide to Glasgow West End; the community guide to the West End of Glasgow. Fiction and non-fiction writer.

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