Christmas in France is a pretty big deal. The towns are all lit up, there are Christmas markets in the town squares where you can find regional food products, Moroccan home accessories, West African drums and Native American wind catchers, not to mention the French santons for your nativity scene. Snacks include vin chaud (warm wine), waffles and churros. Fair food à la française. Yum.
Traditionally, families begin the Christmas festivities on the evening of the 24th. Le réveillon is a big meal that lasts for hours, and is concluded in some families by attending midnight mass. Presents are opened after midnight. The next day, the festivities continue with a mid-day meal.
Christmas with my friends Virginie and Rodolphe and her family lasted twenty-six hours. On the 24th, we had appetizers, then foie gras, escargot and chapon, which is a rooster that has been de-roosterfied. We stayed up until 2 or 3 a.m. and then it started all over again on Christmas day. We had a light breakfast, and then in the afternoon had more appetizers, more foie gras, oysters and fish. Combined with my weekend in Cancale, I've never eaten so much over a four-day period. And it was all delicious!
4 comments:
love it. "fair food a la francaise" might be my favorite sentence ever. :)
Emily and I are wondering... how the heck do you "de-roosterfy" a rooster?
Hmm... better not answer that.
Well, it's what you think... surely they remove the bits that make them a rooster when they're young. Can one even eat a grown rooster? I think they'd be too tough. Who volunteers to do research? I'll give you extra credit...
"Deroosterfied" -- I can see BJ has had an influence on you! - Mary
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