Eating on the West Coast of France

On our first night in Pornic my father-in-law presented us with dinner: homemade quiche, salad from his garden, cheese, bread, and the most amazing strawberries known to man. This is not the last time you will hear me rave about French fruit. It's simply the best. Aside from the lack of wine, this was the quintessential simple summer meal that the French do so well. And I can't think of a better welcome.

Cheese. The short of it is that you can find the most spectacular cheeses in France. After months of very limited and mostly industrial cheese options in Denmark, Alan and I ate as though we were two starving mice. The cheese we buy in Denmark consists of cheddar from Ireland, Parmesan, a hard cheese from Spain, feta, and kid -friendly cheeses from Laughing Cow, namely Baby Bel and Vache Qui Rit spreadable cheese. Denmark has its own cheese that we haven't exactly developed a taste for, but perhaps we need to give it another chance. I repeat, the cheese in France is unimaginably good. Especially when local and accompanied by a tasty glass of wine. Even in our U.S. town of Bend, Oregon, we can find exquisite local artisanal goat cheese. Get with it, Denmark!

We were treated to lunch at Alan's grandmother's apartment in Saint Brevain, a nearby coastal town. It was a simple meal of fish, fresh green beans, and roasted potatoes. But it began with wedges of the sweetest, brightest orange cantaloupe--a favorite summer starter for the French--was followed by cheese and ended with dessert. Oh, and at separate times during the meal we sipped Champagne and drank white wine. This is not breaking news, but the French know how to eat. The fish was freshly caught, cooked with a delicate hand, and deboned with perfect precision. The desserts were typically French, and I had half of a raspberry tart with groseille berries on top and half of a peach tart. Thankfully this was just the beginning of my vacation with patisserie. At the end of the four weeks though, I said "We have to stop meeting like this." Ergo the surplus of soup and salad this week.