The Art of Eating Well
Most of you know by now that I’m a proud member of homeexchange.com. I often boast of my month in Prague living next door to the Prime Minister, my summer in Vermont lazing around a picturesque 18th century farmhouse, and let’s not forget my posh apartment in Manhattan. I don’t look for these experiences–they find me.
Wanted: a place in San Miguel in exchange for our home in Provence, or our beach house in Bali.
I’ve more than once sprained my finger hitting the reply button. (It’s a contest you know, getting to your fellow exchangees before anyone else does.)
I chose France, three weeks in the foothills of the Alps, near the Luberon, the region made famous by Peter Mayle and his book, “A Year in Provence.“ It’s home to the Cote du Rhone wine route as well as numerous lavender farms, ancient olive trees and quaint medieval villages.
Lavender Before The Bloom
When asked what I was going to do in France, I replied with one simple word: eat…and I was serious. Of course I’d visit the neighboring vineyards and climb the turrets of storybook castles, but mostly I wanted to sate my culinary desire with flakey croissant au chocolat and baguettes slathered–and I do mean slathered–with real butter. I planned to discover regional cheeses, accompanied by more baguette, and sample local charcuterie.
15th Bakery Ovens
I received restaurant recommendations and visited a few, including Elizabeth Bourgeois at Le Mas Tourteron in Gordes, enjoyng her after-hours stories of cooking for US presidents and Oprah, only the week before. Then there was L’atelier de Jean-Luc Rabanel in Arles, my first Michelin 2-star restaurant. Some friends and I went for lunch (when it’s more economical) and had the smallest sampling menu—only seven courses. The seasonal meal was far from petite, especially if you consider the five amuse bouche that initiated the experience.
Le Mas Tourteron Patio
We chose our bread from a bread sommelier, a connoisseur of crust and crumb, flour ratios and yeasty flavors and finished our superb meal with two desserts: roasted beet carpaccio, accompanied by a beet sorbet, as well as a reconstructed apple filled with ice cream. Could I honestly say it was the best meal of my life? Not necessarily. Was it one of the most interesting and exciting dining experiences I have ever had? Definitely.
Choose Your Bread, If You Can
In these establishments one doesn’t request a substitution or tell the chef about their dietary issues…because he doesn’t care. Think of it this way–It’s the same as asking an artist to re-paint his canvas because the color blue gives you intestinal discomfort. It’s not going to happen.
I drove the winding roads and stopped at village bistos, following shopkeepers and laborers into their favorite establishments—a trick I learned in Venice in order to avoid the many mediocre and overpriced places. One day I took my theory to heart and dined beside a parking lot filled with buses, and the awaiting bus drivers who hungered for lunch. They couldn’t all be wrong, so I sat with them on a nearby patio, viewing their buses among glances of “you don’t belong here.” I had an incredible meal of asparagus flan and roasted pork, three courses with wine for 12 euros, or $15. Who says great food has to be complicated or expensive?
Reconstructed Apple
Even though every day was an incredible eating day, I must admit my most memorable bites were the simplest: crisp, mouthwatering fries (They’re not called french fries for nothing.) as well as perfect bread with perfect butter and just ripened cherries off the tree from my temporary home.
Now that I struggle to loose the five pounds I gained, I wonder if it was all worth it… of course it was.
This week’s home exchange request:
Our waterfront property in Bodrum, Turkey or flat in Istanbul’s best neighborhood for your home in San Miguel…….hmmmmm?????
Beef Filet Jean Luc
Tags: bread sommelier, delicious expeditions, eating in Provence, France, homeexchange.com, kris rudolph, Le Mas Tourteron in Gordes, Luberon, L’atelier de Jean-Luc Rabanel
