Another Christmas Goodie

When I was fifteen years old, my father was stationed on a ship in the Mediterranean and the whole family, with the exception of my older brother who was in college at the time, went to Europe. My sister went reluctantly and ended up loving Italy. My younger brother, who was about six at the time, went reluctantly and ended up speaking pretty good French with an accent "du Midi." A French friend of ours called him, "mon petit salade niçoise" because of that accent. I went reluctantly, sure that my summer boyfriend would find someone new while I was stuck in a boarding school (I was correct), but ended up loving France and the French to this day. As I said to a taxi driver in Paris who asked if I was American, "Yes, but my heart is French." He loved it.

So, when I got this book for Christmas from pals Janie and Jack, I dove immediately into its pages. It's all about the open air markets of Provence, one for each day of the week, complete with recipes for traditional Provençal dishes and directions on how to get to the markets. Filled with glorious photos, too, this book is written and illustrated entirely by folks who live in the Bay area but travel frequently to France or live there part time. It's a lovely book, one that confirms my adding a return visit to Provence to my bucket list.

Perhaps for my 65th birthday, which is only about a year away, I will take this book, head for Provence, install myself and My Beloved in a rented house or apartment, and invite as many of my friends as will come to join us. Sounds like a good plan to me!