A native of Arizona I never imaged I'd one day live at the beach. Walking down the promenade, I saw this beautiful scene. Farther down, there was a shop selling bathing suits, beach towels, and giant rafts–one of them, bright green in the shape of a saguaro cactus, caught my eye…. I had an urge to drag it home and lie on it in the garden, on the gravel beneath the two towering palm trees. Looking up to the sky, through the palm fronds to the blazing sun, it might be Phoenix.
l'appétit vient en mangeant
: appetite comes with eating
: the more you have the more you want
Listen to today's phrase: Download it here
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
I was going to give you a rundown on all the trees in our garden here in the French town we ended up in, until I considered how ennuyeux the topic would be to some! So I'll share, instead, a popular French phrase I overheard last night (and take just a moment to say that in addition to two palm trees, a magnificent faux-poivrier, a cypress, a cedar and an olive tree–we learned we also have a laurier sauce (bay leaf tree) and a néflier which produces a fruit that ressembles an apricot–if only it tasted as good (I plan to acquire the taste asap). It was exciting to discover these trees which produce edible crops.
The wooden shed had to come down. It was on its last leg! Today's Mistral might've done the work for us…I wonder, now, if it will blow down our house? Meantime, not a pesky mosquito in sight! They must dread the wind as much as we do.
Last night, after demolishing the old wooden shed beside our front steps (we will plant a just-bought fig tree, "Madeleine" variety (ficus carica produces sumptuous green fruit with a raspberry red interior), we were rewarded with dinner at our neighborhood Vietnamese restaurant.
Jean-Marc wasn't that hungry so he only ordered an entrée: nems aux crevettes, or shrimp egg rolls. When you order egg rolls at an Asian restaurant in France, they come with large lettuce leaves in which to roll them, and mint. A delicious, further crispy detail! After your nems are rolled up in the lettuce and mint, you dunk them in the rice vinegar-based sauce pour nems, all the while keeping one eye on the remaining three nems or else your table-mate will get your share!
I wasn't any hungrier than Jean-Marc – especially after the fried nems, but a good customer orders more than an appetizer, n'est-ce pas? So I asked for le canard "aux amandes". It is not on the menu but the waiter, who so far did not smile, didn't growl either.
Regarding the waiter sans sourire, I wondered if it was something we said–or maybe the way we looked? After all, we humans are mirrors reflecting the mood of the other. Did we look mad? Serious? Impatient? Stuffy or snobby?
When the waiter returned I thanked him profusely with a tooth-full smile. Jean-Marc, who was not aware of my inner turmoil, bluntly asked for, "encore de la laitue, s'il vous plaît. More lettuce, please."
I quickly let it go, but could not help but notice when the same waiter smiled warmly and toothfully at the other clients. And then it dawned on me, we were new. Les inconnus. Unknown. As the young man served the other tables, I pictured us at one of them, on the receiving end of a warm sunny smile. One day in the future we would be! Such a familiar greeting would extend out from the Vietnamese restaurant–throughout our neighborhood. A nod by this neighbor, a comment ça va by that one. In the meantime, we would rely on those citizens who make no distinction between locals and strangers (like the restaurant owner, who was bubbly with everyone he encountered, or the woman I walked past this morning, on the way to the market. Her eye contact, nod, and smile was enlivening.)
After the nems my canard aux amandes arrived. I noticed Jean-Marc perked right up. "Je partage!" I'll share, I said. My husband accepted, citing a popular French phrase, one I will leave you with:
L'appétit vient en mangeant. Appetite comes with eating.
(This, by the way, would also explain how two not-so-hungry strangers ended up at the ice cream truck across the street, after eating all those egg rolls and some duck 🙂
French Vocabulary
l'appétit vient en mangeant = appetite comes with eating
ennuyeux = boring
faux-poivrier (schinus molle) = peppercorn tree
laurier-sauce = bay leaf tree
néflier = loquat tree or Japanese medlar
une entrée = appetizer, starter
le nem = egg roll
le canard = duck
aux amandes = with almonds
le sourire = smile
One year ago today we enjoyed our very last wine harvest. Read about it in the story "Something The French don't Eat"
Speaking of trees in our La Ciotat garden, this one is endearing…. On the eve of our move from the vineyard, my neighbor Annie stopped by. We were having iced tea together when Jean-Marc returned from the back parcel, exhausted from having uprooted a lemon tree, a mandarin and a kumquat. "What about the mulberry tree?" Annie said, unknowingly voicing a wish of mine. I didn't dare ask my husband to pull that up. Next thing you know Jean-Marc, Annie, and I were heaving and straining to get that weeping tree out of the ground (the future owners are putting a pool in that area and offered to let us have the trees). Struggling to get that tree out of the ground, Annie fell on me once and all three of us nearly ended up in a pile (the tree on top) after the mulberry let go of its grip on the land. I can certainly relate to its attachment! So here we are now, in a new little garden–all together now (except Annie. But she promises to visit soon).
Read about Margaret's idea for a cadeau de pendaison de crémaillère or housewarming gift.
HOUSEWARMING IDEA BY MARGARET
Beneath the willowy peppercorn tree there's a tiled bassin that was in use once upon a time. We would like to get it operating again–adding a fountain feature and some fish (my father suggested koi…). Margaret, who reads this journal from her home in Yorkshire, wrote in suggesting readers pitch in to help bring this petit bassin back to life. Margaret writes:
Meanwhile, I'd been wracking my brains for a house-warming gift for you, one everyone can share if they want and with no strings. I'd like to start a fund to help restore the pond and the water feature. If for any reason that proves impractical, then you can use it to install any other calming and wished for feature in the garden.
Thank you Margaret for the lovely idea! For those who would like to participate in this housewarming gift, click here. Please leave a message along with your contribution so I will know who to thank for this sentimental cadeau de pendaison de crémaillère.
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What a lovely idea for a housewarming gift!
As the new kid in a beach town — oh, but I also never thought I would live near the beach — I can relate to how it warms my heart to see a familiar smile on the street or at the store. It feels comforting when the local butcher’s assistant or the cashier’s at the grocery store recognize me.
Kristi, the trees near your new home sound so lovely! I particularly like the idea of a bay leaf tree. We were gifted a handful of fresh bay leaves several months ago by a local permaculturist, and I’m still working my way through the stash when making soups and stews.
The kindness of strangers means more and more as we go through these new phases in life. Good to read about the bay leaves you received. When the man from our local nursery came over, to give us an estimate on the fountain-pond, he identified many of the trees–including the bay laurel or bay leaf tree. He warned us to dry the leaves first! So make sure you are not cooking with fresh bay leaves. Bon appétit, Katia!
Bonjour, Kristi –
Your audio links don’t seem to be working? Love your column and love Jean-Marc’s pronunciation cues!
Bonjour, Anne, Thanks for the feedback. I have been using Jean-Marcs computer, without my usual recording software. Things should be back to normal by next week.
Can anyone else, who is reading this, hear the file?
The first few steps can be hard when you are getting to know people in a new place but I’m sure you will. We were told constantly to expect those born and bred in the Haute Savoie to keep their distance. Sometimes it did take a while but it was always worth persisting.
No luck here, either.
Fresh bay leaves have a slightly different taste in cooking – sweeter I think
Hi Kristi,
Oh, what a wonderful idea Margaret has! I was thinking about the water feature and how nice it would be in the summer to sit beside with a cool drink and listen to the water in the shade or in the hammock!
Enjoy all those beautiful trees too!
You will be regulars in the town in no time and will receive those smiles from the locals! Do the French restaurants have a special table for the regulars like they do in Germany? We would frequent a lovely local restaurant across the street from our house in Kitzingen…The Goldene Gans (Golden Goose). We would always go there with friends and they had a table with a little sign “Stammtisch” which is a table for “regulars”.
Yes , I can hear perfectly
Hello Kristi. I am delighted that you have taken up my house-warming gift idea – but having trouble making a donation! The link insists on Pay Pal only (previously your link allowed me to login via Facebook). Pay Pal is a pain for me as it has my now expired debit card details and I’m not keen to update them. But I will if there is no other way. As usual – for me – putting the amount in, when I tried British pounds and even US dollars – led to silly amounts like 50 cents/pence as it recorded 0.50 But I’m hoping these problems are unique to me as I don’t want to put anyone off. In the past, a bit of persistence has worked wonders and my donations have always “landed”. Incidentally I can (to my amazement!) easily download and open the spoken link.
I look forward to your adventures more than any Game of Thrones!Rest assured that your many readers are overjoyed to welcome you even if the mean waiter was resistant to your immediate charm. His loss! Tant pis : )
Hello again. I gritted my teeth and changed my card on Pay Pal which proved very fast and easy in fact. At 76 I am determined not to let technology beat me! I then made my donation and felt very pleased. I thought today’s was a lovely blog post and many thanks. It will be good to feel that I will be a tiny part of your lives through my favourite of all elements – water – or some other garden feature.
What a compliment! Thanks, Deborah!
Little gift, big wishes. Many years ago, when my family moved into our current home and my husband was often away on business I decided to dig my own fountain. Nothing big, nothing fancy – just a small ‘puddle’, barely two feet square, nestled beneath a lilac, a hydrangea and several hostas. I ran the electrics behind the plantings, and the first time I plugged it in and heard the spurt of water dancing in the garden I knew I was home. It is such a welcoming, relaxing sound as I enter. I hope that soon your own garden Eden will welcome you. Much luck in your new home!
Margaret, Thank you very much for persisting! And many thanks for the gift idea and for the contribution you made toward le petit bassin. I will keep you updated on the project. More photos coming soon. P.S. We had the pleasure of a little pond back at the vineyard. It was very basic, one that JM installed. It brought a lot of joy. We had papyrus and waterlilies and a few other plants. I sometimes borrowed a bit of the fishy water for my potager, after reading about the benefits for vegetables.
I have a bay leaf tree here in the northwest (Washington State). The tree will become quite large here and must be trimmed regularly to keep it small in size). It is easy to dry whole branches of mature leaves, then once dry, place in air tight containers for use in soups.
Linda, I am impressed with your roll-up-the-sleeves and get on with it fountain creation — and your fearlessness with those electrical cords! And thank you very much for your participation for the petit bassin!
Eileen, No, I have not seen a regulars table in France. Perhaps they exist up north, in the cozier restaurants? Thanks for your contribution!
Thanks, Sandy!
I live in les Landes on the edge of a village A. Man walks past our hose each day with his dog sometimes we pass on the road Ias I am walking my dog too. Today this has been a routine for maybe a year ? Yesterday he waved !!!!!!! Today he waved and said ça va !!!!!!!! Wow !
It just takes time. SIGH !
Good Afternoon to you in your beautiful new location. Thank you for the pictures – lovely space and you and JM are so creative that I know you will have it just the way you like in no time. Living at the beach has always been a dream for me as I grew up in SoCal – enjoy and especially that carousel. Great Pic. Just think of all the fresh fish you will be able to get!! I bet that waiter is smiling at you by the end of the month. Have a great day!
I have a loquat here in San Diego; there are many in my neighborhood, built in the late 1940s. The trees generally are loaded with fruit in the spring/early summer. I have had several groups of Mexican neighbors ask to pick some. Once a group of Mexican nuns asked and picked the tree clean. A middle eastern group of women showed up once and I was horrified to see a very pregnant one way up in the top of the tree. One day my mother-in-law arrived via shuttle from the airport. She had only enough cash for her fare thus none for a tip, but the driver asked if he could pick a bag of our loquats and was more than happy with that. My neighbor’s husband makes jam out of them, adding a little pineapple. For a while there he was teaching all the neighbor ladies in a course he called “jammin’ with Ed”.
My mom always used to say beware the “coming appetite” (and the one who said they weren’t hungry) – you can expect people to want more when it’s good. I think her expression would be a good fit for the French one.
Another expression, unrelated, comes to mind. My Grandmother Rider was a farmer’s daughter, back when cooking was a major challenge and all done from scratch, everyday for the workers. The expression which always seems true is “Hungry Folks make good cooks.” Which means that hungry people find what’s cooked for them is really good, as well as perhaps implying that when you’re hungry you’re doing a better job of cooking something. At any rate, it’s a fond memory of her – and she was an excellent cook!!
Dear Kristi
No matter how good the food is in Paris and elsewhere in France, it is always a pleasant surprise to find nems for a taste treat. I hope you continue to find foodie surprises in you new home in La Ciatot.
Brenda in SF
Great idea. My gift is in memory of my mother-in-law, Suzette Pierre, who had the most beautiful garden and bassin in Fuveau. When we visited, the children cooled off in it. A precious memory.
Kristin,
I have been a reader of your adventures for over 6 years. It was a dream of mine to move to France decades ago when I was a budding photographer after having been a French major at UCLA. Now I just settle for yearly visits and dream that maybe one day I would get a small piece of property in Provence. We’ll see. Now, if you haven’t yet chosen a name for your new home, might I suggest TERRA NOSTRA (OUR LAND or OUR WORLD) which is also the name of the 1975 novel by Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes (perhaps your mother is familiar with the book). Terra Nostra is also the name of a Brazilian telenovela. A Brazilian/Portuguese equivalent would be O NOSSO MUNDO. By the way, a couple of my favorite movies are FRENCH KISS and A GOOD YEAR which I’m sure you have seen.
Meilleurs voeux pour vous et votre famille,
Saint Jivago Desanges
Los Angeles
Loved your loquat story–it is a treasure! Thanks, Sari. I hope our loquat tree will produce after we free it from a lot of undergrowth. I will ask Deborah, the previous owner, about the tree.
Hi Kristi,
I loved your comment about the plastic saguaro. I can understand how you miss them. We have several very old ones in our yard here in Scottsdale, and they are always such a pleasure to look at. Too bad they don’t grow in the south of France! But, I’m sure you’ll enjoy your new garden, which sounds lovely.
Best wishes for joy in your new home.
Judy
You new home looks so inviting, Kristi. Thank you for sharing your adventures with us. My husband’s family traditionally builds a pond in their yards. Ours started with an ancient clawfoot bathtub. They make such a difference and attract lots of wildlife, including raccoons, egrets, along with blue and orange dragonflies. Unfortunately ours is dry this year following our drought years in California. Perhaps next year we can look forward to ours again. In the meantime I will enjoy hearing about your restoration.
Hi Kristi and Jean-Marc, A happy and blessed new home and neighborhood!!! God bless, C-Marie P.S. How do Max and Jacquie like it??
Our dear Kristi,
Living near the beach is a special gift!
We had that privilege several times,and from our experiences,it just takes awhile for you to get to know the people and they to get to know you;particularly because of all the visiting tourists–are you just one of them or intent on becoming a local(?)
But so worth the effort!
Your home is absolutely beautiful! And with the gorgeous trees and (soon to be) tranquil fountain,oh! You perhaps should name it Nirvana!
For that is exactly what it sounds like!
Please know we share your joy!
Love
Natalia XO
Hi Kristi – I understand looking forward to getting a smile from the waiter in the Vietnamese restaurant. While living in France during an extended visit, I made it my mission to get a smile from the grumpy checker at the local grocery store. Did I ever feel pleased with myself when she finally returned my smile! Maybe I was one of the repeat local shoppers?
Good luck in your new home. What an adventure!
Bette
The trees are very interesting to me. So many on your lot. The false peppercorn tree originates from Peru,up in the mountains, that is exotic. The English Wikipedia has a long story about it, with many possible uses. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schinus_molle
Margaret had a lovely and practical idea about the fountain! It’s a fun and easy way to participate in the move and to thank Kristi for sharing her family’s life. All of us will look forward to a photo of the restored beauty when it happens!
For Tree (nature) lovers, a description of your trees could never be a topic ennuyeaux!! Would love to hear about them!
Lovely photos! I wish you and family much happiness in your new home!
They did have a regulars table at an Italian restaurant in Antibes where my husband and I walked in to eat dinner one night when were there for a month. When asked if we could finish our meal in an hour we said “sure…we’re Americans” which brought a smile to the owner’s face. The table was not marked but everyone who came in looked at us with that look that tells you the seat you are in belongs to someone else. We just smiled, played with the house dog, didn’t hesitate over our order and laughed at ourselves when folks gave us that look. By the time we were done with dinner the owner told us we would be welcome any time, shook our hands, and saw us out. We did our best to win him over and I think we were successful.
Your new home looks so lovely and peaceful. And a great location. I’d say, “vous etes bien tombe – merci Dieu!”
As a new expat in Zürich, I understand well how a friendly waiter or sales clerk can brighten your day. The fountain will remind you of the love and support of all your readers and friends on those days when you feel homesick or lonely. All best wishes for an abundant and joyful life in your new home!
Bless.
I am intrigued to read your description of eating egg rolls in France. On my (sadly infrequent) trips to France, I got the idea that the French **never** eat anything with their hands. I’ve seen people eating hamburgers and pizza with knives and forks, even forks for frites! I’ve often thought that I’d be considered such a boor if I were observed picking up food from a plate with my fingers, as I have been known to do. What is your experience/observation on this subject? Or perhaps you’ve covered it in one of your essays?
Thank you, Diana, for this excellent suggestion for a post. Will keep it in mind and hope to post soon!
Margaret ~ Bless you! What a creative and thoughtful idea. I was able to donate without a problem. Thank you for offering us a chance to be part of this lovely gift.
Amitiés!
Kristi, what a pleasure to feel the happiness in all of your posts now you are settled in your new digs!
Bis,
P
Thank you very much Patricia and Margaret, and mille mercis to those who have participated in this excellent idea of a gift.
And no pressure to anyone to feel the need to participate. Thank you all very much for reading this blog and for the notes and encouragement you send.
Kristin,
Glad to see you settling in your new digs. I sent a small donation to help fix up that beautiful fountain.
Cheers,
Bill
Thank you, Bill! Jean-Marc and I appreciate your gift.
Hi Kristin! I think it’s a great idea to bring life back to the fountain or pond or roman bath, whatever you want to call it. Good luck! I sent you a donation for the cause. We just spent one week in Croatia and one week in Tuscany for our 25th anniversary – what a wonderful time we had! We are wondering where we will land in our next phase of life. Will it be in the US? Will it be near the beach? Will I grow lavender and make mosaics in Provence? Qui sait? I still remember sitting on your lovely front patio last year and touring your garden (is that where their pool will be?). Enjoy discovering your new home and village and neighbors. We sure enjoy hearing about it. 🙂