Gastronomic adventures in France

If you keep looking for the stuff that you are accustomed to, you might as well not leave home.

This is what I always tell my daughter before we travel outside the country.  Not that I need to. My daughter is determined to adapt, even if it means not eating rice for 14 days in France.

I’d read that restaurants open for lunch at 12 noon and close at 2 p.m. then reopen at 7 p.m. for dinner. In the Philippines, there is always somewhere to eat, whatever the time. If not 24/7 fastfood outlets, then 24/7 convenience stores and yes, small roadside eateries that cater to graveyard shift and breakfast clients.

So, yeah, this is France, but I figure that there’s always an odd one out. What I fail to realize is that our itinerary covers communes and villages, before ending in Paris, and the chance of finding that odd one is slimmer, even nil.

Bouch galette

Chourico galette

It happens only once, when the drive from Honfleur takes longer than expected and we arrive in Dinan past 2 p.m. After checking into our hotel, we ask the front desk person for recommendations and she immediately pulls out a map, and encircles a spot. She must be used to foreigners who do not or cannot respect the lunch hour. 

It takes some walking, and under a fine drizzle at that, but we find Crêperie Suzette. I understand that a crêperie is a crêpe restaurant and in the Philippines, my experience of a crêpe is dessert. But hey, we are so hungry, we cannot afford to be choosy.

Only one table is occupied at that hour, but we are welcome, to our relief. 

The guy serving us is not very fluent in English, but he tries and between him and Google Translate, I taste my very first lunch crepe or more correctly, galette.

Galettes are made using gluten-free buckwheat flour and are larger than crepes. They are commonly eaten as a main course, and are usually filled with ingredients like cheese, egg and ham. Crêpes, on the other hand, are often topped with sweet condiments (caramel, cream, chocolate and fresh fruits). It is often served as a dessert.

Ellen, Sinika and I choose their Chourico galette, while Cesar chooses their Bouch galette. We are pleasantly surprised by the crispness of the brown pancake that holds all the ingredients. The chourico, a Portuguese sausage, is very tasty and familiar. Cesar also likes the serrano ham in his dish. When we are very hungry and we like the meal, Cesar and I always wonder if we like the meal because we are just hungry, or because it is really good.

This ignoramus prefers
a boiled egg to the world's
most famous omelet.

Hands down, the meal is great. Even without rice, hahaha.

Some meals, celebrated as they are, disappoint. Take the world-famous puff omelet at La Mère Poulard in Mont Saint-Michel. This ignoramus never heard of it, but Ellen gets excited so we agree to order the most basic, which is the omelet with small vegetables.  It’s also the cheapest at 38 euros.

Sinika orders the Filet de Boeuf (Fillet of beef) with Camembert sauce and rice, Cesar the chicken with sauce and rice, and Ellen, the cod with beurre blanc sauce and cracked potatoes with chives. That leaves me with the omelet.

Everyone tries the world-famous omelet, of course.  In my opinion, it’s all air - both the omelet and the raving over it. Sinika wonders why it tastes like foam. She takes pity on me and gives me some of her beef and Cesar, a little of his chicken. Ellen offers me a share of her cod, but it’s awash in sauce so I beg off.

Besides, the maître d' is looking, and I do not want to give her a reason to come over. She is the one who shakes her head very definitively, with a look of disapproval on her face, when we ask for an extra plate (on which I had wanted to put half of the omelet for sharing). 

We leave the very crowded restaurant and come face to face with “Burger with fries” at an eating place just a few meters away. I feel like crying.

Very few foreigners pass the Andouillette
taste test.

Then there’s the Andouillette, a French coarse-grained sausage made from the intestine of pork, pepper, wine, onions, and seasonings. On the menu, the sausage is listed as a "winner" by the Association Amicale des Amateurs d'Andouillette Authentique, or A.A.A.A.A. (5A) for short. 

Ellen mistakes it for the Andouille in the US, a coarse-grained smoked sausage made using pork, garlic, pepper, onions, wine, and seasonings. The word “sausage” and Ellen’s endorsement is more than enough. It arrives and after eating three “rounds”, I have a hard time holding my gag reflex. Again, everyone tries the dish. No one likes it.

Sometimes, it isn't just about food.

But we are outside the walls of the Royal Chateau of Amboise, the servers at L’Ambacia are very friendly and nice, and we are just chilling on a Sunday daylit night, so I still rate the experience as a win. Sometimes, it isn’t just about the food. 

Take the one we have at Côté Resto, on the church square Saint Catherine in Honfleur. It is cold, and the rain is coming down hard, but we have no problems looking for a seat in the popular upscale restaurant thanks to Benjamin, our landlord at Le Fond de la Cour, who makes the reservation for us.

The food is good, and we are pleasantly warm
despite the cold and the fact that it is raining 
outside.

We are seated in their outdoor seating area, with the canopy up to keep the rain out, and we have a front seat view of the medieval Saint Catherine Church. 

With a patio heater and some wine to keep us warm, we enjoy our meal. My order of duo of grilled fish, venerated rice & cream of shrimp is tasty. Sinika surprises us by ordering the Grilled Octopus, Jalapeno, mashed potatoes, fine herbs & lime which she declares delicious. Ellen and Cesar get the Fish from the catch of the day, mashed potatoes & brown butter.

This is one of those times that I don’t even think about whether it’s French food, and if there’s rice. The food is good, the ambiance is even better, I am in good company, and we are about to call it a day after more than 10,000 steps. It is a good day.

Ellen's prepared sandwiches, with some
fruits, fill us up on the train ride to Paris.

And there are many more days like this, even if we don’t quite hit the spot in terms of meals. One time, we just did not want to sit down in the same restaurant, so we decide to get some food from the grocery Monoprix, and eat in front of the TV at the hotel.

Another time, Ellen prepares some ham and egg sandwiches, and these, along with some fruits, make for a delightful meal on board the train back to Paris.

We find Filipino food in Lourdes, France.

And yes, we do get to eat Filipino food. We find it in Asian Delices in Lourdes, France. 

After eight days of French cuisine, we enjoy the familiar. I have Lechon Kawali, Sinika has Pork Sinigang, Ellen has Chicken Adobo and Cesar has Pork Binagoongan. Everyone has rice, plus an order of pancit. At the next table is a group of “kabayans”, equally homesick for a taste of home.

This longing for the familiar is what makes me order Mango ice cream in Lourdes, which tastes like medicine and nothing like the most delicious fruit in the world to me, at least. 

But the fact that we sit by the road, along with so many merry tourists and hospitaliers (volunteers) from all over the globe, allows us to feel that we are part of a world bigger than we know. 
Photo credits: Ellen, Cesar and the author

This is what travel does – it opens new worlds, enables us to encounter people of different cultures, and allows us to get to know them through their ways, language and food – as long as we remain open and receptive.

This is what I tell myself every time I bite on a baguette, which remains as hard in France as in the Philippines. Hahaha.

Fatima for Lourdes

My sisters and I are all "Marias", in reference to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and two of us even carry second names that are sites of the Marian Apparitions. But never did I think that this Maria Fatima would ever be blessed with the opportunity to visit a Marian pilgrimage site.  Not Fatima, Portugal, but Lourdes, France.

Lourdes is a town in southwestern France, which has become a place of pilgrimage for Roman Catholics after a young peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous, had visions of the Virgin Mary in 1858. I am familiar with the story, although I am more familiar with the Fatima message, understandably having taken a personal interest given that I am named after our Blessed Virgin Mary as she became known after having appeared to three children in Fatima, Portugal.

Our trip to Lourdes was a last-minute insertion by my sister-in-law Ellen, who had lovingly and painstakingly put together a 14-day itinerary in France. Ellen had been to Lourdes many years ago, and she rightly thought that her Catholic companions would appreciate a visit to the popular Marian site.

It is still light by the time we arrive
at the Lourdes train station.

We take the five-hour train ride from the Paris Montparnasse station to Lourdes. The sun is still out when we arrive by almost 7 p.m. at the town, where we immediately catch a taxi (van) to Hotel Roissy, where Ellen had made reservations. The reason for her choice immediately becomes apparent as the hotel is located just some 100 meters away from the Sanctuaire Notre-Dame de Lourdes (Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes) to our delight, and even nearer the Filipino restaurant Asian Delices, to the unbound happiness of our daughter.

Someone is very happy to be eating
Pork Sinigang again.

Adequately full, the three older members of the group set out to join the torchlight procession, scheduled every 9 p.m. at the sanctuary. We leave our daughter at the hotel, walk along avenue Monseigneur Schoepfer, where we buy candles from the souvenir shops that line the street, and cross the Place Monseigneur Laurence before going down a curved driveway leading to the sanctuary.

Cesar, Ellen and I at the square
before the Basilica.

Nothing prepares me for the sight of the sanctuary. I had not even thought of looking it up on the Web, having been more concerned about practical info that had to do with flights, terminals, routes, mobile data plans, and even cuisine and language. The only reference I had to it in my mind were the baths that a friend of my mom had once mentioned, and which had evoked images of people lining up by a riverbank, waiting to be doused with healing water from the spring that Saint Bernadette had dug up by the grotto upon the instruction of Our Mother.

A view of the Basilica from the side
of the river Gave de Pau.

We come upon a vast, sprawling complex dominated by a castle-like church, parts of which glint in the setting sun. A self-avowed fan of architecture, I am overwhelmed.

My eyes dart here and there, not quite knowing where to look. I want to, but cannot, capture everything at once. To say everything is beautiful is right, but inadequate.

It is hard to describe the feeling that comes over me. I immediately think of Mommy, and I wish she was with me. She would have loved being at the Sanctuary in Lourdes. 

I somehow feel at one with all the other faithful inside the complex, and I am moved by the palpable presence of God and Mama Mary. Cesar and I thank Ellen, bless her, for bringing us there.

After praying at the Grotto of Massabielle,
where Our Lady appeared
to Saint Bernadette in Lourdes, France.

We are so tempted to dawdle and gape and feel, but Ellen hurries us to the grotto, built at the side of the Basilica by the river so we can pay homage to the love that Our Lady had shown us by appearing 18 times to Saint Bernadette so that we would believe that in prayer lies salvation and healing.

We join a short and fast-moving line of people, feeling the dampness and in places, water, that emerges from the rock that forms the Grotto of Massabielle, where Our Lady appeared to Saint Bernadette. I feel right about touching the water to my face and my hands, and I see the others doing the same.

A closer look reveals that I carry
a Lourdes Rosary, a wedding gift
in 2002.

We hurry back to the rows of people now forming behind a replica of the white marble statue of the Blessed Virgin of the Apparition, by M. Cabuchet, of Paris. Soon enough, the loudspeaker crackles and we begin moving. Voices speak in several languages, but it is easy to recognize the Rosary being recited, and I take out the blue beads that are a wedding gift from Nanay’s friend, Tita Ason, in 2002.

I look at the centerpiece medal and realize that I carry a Lourdes Rosary with water relic. One side shows St. Bernadette kneeling before Mother Mary at the Grotto, while the other side shows a small encasement in a small opening marked EAU DE LOURDES. 

I am filled with love and gratitude, and I pray with all my heart. I follow the singing, waving my candle during the chorus of Ave Maria, and the Laudate Mariam. Not once does my tireless candle go out, not even when I try to warm my fingers over its flame.

Our fingers are near freezing
at this point. 

It is cold. The temperature reads 13 degrees Celsius, and while a sweatshirt, two jackets, a wooly cap and a hood protect me adequately, my fingers are near freezing. I had not thought to bring gloves.

But we plod on, and when the people way ahead of us reach the end of the esplanade and go round the curve to head back for the Basilica, we come abreast with them and see how the candles light up the darkness. 

More so, when we also do the same and face the Basilica, framed by a string of candles held by pilgrims standing on two great ascents in the shape of a horseshoe overlooking the square. I do not know when it was projected on the main spire, but an image of Our Lady appears, hovering above all of us gathered at the square.

We all end up at the square in front of the Basilica for the final blessing.

Too soon, it is over. There is a final blessing in Latin, and we leave the square, forever changed. 

Note: Photos by Ellen, Cesar and the author

Dinan, France

We start our day with a good breakfast served at Le Fond de la Cour’s dining area in the Conservatory. I am told that in warmer weather, breakfast is served in the garden.

We have freshly baked bread, eggs prepared as preferred, fresh juices, ham, yogurt, coffee – it is a great spread. But even better is the excellent customer service provided by owners Craig and Amanda Ferguson with their son Benjamin. 

Too soon, we leave the bed and breakfast which translates to “Back of the Courtyard” in English, being part of a historical property that the Fergusons purchased. The bed and breakfast covers a cottage, garden and stables that have been remodeled into accommodations.

It takes almost three hours of driving to reach Dinan, a historic town in Brittany, France, located on the Rance River. Tired and in need of a stretch, we happily note that we can park at the back of The Originals Boutique, Hotel du Chateau, and just roll our bags into the reception area

The elevator is tiny, so tiny that only Cesar can squeeze into it with our bigger bags. We meet him on the second floor to get the bags off his hands and into our room. I note with relief that this time, the toilet, shower and sink are all in one area in the adjoining room. 

We arrive past 2 p.m. and hope against hope that we can find lunch nearby. The receptionist takes out a map and circles places where we can eat, advising us that we might find the Creperie Suzette open despite it being past lunch hour. 

This is the second time on this France trip that I’ve had hotel staff hand out a paper map prepared for tourists, complete with restaurants and attractions. In this age of digital technology, it appears that paper wins - until it starts to rain.  Then, paper starts to disintegrate and I feel like kicking myself. Why did I not think to use the walk feature of Google Maps?

We come upon Creperie Suzette and I am charmed by the place’s quiet elegance. There is only one other occupied table at that hour and we thankfully accept the menu provided by the server. It is in French. 

I had not realized how much we had come to rely on Ellen’s French until the moment she has difficulty deciphering the menu. I try to help and realize I had the technology in my hands all along. It's embarrassing that I had not thought to use Google Translate before this.

The language barrier gone, Cesar chooses their Bouch galette, while the rest of us choose their Chourico galette.

It is my first encounter with the galette, which is made using gluten-free buckwheat flour and which is larger than a crepe. Galettes are commonly eaten as a main course, and are usually filled with ingredients like cheese, egg and ham.

We are pleasantly surprised by the crispness of the brown pancake that holds all the ingredients. The chourico, a Portuguese sausage, is very tasty and familiar. Cesar also likes the serrano ham in his dish. 

Replenished and refreshed, we explore the town. We go into the historic center of Dinan and our first stop is the Church of Saint-Malo, which has its origins in the 12th century, although the current structure was built in the 15th century. 

We wander along the Grand Street (Grand Rue), ambling past cafes, restaurants, ancient half-timbered houses until the street narrows down into Rue du Jerzual.

Cesar is about to turn back, but Ellen recognizes the street featured in American travel writer Rick Steves’ travel documentary on Dinan. It is a long and steep road which leads down to the Port de Dinan Lanvallay through beautiful medieval houses, craft shops, art galleries and cafes.

   

We get lost in the photo opportunities and distractions offered by medieval houses, unique architecture, enchanting silhouettes, and quirky shops before we emerge into a wider street down the river Rance, whose banks are lined with boats and restaurants.  The river is brown and murky but we take more photos, this time on the quaint stone bridge framed by a large viaduct in the background.

Soon, it is time to turn back up the street, now steeper than we imagined because it is late afternoon and cold, very cold.  I later learn that the street reaches gradients up to about 33%, which is why I quickly become aware of how physically unfit I am. Even the usually talkative Cesar is silent. 

I lead them back to the hotel past the Tour de l'Horloge or the Clock Tower of Dinan. Tired as we are, we admire the medieval building housing the Epicerie Fine Saint-Yves, a delicatessen and tea room, but we no longer check out its wide selection of French gastronomy products inside the gourmet shop. 

We glance but do not stop for photos at the Maison de la Harp, which houses the International Celtic Harp Meetings Committee that promotes the Celtic harp through exhibitions, workshops and events.

Whatever food we have in our bags will have to do for dinner. It is only when we are pleasantly full, relaxed and warm in our rooms that we agree on the otherworldly experience we’ve just had, travelling back in time to Medieval Europe via the historic center of Dinan.

Ellen’s close friend (hahaha) Rick Steves is right: "if you have time for only one stop in Brittany, make it the ancient riverfront city of Dinan."