Taking forward the theme of what we find quirky in each other’s cultures…….here is a butcher’s shop window in Aix en Provence. OK, any vegetarian readers, look away NOW!
Seriously though, this is a fabulous butcher shop. It’s always busy, the staff are so friendly and efficient and the meat is really of the best quality you could imagine.
But what the @*!! is that squirrel doing in the window???
Heroes Not Zombies 
DUH, Doc! The squirrel brought the veggies! Don’t you know that there’s nothing that goes better with a nice steak on the grill than a beautiful, bright yellow ear of buttery, salty corn on the cob?!
I like the way the French place a higher value on quality food. Just go down to any market, the produce is good and sometimes you see the open air vendors dressed up as if in a chefs uniforms. There also seems to be a sort of social aspect about shopping in the markets, you can’t just ask for what you want, you have to talk first.
On this side of the pond it’s all about cheap food. Sucks big time.
The Americans have given the Parisians a reputation for being rude. My sister who lived there clued me in. I can speak high school french and I’m quite capable of asking for things in a restaurant just as I would do in Canada or the USA. My sister told me I was being rude, apparently it is disrespectful to just come out directly and ask for what you want. You have to establish a rapport first, then ask. I watched her doing the trick and the French response was entirely different. Kind of a nice way of conducting affairs.
So, if you behave with no nonsense and very directly as an American you are rude and will be treated as such.
[…] was just over on Bob Leckridge’s blog and we were having a sort of conversation about some of the cultural differences in our neck of the […]
Well… yer know we’uns have them there redneck cousins in the U. S of A. They EAT squirrel. Them’s call it Roadkill stew. I’m sure the french have a far more fancy name for it.
You know… kinda like rabbit stew = hasenfeffer. I could have gone there except for the fact it was served in a white bunny shaped POT! ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
You know mrschili I don’t think I’ve EVER had steak and corn on the cob! I think we’ve just hit on one of the those cultural differences things…..or maybe it’s just me!
Amber, people eat squirrel???!!! Never tried that either!
@rvewong, oh yes, one of my MAIN reasons for having a base in Aix as well as my home in Scotland is that every day there is a market and the people who work in the market are so nice and friendly and the food is just not like food as I know it back in Scotland. This week I bought a bunch of radishes – they have such a kick, such a tang…..I always thought they were such a BLAND vegetable. How wrong I was! And I also had a little tray of gooseberries – first time since I was a kid! And the lady who sells the olive oil at the market insisted I try it giving me a wee piece of bread to dunk in it and telling me the oil was special because it was made with love!
Mmmmmmmm…….it is DELICIOUS
This is just plain wrong wrong wrong! Ok here we don’t eat them at least unlike those weird Americans (am shocked Amber!) … we eath yummy things like grasshoppers and locusts way better!
If I see any food shops with grasshoppers and locusts in the window I’ll be sure to take a photo for you!