1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 35: Provence is full of gourmets [Please read on! ]

Avignon, also known as Villeneuve-Avignon, is the capital of the Vaucluse department.

It is called a 'new town' and has a history of several hundred years. In Provence, things from the last few centuries are considered 'new' because the history of Provence can be traced back to the Gallo-Roman period 2000 years ago.

Coming down from the A7 highway and heading west along the Rhone River, Ronan first saw the old city walls of Avignon, and then saw an ancient and magnificent stone bridge.

"This is the Pont d'Avignon." Zoe did her best to act as a tour guide for the spring outing.

"The only way from Lyon to the Mediterranean?" Ronan recalled the description he heard on TV.

The car had already reached the bridge. Zoe nodded, looked at the Rhone River on one side and asked:

"Have you heard the legend of the Avignon Bridge?"

"No." Ronan said.

"A long time ago, a shepherd named Benizet heard God's instructions to go to Avignon to build a bridge across the Rhone River."

"When he arrived in Avignon, Benezet was penniless. He explained his mission to the Bishop of Avignon, but received no help or Christian charity. The Bishop thought Benezet was a madman and brought him to court. After listening to his statement, the judge said that if Benezet could move a huge rock, he would be able to build a bridge."

"Benizet proved himself successfully by lifting the stone, carrying it on his shoulders and throwing it into the Rhone River, where the bridge would be built. The bridge was built from 1177 onwards and completed in 1186. Later, when the time was right, Benizet was canonized."

Ronan exclaimed:
“This bridge is 800 years old?”

Then he asked in even greater surprise:

"How do you know so much?"

Zoe casually flicked her hair:
“I learned that in college.”

"Oh, yes." Ronan nodded in understanding.

Zoe the Great Artist!

However, he felt that Zoe no longer had that distant and indifferent feeling recently, and was even quite friendly sometimes.

Maybe because they are familiar with each other?
Along the way, the vehicle not only passed the Avignon Bridge, but also passed the famous Saint-Andre Castle and Saint-Andre Abbey.

Ronan pointed at these places of interest with his chin and asked:
"Where will the 'spring outing' take place next?"

Zoe was amused by Ronan:
"Are you really not being polite to me?"

Ronan parked the car in front of the Bank of France on the side of the road, opened the storage box, and took out a bulging black plastic bag:
"This is just the beginning. I'm going to do something even more 'impolite'."

Under Zoe's surprised gaze, Ronan took out the money he earned today from his pocket, counted out 5000 francs in front of Zoe, and put the rest into a black plastic bag.

"If I don't come out in half an hour, call the police." Ronan raised his eyebrows, opened the car door with a smile, put the black plastic bag in his arms, and walked quickly into the bank's service hall.

Zoe watched Ronan leave, her smile growing wider.

After visiting the bank, Ronan headed to the second destination of this trip - the Chinese supermarket.

The supermarket is not very big, only about ten square meters.

Ronan was carefully selecting things in the seasoning area, while Zoe, who was following him, turned into a 'curious' baby, asking questions about everything she saw.

"What is this? It looks like rosemary, but it doesn't taste like rosemary."

"Noodles? Why are they so thick?"

“Can red things be eaten? That seems a bit evil.”

"It's not evil, not evil at all, and the things made from it are really delicious." Ronan tried to explain for fermented tofu.

"Okay." Zoe gave a forced but polite smile.

Ronan bought Chinese condiments such as rice, sesame paste, fermented tofu, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, vinegar, cooking wine, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, peppercorns and dried chilies in a Chinese supermarket. He also bought kitchen utensils such as a rolling pin, a steamer and the chopsticks he had been longing for.

After this purchase, he is so confident that he can make one or two dishes from the entire banquet, not to mention braised beef in soy sauce and mouth-watering chicken!
This was another big step towards hosting a party at home. After buying everything, the two of them headed home.

"When will you prepare the two dishes you mentioned?" Zoe asked eagerly as soon as she got in the car.

She was too curious about what those strange spices would taste like when mixed together.

"I'll study it when I get home tonight." Ronan replied.

"Okay." Zoe nodded. "Then I'll go back and tell Dad to have Alan and the others come over tomorrow."

"Hmm?" Ronan made a sound from his nose and turned to look at Zoe in confusion.

"Drive carefully and don't look around." Zoe said in a tone of scolding her younger brother, "Vieri has said many times at home that your cooking is delicious. Bring it here to try with me."

"I may not be able to do it well." Ronan said with some concern.

Braised beef in soy sauce and mouth-watering chicken are both "big dishes", different from dumplings.

Zoe held her chin with her right hand:

"Then you need to bring it to us for tasting. You know, Provence is full of 'gourmets'. You can only improve with our comments."

Ronan had vaguely discovered the fact that "Provence is full of gourmets" some time ago, but he didn't take it to heart.

He makes hundreds of dumplings every week, so it's inevitable that he has become a familiar face to the butcher.

Once when Ronan went to buy lamb, the boss said while sharpening his knife that he had written a book about lamb, which detailed 50 ways of cooking lamb. He also taught Ronan on the spot one of his proudest dishes - Provencal lamb stew.

He repeated the recipe three times and said four times that the peppers should be two green and two red. Only after he was sure that Ronan had memorized all the details did he feel at ease and hand the mutton to Ronan.

In Provence, everyone you chat with will inadvertently reveal that they are a 'professional' chef. It seems that not being able to cook is as serious as being a pagan here.

If the food is not tasty, those bold and straightforward Provencal people will actually spit out the food in front of the chef and throw it in the chef's face.

Tomorrow night's party will undoubtedly become a severe battle to defend the dignity of Chinese cuisine.

Ronan did not shoulder the responsibility alone, but transferred the pressure to his parents.

"There are no Chinese activities in Provence. This may be the first time that Chinese food appears in this land. If I don't do it well, it will be a loss of face for all Chinese people in France, so you must teach me."

"Do we have to give it to those people to eat?" Feng Zhen said in a serious tone.

Since you know the seriousness of the situation, why are you rushing to be the sinner?
You can even fry eggs.
Just make some hard-to-swallow food and eat it secretly.

Why are you still showing off?

Ronan sighed heavily:

"It's no use saying this now, 13 of my friends have decided not to have lunch tomorrow and are waiting for my delicious Chinese food."

Before he finished speaking, a busy tone sounded in the receiver.

Ronan: “?”

Bye?

This abandons me?

About ten seconds later, the phone rang.

"Mom, did you accidentally step on the telephone wire?"

A middle-aged male voice came from the other end of the phone:
"Your mother was afraid that I couldn't convey it clearly and that she would complain if the food wasn't tasty, so she asked me to tell you directly. Do you have a pen and paper?"

(End of this chapter)