Juste Donnez-Moi Du Fromage (Just Give Me Some Cheese)

Passport? Check. Flight pillow? Check. French phrase book? Check. Global cell phone? Check. Alka Seltzer? Check. Suit case large enough to hold a family of gypsies? Check.

I’m off to EU for a business trip. I’ll be in Hampshire, England for three nights and Provence, France for five. Having just finished reading A Year in Provence, and Toujours Provence by Peter Mayle, I admit I’m more than a little worried about the French food and the extraordinary consumption of wine.

The French, so it seems, are serious carnivores. They will eat anything that slithers, crawls, flies, hops, scurries, swims, or walks on all fours. They don’t just eat the meat either. There are a lot of parts that are made in to French delicacies – like Foie Gras and pate and sausage. I grew up in a family that was essentially vegetarian, so this will be a challenge for me (just pass me the bread and olive oil). Add to this, my deadly shellfish allergy and you get a désastre dans la fabrication.

I do look forward to sampling the French wines, although I won’t partake of the French custom of drinking wine at breakfast (yes breakfast).

I hope to do a better job of posting on my blog during the trip. If nothing else, I will have photos to share.

Until next time, Au revoir mes lecteurs fidèles!