What We Ate, Part 3

3. Lunch Sunday:

Sunday lunch was unique for 2 reasons. First off, it was just family and very informal, more like an inside picnic. Second, it was the result of a wonderful wander up to the Trelaze market. I thought we were just going for a walk, and when I saw the little market, you could have measured my delight on a Richter scale. Clothing, fruit and vegetables, meat, cheese, bread, fish, shoes, almost anything you want. And throughout, sweet old ladies, pretty children, and talkative, smiling vendors. Imagine the life young Laura and Claire will lead, given that they start out in a world where the answer to "What's that?" is: "River eel."

Anyway, Sunday lunch, a buffet. On the table were beets, cherry tomatoes, sliced melon, a whole steamed fish [Charles amused himself playing with the fish's toothy mouth. Charming], white rice, Camembert, Roquefort, Brie, bread, and for dessert vanilla fromage blanc, chocolate truffles and coffee.

Dominique had to serve me the fish. She offered it to me, and held out a fork and spoon. I just looked at her, at the fish, at Brian. Finally, he said, "They don't serve it this way in the US." And I said, "I want some, I just don't know how to serve it." So Dominique pulled off bits with the fork and spoon and put them on my plate. That's right, I was bested by a fish. But in my defense, it was looking at me.