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With the cold weather and icy roads I have been buying a daily baguette for our elderly neighbours. And it’s when you buy bread for somebody else that you understand what an intimate part of French life the humble loaf of bread can be.
An outsider waiting in line to buy fresh bread may notice that each client mutters a few key words as a baguette is being selected for him or her.
“une baguette s’il vous plait, pas trop cuite” (one baguette please, not too cooked)
“deux baguettes, bien cuites, s’il vous plait” (two baguettes, well cooked please)
Regular clients don’t even need to say anything about the bread, they just say bonjour, talk about the weather, and the loaf they prefer appears before them.
When I picked up the bread for our neighbours, I asked for our usual loaf then said I’d have “un pain” also, there was a pause … a raised eyebrow, “ce n’est pas pour vous?”, (that’s not for you), upon which I’d say no, it’s for Monsieur et Madame J, “ah bon! ….. alors voila – this is the bread they take, Monsieur J prefers a good crust”.
And it’s not just in the countryside that buying bread is so important. Parisians will make huge detours on the way home from work to buy the bread they prefer, rather than from the closest bakers.
Each year there is a prize discerned to the baker producing “la meilleure baguette de Paris” (the best baguette in Paris, I mean … really?! can you imagine deciding on that one?!). This year it was won by a certain Pascal Barillon who bakes at Au Levain d’Antan . Besides winning the title and a cheque, he also has the honour of being the official baker to the President of France for a year.
So for the whole of 2012, twenty of his humble loaves will go from here ….
to here each day!
What do you think it says about a country, that a simple stick of bread can be so important?!
45 comments
Lots and it's all good.
Carolyn xx
I think it says that the simple things in life are among the most important. The rest of us could really learn something from a simple stick of bread. ~Jen
ah yes, give them each day their daily bread…
when the shop in my village is closed, as it often is while the owner takes her holidays, the bread must still be baked and offered for sale to the old folk of the commune in the mairie
I love that
Your post is about pride and customer service as much as the very important bread, and well done to the French for getting all three of these things so very right.
C'est juste "so lovely written" ! j'aime beucoup "faire un tour chez vous" de temps en temps ! Merci de partager.
Elisabeth
Great post. We often tell friends small details of daily life as we've experienced it during extended stays in Provence. Some of my husband's favorite stories relate to procuring the daily baguette.
He'll love this post.
A french friend once told me the most difficult thing about visiting the US is having to drive somewhere to get bread. Now I understand. I take mine bien cuite and preferably still warm.
I would love to have a fresh baquette any day of the year…a rare delight for us…very sweet and thoughtful of you to think of your neighbors in the icy weather knowing that it would be difficult for them to do get their own…a truly lovely post! Merci beaucoup! I love getting to know more about the French culture that you can't always learn on brief visits!
I think it is wonderful (and that you care for your neighbor too)! I love the idea that the baker knows your preference! When I was a girl and visited my 'Oma' during the summers in a small village in Nieder Osterreich, the baker came to each individual house with a basket to sell his fresh bread!
I think it says that the most important things in life are the simple, traditional things. I'd love to have a baker, or two, near me.
Enjoy!
I am craving a baguette right this minute and can almost smell the scent wafting through the computer! I would fit in perfectly….my motto is "have baguette? will travel"….yep I will travel far for good bread:)
How wonderful that you are helping to take care of your neighbors, I can only imagine how grateful they are.
When I first moved to France, it really took me awhile to understand that there MUST be bread on the table for every meal. ALWAYS. And yes, not just any bread! Today, I too have very specific preferences and don't go to the bakery that is closest (directly across the street) or even the second closest because of course, I prefer the bread that is a five minute walk away! 😉
A lovely example of "the simple things in life are always the best"!
I love my baguette, but probably just as sustaining is the the ritual of purchasing the baguette and being known by the boulanger – it helps to create a sense of community. Warm regards
Thank you for this glimpse into your life and that of your village. It's wonderful that you look out for you neighbors. It says a lot when the baker knows everyone's preferences.
I think it says, where there's life there's hope. I love this post Sharon. xoxo
The more I read your blog dear the more I'm in love with you!
Hugs
Fra
I can smell the bread just from the photographs. Bread is such a staple in our homes. When I see some of the terrible breads some people buy in the grocery stores it makes me sad.
How nice to have such beautiful bread on a daily basis.
Sharon thank you for another example of how the French must have the best; even when it comes to bread. It is also about quality versus quantity.
xoxo
Karena
Art by Karena
I love that the French take bread so seriously – and a fresh baguette every day is an entirely different matter than the cellophane wrapped, full of preservatives pre-sliced stuff we buy at the supermarket here.
How kind of you to make sure your neighbors have their daily bread! Hope things warm up a bit soon!
"Parisians will make huge detours on the way home from work to buy the bread they prefer, rather than from the closest bakers"
The quote above is not surprising and is making me realize I need to quiet my inner self when I am dreading driving 5 minutes to our local market to pick up fresh ingredients for dinner. Afterall, if one can take a very long detour for a loaf of bread, I can surely do it for dinner ingredients, non?
Great post! And I feel sorry for people who eat low carb :o)
My favorite thing to do when I go home is to ask my friends and relatives where the best boulangerie is these days… We have lived in the US for 15 years, and I need to keep informed about where to find the best baguette when I arrive. 😉 As soon as I ask the question, they will immediately engage in a [heated] debate – a popular French past time as you know – and argue in favor of this and that boulangerie. Some things never change in France, and I love my country all the more for it… Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)
To me, it speaks of integrity.
When I visit my daughter, I always pick up a loaf of wonderful bread at a bakery near her home. The ovens are imported from France as well as the flour. It is such a treat to have good bread. I rarely buy any other. It is 17 miles to her house in Lake Oswego, and another mile to the bakery. The bread is worth every drop of $4 gasoline.
Oui,j'accepte! At the end of a long work day, we look forward to driving to our particular bakery in town to pick up a particular baguette and savoring every delicious bite with our dinner. It must be the smidgeon of French blood flowing in our veins!!!
Going out of your way for the best loaf makes perfect sense……. When we stay in Paris we rent an apartment and can get bread two minutes away………But we go three more blocks to get bread at Eric Kayser…… Then we come back to Texas and get "french" bread from the local unsupermarket……..So depressing.The bread from the first place is much better.Maryanne xo
i love learning so much about the French culture here. your stories are inspiring, entertaining and informative! merci!
For us, french people, bread is in our culture. We need it as a basis of our way of life. When I was living in Tokyo, I would give a castel to find just one little "baguette bien cuite", my god. Thanks for your posts about our way of life, I love your blog and all you say and show about my wonderful Normandie.
I think it says that the French have their priorities exactly in the right places!! This post has me craving a REAL baguette…not the take-and-bake kind from the grocery store I have in my freezer now.
i lovelovelove this post also. it is so refreshing to read how important it is to the french people to get bread (or food) that is perfection. most people in america settle for so much less. i love all your posts as it gives us a look into the wonderful way you all live. i would love to be able to "walk" to the bakery!
I believe it is all down to the tiniest details…I love this country and their details;) How romantic to live in France….love your blog!
Good neighbors are to be cherished, and you are definitely one. The concern over the baguette probably reflects the interest that French people have unwaveringly had in the quality and provenance of their food – something the rest of us in the West are returning to now by visiting our farmers' markets and demanding organic and local foods in the grocery markets.
Je pense qu'il dit: Le pain est la vie! (Did I say that right? My French is tres rusty!) Bread is Life!
I love this about the French and I hope it never, ever changes!
Kat
Het stokbrood uit Frankrijk is het lekkerst. Krijg er trek van….Mooie foto's
Gr. Jac……
i think it means that when it comes to food, french are serious about any detail. Bread seems to be such simple food, but for french, it is simply "must des must" as any other food.
maria faustino
Love baguettes are the best and these look absolutely georgeous, love this post!
Enjoyed this post so much! Makes me want a baguette and butter right now. How sweet of you to think of your older neighbors too. Love that.
Another reason not to give up carbs!!
Kim:)
Enjoyed this post, very much! I love bread. I love eating it, making it, bringing it to share for people. I was talking with a companion last week who informed me she hadn't eaten bread in TWO years. I did a double take. No carbs, she said. I could not stop thinking about it for the rest of the week. Absolute nonsense.
I could eat bread every single day all day-especially if it is from my favorite Italian bakery in Queens, NY
It says that the country is very civilized.
The bread in France is very good and I hear it's because of the type of flour that is used. Not sure if it has a higher gluten content or lower, but the bread does have a certain flavour to it.
It's very nice of you to help out your neighbours when the weather isn't co-operating. You just take care out on the roads.
How sweet of you to look after the elderly in your neighborhood like that! And I love it that the baker knows the regulars and their preferences. How delightful!
I loved reading all the comments about the daily baguette. We are fortunate our son is a baker and their little bakery makes the most delicious baguettes, rye, sourdough etc. So we are spoilt by having access to bread baked with love. You should see the bakers at work at 4am in the morning – you have to be passionate about your craft to start at that early.
How very sweet of you to buy your neighbors a loaf each day.
I don't eat much bread in our home – our son doesn't like it, and my husband and I have become too used to an Atkins-friendly diet 🙂
I think it says the French have their prioroties straight. Bread is the staff of life after all, and probably my number one comfort food. Bread has such an important place in European cultures. I am from an Italian background and a meal is unthinkable without excellent bread…In fact, in my grandmother's locality if you wanted to tell how good and generous a person was you said, "He's like a piece of bread", an expression I found curious when I was little but came to appreciate as an adult. What is better than a good piece of bread? Nothing!
So kind of you. Last year when the snow was deep and the roads inaccessible for a few days, one person in the village managed to get his 4×4 through. What was the first thing he did? Go and buy bread and then deliver bread to everyone in the village every morning until the roads were cleared. A hero!
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Thank You,
Susan