Time out of mind

Time to take a little break from our chronological wanderings and interject some commentary, my apologies to Nick Hornby (it’s not like he was the first to think of it).

Le Musique:

First off, music. Though my circles have been relatively small, I’ve traveled to distinctly different areas of the country and each lends itself well to a particular style of music. Here are my recommendations for soundtracks if you happen to find yourself traveling these parts:

1. School in Moustiers, Haute Provence: I started here and this is the most general no doubt, I just put the ol’ iPod on random all and had at it. I mostly listened while I was studying and the variety served me well.

2. Le Cote d’Azur: definitely down tempo, neo-lounge, groove-oriented anything. Thievery, Groove Armada, Stevie and some song by (I think) Serge Gainsborough’s son that I haven’t heard since the first time I heard it on the radio and I would very much like to. 

3. Le Luberon: new pop and old jams; cruising music. Phish and the Dead sounded great as I meandered down countless kilometers of back roads, equally great was the light, fresh pop of the last few years – The Sea and Cake, the Decemberists, the Shins, and a big shout out to Belle and Sebastian. Warm, happy music with no beginning and no end, much like the days here.

4. Le Gorge du Tarn: bluegrass, definitely bluegrass. While my chronology has taken me there, I’ve not yet committed it to page, so you are not aware of the radical departure from Provence the Gorge represented. It is hill country and only hill music will do.

5. Aubrac: this wild, wooly country also called for country. Alt-country, no depression, though I’m sure Patsy would have fit right in as would Johnny. None of that uproarious are we ready to play football crap, only pure, plaintive tones of people who understand the pain and beauty of living off the land.

6. The road: I’ve spent a few hours driving the highways as opposed to the byways and while the constant companion of random all is the key, the odd rock song sure did hit the spot. Notable was when Queensof the Stone Age came on while I was heading north to pick Penny up pre-Michel Bras. Parfait.

7. And finally everywhere: Radiohead. Those who know me know my obsession wanes; perhaps it was travels with Seemo, perhaps it’s just that it sounds so damn good but boy howdy. I made a pilgrimage to Vaison la Romain yesterday, where one of the better quality live shows was recorded and threw it on right before my arrival. There have been many other occasions where Karma Police, Knives Out, Airbag, Lucky have all scratched that itch. Kudos to Thom et. al.  I must also give props to my troubadour buddies who came off the bench at opportune times and made it all ok: Tom, Nick, Nick, and Leonard. And of course George for keeping the funk alive, especially apropos for walking around Aix with headphones. Ok, awards show has run into the 11 o’clock news, the music is playing and I’m done.

Les Repas

Meals that knocked my socks off:

1. Michel Bras

2. Le Bastide

3. Domain des Andeols

4. Les Bories

5. Kei’s Passion

6. Vieux Mur

7. Mitch

Note to you Michelin junkies – Le Chanticleir is not on this list, though I supped there.

Peak moments:

1. Faure’s Requiem in Avignon’s Notre Dame cathedral
2. Crossing Norman Foster’s Millau Viaduct

3. The thunderstorm in Monte Carlo

4. The first time I walked into Maison Rouge

5. The truffle man

6. La lune rising late at night, low, orange and very, very large over the Mediterranean in Antibes

7. Driving with the top down around unbelievably beautiful back roads, sun beating down, music playing.

Things that surprised me:

1. Everyone, to a person, is very, very nice, extremely helpful and had nothing but praise and aide for my sometimes futile attempts to speak the language.

2. How dratted difficult it is to understand what the heck people are saying. Most of the time, I get the general sense but it’s not the same as being able to parrot the words back. I don’t know exactly what they said, only what they meant. The experience has convinced me that most of communication is non-verbal though sometimes I’d answer questions and in the middle of my answer, wonder if I was answering what was asked or something else entirely. I got the feeling my sincere effort were the only thing that mattered and I didn’t mind being an idiot nearly as much as I thought I would.

3. How important wine is but how cavalierly it is treated. In the States, we’re obsessed with pairing wine and food; here, they drink whatever they want. Red with fish, white with meat and people are more familiar with the local appellations. One sommelier I spoke to said he didn’t like pairing for each course because he felt it overwhelmed the food, better the wine was a companion and not a co-star. He also explained that other countires put the importance on the grape, in France, it is on the region. Very few wines are made from a single grape apparently, which makes for more complex but much more interesting (IMHO) wines. He said he’s been accredited for ten years and still hasn’t even scratched the surface of the wineries and the vintages in the small region he covers.

4. How darn much good food there is. Even the most humble of establishments take their food very seriously which makes for many fine meals. Ok, not a surprise but I’m grateful that this was as I expected.

5. The French sacrifice efficiency for quality and use people where we might use machines. I discussed this with a Canadian one evening who believed you could have both but I disagree. As with almost everything else in life, I believe you can’t find perfect balance, though you strive for it, you only choose on which side you want to err. Here, waiting for service doesn’t seem to engender the same angst it does in the States and there is a far greater number of artisans and privately operated businesses. Small is good; Texans must hate it. Perhaps the greatest surprise was how easily I adapted and how right it seems.

Comments

[Shannon]

A quick comment.

#5 about efficiency vs quality is similar in Japan and I have a love-hate relationship to it. I want quality when it comes to food, drink, clothing, the things that were bare essentials before civilization advanced this far. But I want efficiency when it comes to bureaucracy. It was a lovely post, and so I will tell you about my trip yesterday to the bank another time.

There is nothing better than being served (esp. food and drink) by someone who cares about and takes pride in what they are serving. Unfortunately, you usually have to pay through the nose for that sort of thing in the States. In some places, thankfully, that is the norm.

Enjoy your last few days.

[libby]

Word, I was glad I wasn't behind me at the post office. But it sure is nice to have someone care who isn't charging you three digits for the privilege.