Chris observes [enviously, he remarks], that he cannot even get the food supplies that I speak of cooking here in Paris. As I wait a few moments for the oven to heat up, before attempting, for the very first time, two cuisses de canard slow cooked to make a
confit de canard, I will reply that I am puzzled by the difference between what is available in the open air market on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, half a block from my apartment, and what I can find even at a Yuppie up-scale overpriced Whole Foods branch in Chapel Hill. The fish available at the market is so fresh that sometimes, if I want some tuna, the fishmonger [poissonier] will saw a slab off of half a tuna for me, to my direction. There are rabbits and quail and cuisses de canard and all manner of other game and poultry. The vegetables are splendid, the fruit fresh, and the prices, so far as I can tell, not much different from what is available at what passes for a supermarket in Paris.
Clearly, the process bringing food to market is different in Paris than in Chapel Hill, and yet Paris is a very large world-class city, not a rural town.
This subject has come up before on this blog, and I confess I am mystified by it. Does anyone have any wisdom to share on the subject?
