County Fair…Parisian-Style

First of all, I should explain the extraordinary delay between this and my previous posts. We’re in the midst of a computer-related nightmare. It all started when the computer guru Chez Nous…aka Hubby Dearest…decided after the latest of several malware attacks that that was it…we were done with PCs. He then proceeded to tweak my Scottish sensibilities by running out and buying his and her Macs. The man at the Apple store assured him that the transition would be a piece of cake and that furthermore, the writing programs that I need…which are not offered in Mac versions…could still be used…because the new Macs can be partitioned to accept Windows-based programs. 

Ha! Well, it’s been a month since our new toys arrived and all they’ve done is create one problem after another. My trusty seven-year-old PC is sulking after being deemed incompatible and has been fiddled with so much that now it’s un-WiFi-able. I am reduced to writing to you now on a vintage, no-frills, ex-French government agency issue laptop. How old is it you ask? Well, the “intel inside” is so old that it has to be jerry rigged to be able to go online and the celeron might as well be celery.

So suddenly incommunicado…I did what any one else would do…I went to the county fair.

Each year, for nine days, the farmer that lurks within each Parisian goes amuck and propels itself to the Salon International de l’Agriculture. It’s the Parisian version of a county fair!

The event officially had its beginnings back in 1870, although, unofficially, agricultural competitions go back much further in French history.  The emphasis of the salon was initially on farm animals but over the past 141 years, it has  evolved to include all sorts of produits du terroir, such as wheat, milk, and wine. It moved to the current venue, the exposition center at Porte de Versailles, in 1925 and in 1964, it became an international happening. This year’s salon boasted 1098 different exhibitors and was viewed by 678,732 entrants. It is the largest agricultural gathering in France and offers much more than cows…in typical French fashion, it’s a fascinating gastronomic experience…regional and international!

That’s not to say that cows aren’t front and center…the poster girl shown above is Candy a young Vosgienne…a breed of cow that hails from the Vosges region. Just about every type of cow imaginable is there…big, huge ones with horns…
…others that are not so huge…
  …and still others that watch you while you eat.

Sheep, pigs, rabbits, chickens, and horses abound…and the bounties of the sea are represented as well. The region of Brittany had a vast display of ultra fresh fish… …interspersed with an artfully-arranged selection of shellfish…
 
As for pigs…pen after pen was filled with the real thing…
…and there were also some not so real piggies… All the food groups were represented…wheat for making those fabulous baguettes…and fruit…here’s a stand full of bananas from Martinique…

Technically not part of a food group, but definitely an essential part of any French diet… wine…there was plenty of du vin at the salon…

 Non-essentials were there, too…like confiseries…
If you have never had a French bonbon…brace yourself…they are really, really sweet!

There were numerous educational displays that explained all that went into the care and raising of the various animals and then there were other displays that were more intent on seeing that you enjoyed the results in a more timely manner…
…jambon is French for “ham”.

There was every type of saucisson…or sausage…imaginable…
…including some that were à la truffe…accented with hunks of truffle…
As would be expected, cheese was very well-represented, but not just French cheese…there was Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Toscano, and Montasio varieties from Italy, Batzos and Kopanisti from Greece, and from Switzerland…… Appenzeller, Tomme Vaudoise, and enormous rounds of Gruyère.

Presenting all these delices were proud proprietors dressed in the traditional costumes of their particular region…including this woman from Berry…

   …and this man from Finistère…
And, of course, no county fair would be complete without someone doing the “it slices…it dices” routine…only in France, the end result is a bit more ornate…
…melons are swirled so that they are hardly recognizable as melons…and a French jack-o-lantern…
…is anything but rustic.

All this effort is made in the hopes of being awarded one of the coveted prizes…   …in this case, the lucky winner was Elysee, a pig from Normandy.

After making our way through the several huge halls filled to the brim with enticing exhibits and with our arms laden with bags full of products,  we capped off our day at Paris’ version of a county fair by visiting…

…the cheese temple…for a bit of raclette authentique…
….not to mention une vrai fondue savoyarde…

 

Stay tuned for more behind the scenes adventures of The Meadows Collection…or check out the results at www.meadowscollection.com