Gear Change Up

Friday, June 23, 2006

Midi

Lunch in France is a six hour affair. I may never understand fast food, but now at least I know why it was invented.

For lunch in France, Pierre and I arrived at Jacques and Colette's house at 11:30 AM, where I was greeted and introduced to Dan's cousins. In Le Jura, everybody is Dan's cousin. We started with a toast of champagne for

Glass of Wine #1.

Not really my custom to start drinking before noon, but I am with Pierre, and this is what Pierre specializes in (drinking). After our champange we had to open a bottle of white wine from Domaine Guiet, where I am staying. Got to try the local brew for

Glass of Wine #2.

And as it turns out finish the bottle for the group for

Glass of Wine #3

to go along with some snacks. And I'm thinking I need to stay focused here because my french sucks and their english is not the best, communication is a battle, so ignore the slight spinning sensations.

We move on to the cantelope course, and a bottle of red wine is opened to start off

Glass of Wine #4.

We laugh and enjoy stories, and Colette invites me to go with her and Jacques and Pierre to Bourg en Bresse the following week. Sounds like fun.

Our glasses are refilled with

Glass of Wine #5,

and the main course of chicken is served. We eat that with rice and take the bread to mop up all the drippings and finish off the bottle for

Glass of Wine #6,

and at this point I recall accepting an invitation to a random french town with people I don't really know except for the fact that they are Dan's cousins, which at this point could include anybody.

Whatever.

We finish up lunch and bust out a bottle of Chateau Chalon, which is a good wine. I know because Pierre taught me how to test a wine:

First you swirl it in the glass because the whirling action is really fun to watch, especially when it preceeds Glass of Wine #7.

Then you smell it.

It smells like wine.

Oook.

Then you taste it. It tastes like wine.

Sweet, that was educational, and all tests have been passed. And I knew this was especially good wine because even I could tell it didnt come out of a box.

Glass of Wine #7

goes with the Cheese Course. In France, after a meal, a piece of cheese is always served.

Yeah.

Cheese.

I don't know. No crackers, no nothing, you just kind of sit there with this random piece of cheese. The cheese of choice was also the local...well...brew I guess. Comte cheese is a native cheese to the Jura. Very good. It tastes like cheese.

Finally, we finish up with a peach pie kind of thing, which of course would not be complete without

Glass of Wine #8.

Upon completion, Colette suggests we go for a walk. "Good idea!" I say. Bad bad idea, I think.

Just don't fall.

We walk to Monique's antique store where we look at old bicycles and pictures from when the Tour de France came through last year. We hang out and then say our goodbyes, because by then it is 5:00, and I need to get home for dinner.

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