THE GREATEST ARTS OF FRANCE - CultureShock! A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette: France - page 169

the skins removed to give that light salmon colour. Light and
full of humour, this rosé reminds me best of the Provençal
lifestyle, as do their aperitifs , Pernod and Ricard. Flavoured
with anise (licorice), the latter turns cloudy in water, like the
outlawed absinthe and the Greek ouzo and the Arab arak.
All Mediterranean.
The people of the Provençal are considered too relaxed
for Parisians, who give little credence to the relaxed climate
of the Mediterranean coast. But with such lovely cuisine
and warm sunshine, who wouldn't spend all day at table?
For more on Provence, see the i lms Jean de Florette and
Manon of the Spring . Or read Letters from my Windmill by
Alphonse Daudet and my favourite, A Year in Provence
by Peter Mayle.
Ile de France (The Paris Area)
The area around Paris, for about 80 km (50 miles) in any
direction, holds 20 per cent of the country's population
and the vast majority of its foreign tourists. With so much
going on, the visitor is apt to miss the regional specialities
above. But they can i nd nearly all of these delights within
the City of Light, with a bit of effort.
'Paris has in abundance everything that could be desired,'
wrote Jerome Lippomano in 1577 (quoted by Rudolph
Chelminski). 'Merchandise l ows in from every country.
Provisions are brought in by the Seine from Picardy, from
Auvergne, from Burgundy, from Champagne and from
Normandy. Thus, although the population is innumerable,
nothing is ever lacking. Everything seems to fall from
the sky.'
Today, this is still true. But the former market gardens
around Paris have become suburban communities, and
Les Halles in the centre of Paris gathers tourists, not food
wholesalers. The foods of France convene now at the
ultramodern wholesale market at Rungis, just south of
Paris. From Rungis much of the merchandise leaves France,
l own from nearby Orly airport to gourmet capitals around
the world. From New York to Hong Kong, restaurateurs
call in their orders to Rungis of asparagus, oysters, wild