seafood galore

Because half of France borders one sea or another, fish and seafood make frequent appearances on the menu. While in Normandy, where I stayed in a town with “on-the-sea” in the name, I sampled grilled sole as well as special moules frites cardinal, mussels in a creamy tomato-basil sauce. It's a bit early in the year for mussels, and although they're fine to eat, my guides commented that they were a bit small for their taste. I've noticed that different areas serve their mussels differently.  In Hauteville, we had shell-shaped plates, with a divided section for fries to keep them from getting too soggy in the savory sauce. In Omonville-la-Rogue, while de-boning my sole, I noticed a couple sharing one large casserole of mussels. Dangerous, Guillaume exclaimed, because you might end up fighting over the fare. Touche pas à mes frites !

I was hoping to find a filet de sole normande, like Julia Child first tasted upon her arrival in France, but instead opted for grilled sole, which turned out to be not one, but two whole fish. While I find looking them in the eye disturbing, Lise explained that it's a way of reassuring people that they are eating exactly what they ordered. It's true – at home, you get a slab of fish, and unless you're a true connoisseur, you might not be able to tell a sea bass from a St. Pierre. (The latter has quite an ugly head, I assure you!) Which reminded me of another conversation I had not too long ago. I'm rather sensitive to the whole ducks or chickens or rabbits that hang in the French butcher shops. But again, if you can still recognize the creature when you buy it, you know you're getting the real deal.

The Norman coast isn't far from England (on a clear day, you can see the Channel Island of Guernsey), and in recent years, the French have adopted the English custom of tea. More and more tea rooms are popping up, so it wasn't surprising that we stopped for tea after a hiking excursion to Chausey Island. There were more than fifty choices on the menu, and of course desserts to accompany them. I skipped the more English apple-strawberry crumble, and opted for the French riz-au-lait, served with caramel sauce (with salty butter, of course).