The daily diary of a wandering restaurateur
May 6 - Brittany
Talk
about a down day! Margene stayed in bed all day recovering from whatever it
was that grabbed her yesterday. The weather was rainy and overcast, so there
was really little on the plate. I spent the day with Carlos Cantien, our host
here in Dinard running odd errands around the area and generally getting the
story of his life and times.
Carlos left his native South Africa at the age of twenty, went to England where he married Patricia ... and moved to Toronto, Ontario. Several winters later they moved to South Africa and then to London where he was a partner in a commercial glass firm. About ten years ago he retired and they moved to Dinard.
They have a son in London and a daughter who lives in Paris. They have traveled extensively and on a trip to Sardinia a few years ago, Pat had a stroke that has limited her mobility. Still, they are wonderful hosts and very understanding of Margene's temporary exile.
No restaurants at all today. Margene was not eating anything more adventurous than crackers and I was adopted by the Cantiens. That meant homemade curry for lunch and ham and assorted cheeses for dinner, all accompanied by decent French wine. All in all, a good break in the routine ... and nice to have a common language again.
© 2004 Restaurant Doctor
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