The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
Christmas Eve
The end of the trip is when we start counting, figuring how many days we have left and how much of each of our various
supplies we need to finish even. Do we need to buy another roll of paper towels or can we make it with what we have? Is there
enough cheese, yogurt, bread? Do we need to get more euros? It all gets rather linear. Of course you can avoid a lot of this
by staying in hotels, but we've found hotels have their own subtle pressure to be out of the room early each day so the
housekeepers can do their work. B&Bs are a more relaxing way to stay than hotels, but their breakfast hours influence what we
do and when we do it. In the end it just comes down to personal preference, but I highly recommend the slow travel mode as
the best way to slow down, relax and get the most out of a trip.
Today was a market day again and we're remembering how to play the game ... just in time to leave! We had our list, we knew
roughly where those vendors would be and we took care of business. Rotisserie chicken and roasted potatoes? Best to reserve
what you want before it's ready because it sells out fast and when it's gone, it's gone! French scarves of wool and silk (two
for Margene, one for me)? Check! Spare batteries for my noise-canceling headphones? Got 'em! That's about when it started to
sprinkle, so we headed home and enjoyed the chicken while it was still hot. Life is simple when you let it.
But it's Christmas Eve, and that's when it all happens in France. Needless to say, I'm no expert on local Christmas
traditions, so I am borrowing from the Lingo Lunch blog which seemed to have it dialed in.
Trust the French to have a million different types of Christmas dishes. But what does constitute a typical Christmas dinner?
After midnight mass on Christmas Eve, the French gather to eat a feast called le Réveillon which basically translates
to Christmas Eve in English. And boy, is it a feast! It consists of oysters, snails, seafood, smoked salmon, caviar ...
basically the works! Following that, they bring out the bird. Most popularly the French eat a goose for their Christmas
dinner, which happens at around 1am – not very good for the waistline, perhaps, but who's to argue with tradition?
Beside this typical Christmas Eve two-course meal, the French are able to offer us many many more hours of eating in the form
of a third course. A third course multiplied by three. They have thirteen desserts that are classical for the Christmas party.
They are as follows and, I understand, are eaten in order (though the choices may vary):
Need thirteen desserts (per person) for your Christmas Eve bash? Look no farther than your local patisserie. All of them were packed from morning til night today. I also saw boxes of thirteen (from a commercial baker) in the local supermarket. I don't understand why you'd choose that over something freshly prepared ... unless you just couldn't handle the crowd at the patisserie. On the corner across from our cafe of choice is a store that specializes in cookies and candies. Artisan cookies in dozens of flavors are not traditional for the Christmas Eve feast, but the shop was busy all day and it certainly adds color to a landscape of gray skies and bare trees!
At the market today, I was wondering why there was a long line in front of the oyster vendor. Now I know. Something about a meal with thirteen desserts seems so wonderfully decadent. Bûche de Noël comes in dozens of different styles, some looking far more log-like than others. I was tempted to pick one up, but it would have been way too much for the two of us. Next time we'll have to come back with a few friends.
© 2015 Restaurant Doctor
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