We were in France on vacation some years ago. The people of Cannes were sauntering down the boulevard, many in bright scarves on an Easter Sunday afternoon … holding or walking their tiny dogs. The dogs almost seem like accessories to a wardrobe…like a scarf or a jaunty chapeau. Not like our American mutts. These dogs are coifed. They ride elevators in hotels. I saw a bartender in the Hotel Carlton serve a dog in the lobby bar. Even the dogs wore scarves!
Enough of dogs. We were there for seafood. We sat down in an outdoor restaurant just off the harbor.
Three men were in constant motion, working on shucking the oysters, cutting the urchins open, popping the mussels and arranging the fish on huge platters of crushed ice.
The man working the raw bar looked like a character drawn by the brilliantly weird cartoonist known as R. Crumb of Zap Comix fame. The man had that battered saintliness you find in some of Crumb’s cast of characters. I believe Monsieur Crumb lives in France nowadays. Maybe he too is enjoying some crayfish.
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Now it’s time to hit the ‘Listen on WLRN’ button at the top to hear the remainder of my show. ‘A Word On Food’ airs on WLRN every Saturday around 8:30 a.m. at 91.3 and also 91.5 on the radio. I want to thank so many of you who tell me in person how much you are enjoying the show!