Thursday 28 February 2013

Future Ikea Meatballs: A post with lots of Horses

Surely, I kid. With all these horsemeat scandals in processed foods now (hey! another reason not to eat that unrecognizable merde!) you never know, right?

Salon de l'Agriculture wasn't just a county fair for gourmands. There was lots of livestock as well.

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The beautifully be-dreadlocked Poitou donkeys.

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Having a long history of agriculture, most of the local horse breeds happen to be big draft animals, used to plow the fields and pull the wagons to market. So many of the breeds are fairly rare outside of France, and the long-declined need for draft animals means that most are usually kept up by a handful of devoted fans.

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It's hard to feed something that weights close to a ton and doesn't have a lot of practical use anymore. Happily, some devoted small organic farms prefer them over tractors.

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I've always been a fan of the draft breeds. They have big, kind eyes and they are almost always sweet-tempered (at least compared to those heinous Shetland ponies anyway). Plus they are generally like riding a comfy couch with their big, round backs and steady stride.

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This donkey decided the deep sand in the arena was just too irresistible and went for a good roll to try and dislodge his pack saddle.

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Not all the horses were so docile and corporative, and it seemed like there were enough amateur riders out there that occasionally someone would just nonchalantly pop off and land on their derrière.

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It was so crowded around the ring, I could barely get to my camera, nevermind trying to move around to get different angles and interesting shots. It didn't stop me from taking hundreds of pictures though. I'll have more pretty horses for you in tomorrow's post.

Wednesday 27 February 2013

Salon de l'Agriculture

I'm so lucky to live in a place that takes so much pride in their food products. There are countless regional specialties, all of them traditional products rooted deeply in the earth (or the sea) of that certain place.

As you wander around markets and groceries around France, you notice products with this label:

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Every year at the Salon de l'Agriculture, more than 17,000 food products are judged, and a select few in each category are awarded a medal from the all-important Concours Général Agricole. Despite taste being completely subjective, the judges are usually spot-on with their awards and you can be pretty sure you are getting a superior product.

I have been looking forward to the Salon de l'Agriculture for months now. Not only do I love wandering around the livestock barns, but I really had no idea how much good food I was about to expérience.

Like artisanal limousin sausage and onion sandwich. J' heart sandwich!

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The convention center at Porte du Versailles is enormous, and the fair took up several buildings. The food floors were nothing short of one of the Wonders of the World. Each region of France had their own area, and great fun was to be had darting between all the neighborhoods.

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It was a fantastic way to sample a ton of really interesting good food, and meet the people who actually make them.

A beautiful wall of honey, from a Producer in Bourgeone, a region I have yet to really explore:

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I couldn't make it through without stopping at a couple oyster bars. Oh, they were good.

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There were lots of wine, Champagne, cider, cognac and beer vendors as well. People seemed to be doing more than just tasting- a lot of people were pretty jovial early on in the day.

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Mmmm... saucisson cones...

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The french love their hams and saucisson. It seemed like the lion's share of vendors seemed to deal with preserved meats, and not just beef or pork. Donkey, lamb, horse, rabbit, wild boar and all sorts of wild game make appearances.

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It was delightful. All of it, except for the crowds, which got kind of pushy and full of small children and baby buggys at times. I had a fantastic Kouign Amann at one of the Bretton stands, and there was just so much cheese from small producers that we're not lucky enough to get in Paris. The fair is going on until 3 March, so go if you can. The Metro ticket to Porte de Versailles and the 13 Euro price tag at the gate is a lot cheaper than a tour de France to try and track down all these producers on their own.

There were lots of other really amazing things to see as well, and I'm going back for round two at some point. I'll have more posts about this event soon!

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Tuesday 26 February 2013

FO: Knotty But Nice Hat

I've been cranking out hats pretty regularly this winter. I'm finding, as always, they make great gifts, especially when I'm out making new-ish friends and don't want to commit to something crazy, like socks. You suffer for me, you cook for me or bring me ultra amazing chocolates, you bring me good booze. Then we will discuss socks. Until then, I am only devoting a couple hours of my time to keep your ears warm.

Hence, the Knotty But Nice hat from knitty.com. It's a simple, straightforward, very little brainpower knit that takes no time at all to whip up. I do love cables, especially when the pattern is intricate or woven-looking. Added bonus that the bunched up fabric makes any garment extra-thick and warm.

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It's made for a man with a bigger, more oval head than myself, so it's a bit large one me. It would be much less pointy on the intended recipient.

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I will vouch for its warmth. Any day that the sun is out, I will be out, walking around the city, exploring with my camera in tow. This day was windy and freezing cold and I totally got wind burned on my face, but it was lovely having a part of the city to myself that is normally packed with tourist and almost always unnavigable.

I made it from a single skein of Cascade 220 Tweed.

Monday 25 February 2013

Cathédrale d'Amiens

Inside the monstrosity of Notre Dame d'Amiens...

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It was remarkably tall. It was hard to get perspective, but the ceiling was very far away. There were three tiers to the construction, and they all fit perfectly together to vault the roof.

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It was also super cold in the church. Much colder than outside! You could see your breath and my feet numbed up right away.

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Being a Unesco site means they get a lot of funding to maintain. It showed.

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The rose windows were gorgeous, but so far away that all the detail was lost.

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There was some lovely stained glass at the Nave.

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It was a good place to bring a tripod to shoot if you had one. There were tons of windows up high letting in light, but basically nothing at ground level. Plus, I was shivering like crazy despite wearing layers and layers.

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I am known to have a fascination with the morbid. They keep what is purported to be the head of St John the Baptist here, but they parade it around only once a year on a platter. The rest of the year, you have have but a bone fragment to sate your morbid curiosity from the noted saint.

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It's about the size of a splinter or a bee stinger that you tweezed out, and probably just about as holy. Really now.

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There was a labyrinth under the rose stone...

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Originally, you were meant to crawl your way along it on your knees to show your devotion.

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Like Notre Dame in Paris, you can climb up the ancient, narrow, steep staircases to get a view.

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The view is perhaps not quite as striking as that of Paris, but to see the facade up close was a real treat.

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You had to cross a very narrow ledge in front of the rose window to continue the climb.

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No one moves to Northern France for the weather unless you are a glutton for monochromatic skies and rain and fits of melancholy.

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The spire was incredibly intricate. It was carved wood, covered in lead. You could only really appreciate it from the roof as it was practically invisible at ground level.

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Of course, I loved the gargoyles.

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Right outside the cathedral square, we found the most amazing clock.

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You would not be blamed if you did not actually notice the clock. Leave it to the French to create functional art sexier than anyone else could conjure up.

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The rest of the town had a shopping district and lots of pedestrian streets and markets.

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The only thing we didn't get to see (aside from the Picardie Museum under renovation) was the former residence of Jules Vernes, who lived and wrote here for a spell. Despite the fact I missed some sunshine in the more southerly climes of Paris, it was a totally relaxed and fun trip out of the city.