Thursday, October 1, 2009

So much happens in such little time!

So much has happened in the past two days, that I need to do this chronologically in order for it to make any sense.
1) Wednesday morning: I woke up with the intention of talking to the pastry guy about my job. I desperately needed a pep talk before hand, but no one was around, so I gave myself a pep talk and went on my way to the shop. I walked into the shop, and there was a line, if anyone walked in behind me, I was prepared to buy something and just walk out, come back later, do something else. But alas, such is not my luck. So I started talking to the lady behind the counter. I was like "I'm the American, that should be doing an apprenticeship here this fall. Is there someone I can talk to about hours?" Then after some awkwardness, she recognized what I was asking and told me to wait a minute. She then called down the pastry guy and he started to talk to me in the shop. But then it started to get busy again, and he took me to this tiny office to talk. He asked me when I'd like to work, I told him that weekends are better, then he asked me "how about 4 am this Saturday?" So I start work at 4 am. I am so excited, and yet so nervous at the same time that I will mess up big time!! But it should be a lot of fun, and I will learn a lot.
After discussing my start time, he also insisted that I come other mornings than just Saturday, to see different processes of pasty making (each day has a different theme, Saturday is all finishing work). Then he took me on a tour of the building. We first went through the bread part, the ovens were MASSIVE, and it smelled so delicious. Then he took me upstairs into the pastry part of the shop. There were two other guys that work for the pastry man. They were both about 20, and very friendly. The pastry guy was also about 25, maybe 27 at the most, and very friendly and extremely patient. Then he showed me the secret entrance into the pastry shop, gave me his cell phone number and told me to call him at 4 am when I arrived so that he could open the door for me to come in. So I hope everyone is jealous (maybe not) of my 4 am job!!
2) Wednesday afternoon: We (Americans) started our English conversations with the French. It was amusing, we put ourselves into groups of 3 French students with one American. They were very rusty with their English, and at times it was very trying, but I kept asking them questions, and they were able to respond. I tried to be very sympathetic because I know how it feels to be lost in a conversation. It was very exciting, and I'm glad that the French were very enthusiastic to be talking to us in English.
3) Wednesday afternoon: We had our second course of marketing. It was a little better to understand the lecture, but when the group assignment came around, I was completely lost. Thank goodness for this one French student next to me, he explained everything to me, very slowly, and explained why everything happened in the equations. I felt very lost after the course, but hopefully after going over my notes it won't be too bad!
4)Wednesday Dinner: uneventful, had pasta with zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes and goat cheese.
5)Thursday: Les Vendages
This is the most important part of the past few days. Today was the Vendages (or the day to pick the grapes to make wine). All the American's today got to participate in this wonderful adventure that started at 7:30 in the morning. When we got to the vineyards, it was freezing, and a fair distance from Clermont. But we soon got equipped with a bucket, scissors, and a french partner to show up the ropes. My partner Jaques, and I did not have a very long conversation, but we did pick many grapes together. Of course I had to test many of them to make sure their quality was good. They were all delicious! After picking one field we took a little pause. They set up a folding table, cut some bread, salami, cheese and opened the first bottle of wine. This was at 9:45 in the morning. After going through 2 bottles, between 14 people, and all the bread/cheese/salami, and a couple cigarettes on the French part, we continued working.
We picked one more field, and at this point my back began to hurt a lot. I also cut my finger in this field with the scissors. I was picking grapes, didn't feel a thing, look down at my hand and I'm covered in blood. I called out to our group leader that I had cut myself, but after washing away the blood, only to find that it was a little scrape. One of the older gentlemen in the field with us then did some "french medicine" to heal my wound. He crushed grape leaves to produce a liquid, then rubbed that on the cut, picked a grape and smushed that onto the cut, then wrapped all this juice in a grape leave. After a short while, the bleeding stopped all together and the cut never reopened the entire day!
The finishing of the second field was celebrated with more wine, bread and cheese. Then at noon we began on the their field. We were starting to get slap happy and a little upset at this point. We also started making fun of the randomness of the French (I.E. starting at an arbitrary point in the field to pick uphill, and leaving the bottom of the hill alone). After finally finishing the final field (at about 1 pm?) We all got rides to the place where they make wine. We were told we were going to be served lunch there. After setting up a long table in the place where they keep the HUGE barrels of wine, we all sat down to drink more wine (an apparatif!). Then with much discussion of what a vegetarian is, a plate of cold cuts was passed around, along with so much delicious bread. The cold cuts consisted of a salami, a cured pork, and this rather odd tasting cold cut...warning do not read the following paragraph if you are easily grossed out...

The cold cut consisted of sweet meats ground up with left over pork that was cut away from the bone. This was all ground with spices and cured, then covered in gelled cartilage, and wrapped in a puff pastry and baked.

I learned all this because I was sitting next to the chef who prepared our lunch. Then after more wine, the main course was brought out. This consisted of beef bourginon (of which the secret is to stew the meat for several hours in red wine and dark chocolate, delicious!). As well as garlic mashed potatoes were served, with more bread and a switch to red wine for the table. After eating our fill, and after some conversation, the cheese course was served, with more wine of course! Then finally dessert was put on the table. This was a chocolate bread pudding, paired with a sparkling rose that was the star (in my opinions) of the wines served that day. I turned to the chef and told him the rose was magnificent, and he quoted me the rest of the afternoon! Then the owner of the vineyards stood, and gave a small speech that was so clever and well written, and an American gave a small speak in return and gratitude. Finally, 3 and a half hours after sitting down for dinner, I attempted to stand (after all the wine and hard labor, let me tell you it wasn't easy!). After lunch, a friend and I figured that between 18 people at the table, and through out the day in the field, we went through about 25 bottles of wine. And I defiantly had my share! It was all so delicious.
Then after the car ride home, I sat in a cafe talking with another friend before heading home for dinner. (by the way, only 2 hours had passed since lunch ended and dinner began) I was so full, so I warned my host mom that I might not eat a lot of food. She was shocked at how much wine we had drunk throughout the day, as well as how late the lunch ended. I guess that's not typical in the city at all! But in the countryside, everyone seemed at ease to stop work at 2:30 for the rest of the day. Oh the French!
P.S. I am trying to upload all the photos I have taken on this trip into a folder so that everyone can see them. Once I get that website I'll let everyone know!
Peace, Love, and Wine!
P.P.S. if you have any questions, comments or concerns? or want to hear more about anything in this post (or any others!) please don't hesitate to comment below! I'd love to hear your feed back!

3 comments:

  1. Hi - great updates - keep them coming. I can't believe you drank that much wine in one day either! You go girl!

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  2. Keep the stories coming! They are so captivating!

    MOM

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  3. I am also enjoying your stories
    from your cousin Sharon Kartes.

    My email is skartes@sbcglobal.net

    ReplyDelete