Well knock me down with a rotten turnip, you’re right. 
And after all these years I have been spelling it wrong. Anyway, he still didn’t have enough nouse to recognise a white carotte. 
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Maybe spelling, yes, but probably not pronouncing it wrongly. At least around here the “a” has a very definite guttural sound which could easily indicate there’s an “r” hidden in the word.
It can be so difficult… all across France there are accents and patois…
I remember talking with an elderly French lady. She spoke clear French, slowly… and we got on fine. I confessed to her that I couldn’t “understand a word of that group over there…”
and she laughed and agreed that she hadn’t a clue either…
Seems they’re were speaking patois and lost in their own little world…
We go to the Figeac market and also the markets in the surrounding towns. Our little local village St Pierre Toirac also has fabulous summer markets with locally grown produce, wines and cheeses etc and recently have “gourmet markets” as well. They often have a band or accordion music, and are a great way to catch up with your neighbours and have a coffee at the local cafes. There are also so many local brocantes in the area in summer that we cant get to all of them, as well as local musical events, art gallery openings, etc. There is something for everyone in Figeac and it is a great town to live near. (The only downside is the lack of dentists, our is 50 minutes away and is excellent 
)
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Very interesting. St Pierre Toirac Is now on our list of places to visit.
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I believe you might be right, and as the French generally emphasise the last syllable, and I always follow that custom, such a little one as ‘pa’ may hardly be noticed.
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The local accent here has meant that we have had to teach our dog “arse-y” for sit, rather than assis. (He is a french speaker)
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I thought being arsy meant quite something else - our dogs have been known to be that - especially the Airedale.
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Our excellent dentist in the centre of Figeac, Dr.Zaharia (a Romanian who speaks perfect English) was full, but he’s recently taken on a partner, so you might have a chance of getting someone closer. Ignore his online Rignac listings - that’s his previous address and I can’t find the new number online, but (according to my wife’s handwriting) it looks like 05 65 34 50 57
If you phone, it’s useful to know that his French receptionist seems to be surly with everyone!
Ours is slightly bilingual - she obediently responds to both no and non, unless attacking our cat, of whom she’s extremely jealous.
A somewhat inevitable postscript…
Some of you may recall this thread, asking about the health of local food markets near you. It was prompted by an increasingly poorly attended local market in our nearest small town, here in Seine Maritime.
This week the Mairie announced that despite offering market stall holders:-
a choice of days in the week to hold the market, including Sunday mornings,
waiving all charges,
offering promotions, and events to stimulate footfall, the market will shut definitively this weekend.
Barely any potential market stall holders wanted to apply. You really can’t blame them. The fruit and veg stall we attended every week had precisely 14 regular customers.
Rather sad really.
I don’t go very often to the local markets but I notice there are many people setting up stalls with bought in fruit and veg as against those who grow and sell direct. A lot of the time, the grow and sell direct is more expensive but better quality and I see some of those who buy at wholesalers don’t have the nicest looking stuff. I prefer in all honesty to go to my local Lidl, ten mins from home, the produce is actually sourced locally with the area marked on the goods and the prices are better than the market.
Same in Cluny for veg.
We have a hood potager, but Netto has by far the best veg counters in Cluny.
Its the way of things, avialable on tap, where you want, when you want, nothing wrong with that.
Shopped at Lidl for years and looking forward a new Aldi opening which is currently being constructed within 200 metres of Lidl in our local town.
Of course you have to watch out for the occasional batch of fresh fruit and veg that might be past its best which of course the local market traders also have but they remove them from display so not to detract from whatever they are selling.
A local market is certainly worth a walk around and it has its die hard customers but you can be sure that after taking in the market and moving on to a lidl weekly shop the same customers seen in the market will be wandering the middle Lidl aisle having filled their trolley with Lidl fruit and veg.
Hit the Lidl and Aldi aisles at lunchtime and you have the shop to yourself, what’s not to like.
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I always do my shopping during the lunch break, usually about 12.45 I find best because the workers need to get their nosebags on before going back to work. The only downside I find is that there are not so many tills open but being a brit, I have ingrown patience and can take my time unlike some who try and barge their way through.
Nothing wrong with that imo, provided I can get close enough to turn it and see it, I simply know which to eat first.
Which is exactly why I stopped using my market stall, he took advantage of the Covid regs to maintain the distance from his produce. I won’t buy what I can’t see and feel.
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Me neither, remember the old market tricks from my youth and seeing stallholders turn manky stuff upside down and keep the best at the back or serve from behind the stall direct into paper bags.
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Must confess that me and my neighbours would not put up with such bad behaviour…
Our local markets offer good produce, much locally grown… with regular stallholders. If they hoodwinked any clients they’ll soon lose their customers.
Word-of-mouth is very strong around here… for good and for bad…
And, while I can understand a customer wanting to “feel” the produce… I have no wish to perhaps buy stuff which has been “felt” by who heaven knows who…
I’m happy to let the stallholder sell me their best product, having guided them to what I prefer… eg “not too ripe” … “ready to eat” … etc etc.
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People who feel all the veg drive me mad! They bruise it, and you can’t see that immediately so get home and find all your peaches have fingerprint shaped bruises! I was standing beside a woman yesterday who was feeling every piece of fruit and I told her that I didn’t want to buy stuff she had fondled.
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But I believe the S is silent.
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