Well, that would have been er....interesting, but probably not half as much fun ;-)
...just imagine if the topic had been about something interesting ?...........
Mirepoix is a rip off - couldn't believe the hotel prices and this was in february !!! I now just pass through the town and stop if the excellent market is in town.
Tim aka Mister Saucisse has a stand there, he makes the most wonderful english bangers...
Seems a long time ago Nico ! True enough, in those days you had some hair but NO teeth !
Not a pretty sight...........................
Didn't have the balls to proceed then!
Overcharging tourists in Mirepoix. Probably the Cathars revenge for Simon de Montfort and the Albigensian Crusade.
It is why I buy complete small cheeses and make sure the seller does not have his finger tips on the edge of the scales at the moment he weighs and shouts the price (look out for that one folk).
Ah yes Carol the cheese bandits. A lot of them allegedly from the mountains of the south. I doubt most of them had ever seen a cow or a brébis. One slip of the knife and that was 10 euros on top of what you had planned. They seem largely to have disappeared not to be missed!
:-) Nice one Norm!
@ Vic - like!
*Blows air kisses at one and all before leaving to collect AMAP box*
In your case Peter, I'd have replaced "respected" with "been utterly astounded by"
Before anyone writes in - Peter and I have worked together and we do know each others sense of humour.
Peter kicked me off in my employment in France, when all my upper front teeth were missing and my hair was like a madman's scribble.
If you want good, cheap, locally produced food, then do try your local AMAP.
I pay 1€ for 6 free range eggs, 5.50€ per kilo for free range chicken, 10€ per kilo for fish (we get a mixture but it always averages out as being way cheaper than the supermarkets / fish mongers).....
They don't do bog roll or dog food unfortunately so I still have to go to Evilmarche.
Aw come on John! Where else would we get the chance to have a bit of fun if there were no whingers? Can you believe it? Some bloke has a crap supermarket visit & 19 pages later, the owner has been involved & the thread is still going. That's SFN at it's finest.
Vic, just one wife and one twin sister. Don' t fantasize, one couldn't stand me - stil trying to work out which one!
Now that, I think is a very good assessment.
Which one of us is that directed at? Cos it might have bought you a 'get out of jail free' card with one of the admins....
(Used fivers also work)
Our local butcher sells meat, all locally sourced and cut to the customer's requirements, for the same price as Auchan - apart from Auchan's "special offers" which come from God knows where and are always in hude packs which would last us weeks. Equally, I don't find that fruit, veg and good cheese cost any more on the market than in a supermarket. Clearly, there must be regional variations in France.
Clearly, Simon, you have forgotten what a desperate, stressful experience shopping in a UK supermarket is [apart from Waitrose which is lovely but destroys your bank balance]. Surly staff, crwoded aisles, stuff never in the right place, no packers, self-scan which NEVER works, friut and veg which taste of absolutely nothing, plus all those lovely things you can get in French supermarkets but not in the UK. Frankly, you are unlucky - our local supermarkets are airy, uncrowded, staffed by friendly people [except those who have to serve through lunch hour and who can blame them?] and largely good value for money. We do, however, find Auchan both better and cheaper than LeClerc.
Probably sounds corny Carol but I have always respected the fact that someone has been willing to employ me. I value the chance to be able to work tho' hopefully for not much longer ! I have always tried my best for whichever employer and I consider I have always given 100% whatever salary I have collected.
What's the big deal ? Nobody, including supermarket workers are forced to work so I suppose it's a case of either 'like it or lump it' or look for something else...
The wednesday market at Piegut is, or should I say used to be excellent. I haven't been for a couple of years but reports from friends are very positive. Apparently there is an english butcher in the square nowadays so it looks like a worthwhile forty minute drive is on the agenda to get some tasty bangers hopefully !
I know what you mean, people who get by on the huit a huit in La CLusaz must be rolling in it. The Carrefour market in Thones isn't bad,and there is a huge Auchan near Annecy, but to be honest, we go to farms to buy a lot of produce, we produce our own vegetables, and honey, and are lucky enough to be able to barter that for eggs, and other veg.
Whatever way we look at it, we have to admit that it's cheaper here than either o us grew up with, namely, Ireland, and Paris.
The markets back home were cheap crap. I slowly fell in love with ours. The butchers back home were a rip off, I was reluctant to try them here, but it turns out they are friendly, ready to listen, and give you the cut you want, not the cut that's left before they hack into a new animal, and they cannot be beaten on quality, or price.
The market for quality meat is a little like the market for organics. The more people buy it, the lower the price will become, and I expect in some areas, people are just not buying into it enough yet.