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General Discussion
1

It was great and hilarious (to my Anglo-Saxon mind).

  1. Find a table - there were four or five long lines of tables, and leave your stuff there (it’s not Paris)
  2. Queue up for chips and beer – except you don’t actually get chips, you get a ticket for a barquette of chips, and one for a skiff of beer
  3. Buy cheese
  4. Get beer and water
  5. Buy meat – which is raw: you then take it to the barbecuers (mainly male :wink: ) and get a ticket to retrieve it, cooked, in 15 mins
  6. Buy bread
  7. Buy wine
  8. Retrieve meat (having made the calculation that cold sausage is nicer than cold chips)
  9. Get chips
  10. Sit down and eat

It was very popular. Our Maire and Élu were there, just sitting at tables.

2

Reminds me of my very first similar thingy…
Bought a ticket which entitled me to Jambon- Chips-Salade.

Handed over my ticket and was shocked to be handed a plate with a slice of ham, a handful of crisps and a lettuce leaf. :rofl:

I argued with the Server but they were in the right and I was in the wrong.. I hung my head in shame. :sob:

nowadays I am more aware of how to play things. First thing I realised is to properly understand what is actually on offer :roll_eyes:

and then plan how to get the elements of the “dish” together at the same time without something “going-cold” such as you experienced.

This usually ends up with one of us in charge of meat- another in charge of side-dishes and another in charge of drinks (hic)..

Generally great fun all round. :+1:
and, yes, it’s lovely that we “bag” our seats at table, by leaving our bits and bobs there… and nuffink goes astray :+1:

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3

Yes they have them here and when I was on the Comite de Fete had to muck in with the organisation of it.

Then came the day when the miserable Quebecois, Igor (suitably named), who normally did the BBQ, couldn’t make the date and, horror of horrors, I was nominated. :astonished_face:

I had never been a barbequer, mainly because our neighbour in Nottingham was the ultimate expert who used to juggle 2 BBQs at the same time. So I asked my friend John who often did small ones at home for assistance.

But this was a big one, think 45 gallon drum in half, and it was in France where people did not just eat meat, they wanted it well, medium or raw and we were terrified.

In the event, we became masters of our craft in extremis, even getting the steaks of Bison right, bought from the Bison farmer’s stall which were selling like hot cakes. I can’t believe how we did it, keeping the coals glowing but not flaming or dying, and as we came towards the end of the evening were congratulating ourselves over the last few sausages when along comes Miserable Igor intent on rubbishing us. He tried but there were enough around munching happily with the opposite view to leave him even more grumpy. :rofl:

Wasn’t sorry to not to have to do it again though and I never do so at home. :smiley:

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4

Planning and strategy are vital!

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5

As is temperature control (easier with gas than charcoal). It’s a good idea if possible to set up “hot”, “medium” and “keep warm” zones on the BBQ - with charcoal this can be done by containing the coals so direct heat is only in one half and the other can be used for indirect cooking / keeping warm.

Weber charcoal kettles come with charcoal rails for exactly this purpose.

6

I have to ask people to do my barbecuing.

In last night’s case, the meat was immediately removed and returned to the plate that had borne it!

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