Happy Bastille Day!

  It's funny, but in some places in the US, Bastille Day is move festively celebrated than it is here!  Chez Panisse  always has a great fête.  This year its menu is based on "new garlic".  Well, here in Saint Quentin la Poterie we have "Le Diner de la Republique".  And for some reason it's always on the 13th...go figure.  It's sponsored by the Mairie and features a huge dinner.  Everyone in the village is invited, though, it costs something like 15 euros (for a 4 course meal with wine).  There is always music and dancing and the evening ends with fireworks. 

This year my choir was invited to sing during the early hours of the evening.  I know that for most  Americans choir=church, but in France it's not like that at all.  There are choirs everywhere, and I am lucky enough to belong to one of the coolest ones around. We are called the "Canards Sauvages" - wild ducks- so you can see how seriously we take ourselves! (a canard is also slang for a false note). We sing a great mix of songs, many of them wine related, from all over the world. Last night we sang in  French, English, German, Spanish, Romanian and Bulgarian, though I can't vouch for our pronunciation! 

Anyway, back to the big party...the town had set up long tables under the market hall.  Over 300 people came for the dinner, even more for the aperitif before hand and the music and fireworks afterwords.  Our new mayor and all of his council were there, along with people from all walks of life from the village.  The food was even half way decent, though I did run home to get some La Gramière so that we didn't have to drink the wine from our local co-op.  The evening ended with a great display of fireworks, and all the village came out to see it.

 I always want to make Bastille Day into the 4th of July.  It's one of the holidays I miss the most in the US, picnics, symphony in the park, jello salad... all of the fun things that happen on that day.  Here it's not quite the same.  Often it's just a day off and people turn out for the fireworks.  There doesn't seem to be that camaraderie and communal spirit that I remember when I was a kid.  There are fireworks in Uzès tonight, on the actual Bastille Day.  When I think back on last night, it occurs to me that in Saint Quentin the have their dinner on the night before so that they can spend the 14th recovering from the party! 

Sure makes me miss Chez Panisse and symphony in the park!