Food glorious food

I've been visiting my sister in France this week and we've been thinking a lot about food. Well, we think a lot about a food anyway because I married a chef. We both like to cook and eat A LOT. What you really notice here in France, is that people also like to cook and eat a lot but that they think about food differently than we do. My sister lives in a small town on the side of a mountain just above the city of Geneva. As you look out and admire the gorgeous view, what you immediately notice is the fields. Fields of wheat and corn, fields of sunflowers, and trees full of apricots and walnuts. You can't even drive to the grocery store without passing farms. So if you see food being produced as part of your daily routine, does it make you think differently about your food? Well, in the markets (the open air markets as well as the grocery stores), the food is labeled with its country and sometimes even it's region of origin. So we find that we can taste the different between Spanish apricots and Swiss apricots (from the Valais) and French apricots (from Provence or L'Ardeche). The vendors will often offer you a taste so you can appreciate the differences. If you notice and pay attention to those things, it might make a difference in the ones you buy, the ones you eat, and the ones you enjoy. You might also start to seek out the ones you like the best, like melons from Cavaillon or salt from the Camargue. So to celebrate, we've been trying to appreciate the local produce as much as possible. We've been picking fruit. Cherries are in season. And so are strawberries. And apricots (ok, we didn't pick them, but boy do they make great jam). I hope you get a chance to enjoy something awesome too!.