| My French "mother-in-law" is coming to lunch | | | | even decide if it was lamb or pork and at 22 |
| tomorrow. Its not often I cook for her, and I am | | | | euros... the waiter threw a fit, then returned the |
| racking my brains and shuffling the recipes to | | | | same steak - that had just been re-heated in a |
| decide what she would enjoy. A tricky one, as | | | | microwave! |
| she is convinced that the British cannot cook. In | | | | I do understand that there are some amazing |
| fact most of the French I have discussed this | | | | restaurants around especially further afield, but |
| topic with are all defiant regarding the cooking | | | | we do not have a car and what if the food is not |
| skills of expats from across the Channel. They | | | | worth the palaver of a trip? For us, we now |
| are also very happy to remind us of our "mad | | | | avoid the local French restaurants, as we have |
| cow disease". | | | | exhausted the few varieties of dishes offered. |
| However our French Christmas lunch cooked by | | | | There is only so many insipid chocolate mousse |
| "ma-in-law" was not a patch on the seasonal roast | | | | you can desire. |
| turkey & trimmings I used to do at home in | | | | Now our one restaurant weekly treat is to go to |
| the UK. Our festive meal consisted of an old boiler | | | | the expat pub for Sunday lunch. They do not |
| fowl, pressure cooked with tinned chestnuts and | | | | have a microwave, everything is served with a |
| what I can only term "artisan potatoes" (no | | | | bright stimulating variety of fresh veg and the |
| further veg) followed by an uninspiring endive | | | | desserts are always an inspiration. Mulled wine |
| salad and a supermarket frozen dessert...no fun | | | | trifle, Bailey's creme brulee and their chocolate |
| crackers, or flourish of a little garnish. | | | | mousse is made with Guinness and served in a |
| It is my opinion that the French are too | | | | fun glass to look like half a pint. Naturally my |
| complacent with their vintage crown of "the best | | | | ma-in-law firmly turned down our invitation to join |
| cooks in the world". The majority of local | | | | us there! |
| restaurants here in Nice, in the south of France, | | | | I admit to generalizing regarding he cooking skills |
| mainly cater for tourists, the same menu year in | | | | of both nations, but in my view, the French could |
| year out. If you dare complain - that is it - you | | | | be a tad more adventurous with their tried and |
| are enemy number one. Only once did we return | | | | tested, regurgitated traditional recipes. |
| a lukewarm undercooked steak. We could not | | | | |