GALLIC & GARLIC CUISINE

 

Before 1978 I'd never heard of quiche! Where I live in Florida it was never on restaurant menus, not even in French restaurants and I dined out a lot during the 70's. It wasn't until I went to France at age 27 that I became aware of this tasty dish.

My family was hardly cosmopolitan. Our meals were simple; my dad was strictly a meat & potatoes man. And he disliked all ethnic food except for German. When it came to culinary skills no woman in his life, not my mother or ever my stepmother equaled that of his long dead German grandmother.

German cuisine is my least favorite. Offhand I can't think of one German dish that I actually like. But I enjoyed visiting Germany despite this!

To my surprise and delight after I returned from Europe quiche was suddenly everywhere! Not just on restaurant menus but in supermarket delis as well as the frozen food section with so many delicious and different variations available. M-M-M!

Long before eating them in Paris I had escargot (snails) at the Petite Marmite in Palm Beach at age 20. I enjoyed them! But frankly I couldn't taste anything beyond the garlic butter. In Paris, they were served with bread to be dipped into the empty shells to sop this up.

Speaking of bread, not long ago I purchased brioche at Walmart. It tasted OK, however nothing special. But I could swear it contained melatonin or even rohypnol because shortly after eating a slice I became sleepy. I took a catnap and upon awakening discovered that I'd slept the entire afternoon away.

That evening I was unable to watch TV because I kept falling asleep. I retired to bed around 8:30 PM and slept soundly throughout the night which is rare.

The next day after consuming another slice the exact thing happened. I related this experience to a friend in an email conversation.

She emailed back telling me to throw out that loaf regardless of what I paid for it. As much as I hate wasting food I did this. The overwhelming heavy tiredness disappeared the following day. That brioche did not play nice with my system!

MANGE DU GATEAU

 

Marie Antoinette day, a time to celebrate; cake for dessert! I am enjoying this PBS series to the hilt!

My dad (a history buff) always insisted that Marie wasn't a villainess just an ignoramus and the victim of bad press. True, Marie was a lavish spender but this was the milieu into which she married. Extravagance was the name of the game in the French court and as queen she couldn't allow herself to be upstaged.

She set about to impress the wrong people rather than the ones who mattered. This ended up costing her life.

Marie didn't say, "Let them eat cake!" (Mange du gateau!) What she actually said was, "S'ils n'ont plus de pain, qu'ils mangent de la brioche!" Brioche is what she told her subjects to eat and not cake. -- That is if she really said it. This may be a myth!

Like most people when I think of Marie Antoinette I picture a middle-aged woman in flouncy outlandish attire. We forget that once she was young, pretty and rocked those frocks!

After being crowned the queen Marie was still a teenager who just wanted to have fun. Her husband the new king was overwhelmed by the job and flustered.

Louis XVI is portrayed here as an introvert and an oddball. (Something I can strongly relate to!) He is either unwilling or unable to consummate their marriage for many long years. The reason is never fully given in the series or by history.

And many prying eyes are literally watching them in their wedding bed thru holes in the walls at least in this teleplay. Also it is implied that Marie becomes involved in a lesbian affair while waiting for Louis to do his husbandly duty. -- She may or may not have; all those who know for sure are dead.

Eventually with Marie's blessing the king is given lessons from a prostitute on how to get it on. She is under tremendous pressure to produce an heir or be replaced. Plus Marie is unpopular among the French just because she's Austrian. There is plenty of back stabbing and plotting within the French court.

The earlier episodes play up her feud with Madame Du Berry, Louis XV's mistress. The gorgeous actress who plays her also had a brief role in VIKINGS on the History channel. Here, she stole every scene! Du Berry is portrayed as a strong, manipulative, and cunning woman.

In reality probably not; on her way to the guillotine she stood out by creating a scene: screaming, crying and begging for her life. The others all died with dignity.

I read someplace that the brain and facial muscles remain functional for a brief while after decapitation. Now imagine deploying a little wicked fun should this be your fate. This could be used to an advantage as the severed head is held up for display before the crowd. Those cheering onlookers would flee shrieking in dire terror to the nearest cathedral!  -- A missed opportunity.

As I'm seated beneath the chandelier in my formal dining room I embark on a little vacation into history via my imagination; a time traveler able to assume another identity.  In front of me is my picture window. I'm enjoying what the cultured folk would refer to as the side garden. Only now it's part of the vast garden at Versailles.

Just call me Countess Dianne Patrice (my middle name is Patricia) but I'm omitting my last name because it's German and the French really hate Germans.

Also I'm one of the fortunate royals who managed to flee the country while the revolution was erupting.

On the table before me is my Winn Dixie quiche along with a slice of the discount, quick sale mini-cake I bought there. It's fancy with rainbow sprinkles. Cake is far more delicious than brioche.

My napkin (actually a paper towel) is magically transformed into an elegant hanky. As I gaze outside upon the greenery suddenly I see the form of a lady moving gracefully among the foliage. 

"Mon Dieu," I exclaim, clutching my ruffled décolletage. Could it be Marie Antoinette?

Nah it's my neighbor, Marie Soltyiak. -- But today she is Marie Antoinette!

If this is dementia I'm really enjoying my senility.