We have just got back from visiting Norma. Despite sounding like it, she's not an elderly lady with whom we drink tea, but a large wholesale type of supermarket in Castries.
I have realised that shopping with rather high cholesterol takes a lot less time since I can by-pass the entire yoghurt, cheese, butter, ice cream and milk section which in France can take up a huge amount of space. I also march firmly past the racks of ham, sausages, pate, fois gras and bacon. But what does this leave me? I have to turn a blind eye to the cake and biscuit section or my jeans really aren't going to fit when the summer arrives, and apart from a couple of rather guilty loaves of wholewheat bread, I ignore the boxes of croissants and pain au chocolat in the bakery section, that are just crying out to be bought. The sweets and chocolate section stays unexplored and I whizz through the cereal aisle pausing only to grab a couple of boxes of oats.
Salad is in plentiful supply but somehow the weather is still a bit too cold to make salad sound exciting, but I do stock up with plenty of fresh vegetables in order to make a huge vat of soup. Chicken pieces are fine as long as I remove all the skin, and of course turkey breast is a good standby as they have a very low fat content. Fish comes in a large packet of long frozen fillets and I mix these with a pack of seafood bits and pieces and slowly cook the whole lot in a big saucepan with wine, olive oil and fresh herbs. The smell alone is worth it, and the result is delicious. Once cooked, it is divided into portions and can then go on to become anything from fish cakes to the filling for an omelette or served with a few oven chips or a pile of roasted vegetables.
I was delighted when my doctor told me that there was no reason why I should not continue to enjoy a couple of glasses of wine each day. I think that the French have a real concern that sudden abstinence might bring about a serious decline in health, so I will happily follow her dictates and carry on enjoying a glass of rose from the pumps at the Castries Fruit and Vegetable Market.
Tomorrow is market day at Sommieres and it's always fun to see what's on sale and who has turned up, but sadly I will have to slink past the cheese man, the roast chicken and chips man, the crepes filled with chocolate spread, the saucisson supplier and the boulangerie stuffed with sugar dusted sacristans.
Come to think of it, maybe it would be safer to go to the Flea Market instead - I can't get into too much trouble with a set of bellows and an old milking stool!
