Yours is one of the few posts I read with heartfelt appreciation and a strange nostalgia. Not for a life I once lived but one I feel and understand in my bones. Thank you for bringing me along in the markets and homes of you French countryside. The concept of "Finding France" -- where you are, as you are-- has somewhat softened my longing to be in France, as does the gardens i tend and the markets i support here in Portland, Oregon. Still, your writings seduce and appease my "nostalgia" and I thank you for it. I may yet show up for a writers residency, but till then....I will harvest the backyard asparagus and live in my imagined French village.
There is nothing that compares to a French village weekly marché… thank you for bringing the experience to life this Sunday morning. I can almost smell the leeks, hear the sounds and imagine the bustle all around while walking the stalls in search of je ne sais quoi. Merci Kate!
A friend gave me a copy of A Culinary Journey in Gascony twenty years ago and it is one of my favorite cookbooks. A joy to read, and the recipes are delicious. The Radish Soup! The Tomato Tart! So simple and sublime. I am delighted to find you here on Substack and follow your posts with hunger and appreciation.
Thank you for sharing your journey, your days now, the countryside of France. Oh to have decided years ago to move there. Now as I more seriously entertain moving there I flounder and fret about arriving solo as a much older woman . I have a love for the country itself, especially Paris, but elsewhere. I happily spent 4 years living in Langon and Bazas in the 1950s. Cheers to you for the lovely life you created.
thank you Kate! most has been said by others here already, what I would like to add is that I absolutely admire your sense of adventure and your level of energy sustained over decades.. you have accomplished SO MUCH! not easy as a
woman alone anywhere, much less in patriarchal France as a foreigner..
Some of my best memories are market shopping with you, Kate! Escargot at 10 AM! A beverage at the cafe while watching then Finance Minster Macron on the tele!
Dear Kate, what a wonderful post this is. I loved it not only for your exquisite prose but also because it's like reading the story of my life: shopping is cooking, gardening is weeding and doing crazy things later in life. I also owned a farm and hosted guests and cooking classes for more than 20 years. It's been hard to leave it, but finally, finally I have the time to think - just like you - of the whys, the history and culture. Waking up to one of your fascinating articles is always a treat for breakfast, à bientôt!
I love the pictures you paint with your words, Kate, and this is such a beautiful piece. I look forward to reading more of your journey and especially keen to learn where your next move will bring you.
I really enjoyed reading this! Such beautiful descriptions. I spent a week in France visiting a friend and I enjoyed every minute of every simple salad, cheese filled mushroom and glass of wine ❤️
Whata great read, thank you. A chicken a week and to many vegetables is exactly how I shop/cook too
Yours is one of the few posts I read with heartfelt appreciation and a strange nostalgia. Not for a life I once lived but one I feel and understand in my bones. Thank you for bringing me along in the markets and homes of you French countryside. The concept of "Finding France" -- where you are, as you are-- has somewhat softened my longing to be in France, as does the gardens i tend and the markets i support here in Portland, Oregon. Still, your writings seduce and appease my "nostalgia" and I thank you for it. I may yet show up for a writers residency, but till then....I will harvest the backyard asparagus and live in my imagined French village.
There is nothing that compares to a French village weekly marché… thank you for bringing the experience to life this Sunday morning. I can almost smell the leeks, hear the sounds and imagine the bustle all around while walking the stalls in search of je ne sais quoi. Merci Kate!
Fabulous read
A friend gave me a copy of A Culinary Journey in Gascony twenty years ago and it is one of my favorite cookbooks. A joy to read, and the recipes are delicious. The Radish Soup! The Tomato Tart! So simple and sublime. I am delighted to find you here on Substack and follow your posts with hunger and appreciation.
Thank you for sharing your journey, your days now, the countryside of France. Oh to have decided years ago to move there. Now as I more seriously entertain moving there I flounder and fret about arriving solo as a much older woman . I have a love for the country itself, especially Paris, but elsewhere. I happily spent 4 years living in Langon and Bazas in the 1950s. Cheers to you for the lovely life you created.
Excellent! Love your histoire, step by step. The 'weeding is gardening' made me laugh.
thank you Kate! most has been said by others here already, what I would like to add is that I absolutely admire your sense of adventure and your level of energy sustained over decades.. you have accomplished SO MUCH! not easy as a
woman alone anywhere, much less in patriarchal France as a foreigner..
BONNE CHANCE pour les prochaines aventures 🍀🍀🥂
What a great read and wonderful picture of you and Dupont!
Some of my best memories are market shopping with you, Kate! Escargot at 10 AM! A beverage at the cafe while watching then Finance Minster Macron on the tele!
You painted such a sensory portrait in this episode, Kate and now I must hear more on this sweet cheese tarte with faiselle!
Shopping is cooking...a perfect phrase. How can anyone's eyes glaze over at a farmers market. Take me instead!
Dear Kate, what a wonderful post this is. I loved it not only for your exquisite prose but also because it's like reading the story of my life: shopping is cooking, gardening is weeding and doing crazy things later in life. I also owned a farm and hosted guests and cooking classes for more than 20 years. It's been hard to leave it, but finally, finally I have the time to think - just like you - of the whys, the history and culture. Waking up to one of your fascinating articles is always a treat for breakfast, à bientôt!
Lovely piece, Kate. Thank you! As a woman of a certain age myself, I can't wait to see how Champètre develops!
I love the pictures you paint with your words, Kate, and this is such a beautiful piece. I look forward to reading more of your journey and especially keen to learn where your next move will bring you.
I really enjoyed reading this! Such beautiful descriptions. I spent a week in France visiting a friend and I enjoyed every minute of every simple salad, cheese filled mushroom and glass of wine ❤️