Nov

An OIC Vegetable Moment

by Meredith Mullins on November 8, 2012

Endive for sale in a Normandy vegetable market gives the author an "Oh, I see" moment about the endive growing cycle

Endive for sale in a Normandy vegetable market
© Meredith Mullins

Endive Indeed

How could I have eaten endive for so many years and have no idea how it looks “in the wild” or how complex its growing process is?

How could I be so uncaring about a vegetable’s life cycle or take such a crunchy treat for granted?

It took the convergence of a Saturday morning market in Normandy and a stall dedicated solely to endives to lead me to an endive ephiphany. What is that I C?

The Bizarre Life of an Endive

I recognized the finished product easily enough, as it sat on the scale waiting to be weighed and bagged, looking like plump little rolled white cigars.

But what was that off to the side in the big red tub? It was something completely alien. The endive “bud,” perched on its root throne, looked so bizarre that I had to ask the friendly endive seller if this was normal . . . or some sort of weird mutant.

Tub of endive attached to its root, creating an "Oh, I see" moment about how the vegetable grows

Endive attached to its root
© Meredith Mullins

He looked at me as if I were some sort of weird mutant—as if the crusty root stalk and the scraggly feeder tendrils, with a proud crown of cream-colored tightly packed leaves was something every schoolchild would recognize.

Endive is in the same botanical family as chicory and is sometimes called witloof (white leaf). After the initial plant is grown in an open field, the roots are “harvested.” They are taken to storage, somewhere completely dark, to allow the endive bud to sprout in second growth. The dark room keeps the leaves from turning green.

Endive attached to its long root, providing an "Oh, I see" moment on its growth process

An “alien” endive?
© Meredith Mullins

A History as Long as Its Root

The edible endive was born by accident. The story goes like this:

A Belgian farmer was storing chicory roots in his cellar so that he could dry and roast them for coffee.
He was called to war and, when he returned, he found that the roots had sprouted small, white leaves.
Curious . . . he ate one. It was tender and crunchy.

Immediately, visions of endive salad (with tangerines and caramelized walnuts) and baked endive with ham danced in his head. OK, probably not. He was probably just craving coffee.

But, eventually, the taste of the slightly bitter endive leaf caught on and the rest is culinary history.

My Endive Epiphany

I left the market in Normandy with a memorable Oh, I see moment: I will never take another vegetable for granted. When I really stop to think, the preparation of any vegetable takes a lot of time and care. The flavor should be savored.

And when I pay 50 cents for a tasty, crunchy endive, I’ll think to myself—a two-part growing cycle that took 150 days— “50 cents is a real bargain!”

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins Comments

Discoveries/France

Oct

Cultural Traditions Passed Down a French Street

by Sheron Long on October 8, 2012

The French village, where I live part-time, opened my eyes last week to the importance in France of passing along culture and heritage, or patrimoine. For French people, patrimoine has to do first with realizing that French arts, history, culture, language, and traditions are the property of everyone French and then with making the commitment to pass that “property” along to the next generation.

French family in a parade celebrating French cultural heritage and traditions

Multiple generations of a French family get set for the parade
© Sheron Long

Cultural Traditions on Parade

Passing along cultural heritage and traditions—that’s just what was happening last week on the streets of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, a pretty village in the south of France between Avignon and Marseille.

Each fall during the Fêtes Votives, Saint-Rémy remembers its past in a parade of old trades. Proud of their cultural heritage, citizens dress like their ancestors and portray their ancestors’ work roles as they walk twice around the road encircling the village.

Horses and donkeys march, too, and unruly sheep bleat, baaa, and bite at stacks of hay along the way.

Horse neighing in parade celebrating French cultural heritage and traditions

Horse-drawn wagons recall yesteryear
© Sheron Long

Sheep in parade celebrating French cultural heritage and traditions

Sheep and shepherds rest a moment during the parade
© Sheron Long

The connection to farm animals is part of the French patrimoine. In fact, everyone in the parade was honoring the agricultural past of Saint-Rémy. Young women in long skirts and straw hats tossed lavender from the harvest.

Women tossing lavender in parade celebrating French cultural heritage and traditions

Women tossing lavender to the crowd
© Sheron Long

Farmers rolled rusty equipment through town.

Farmers and equipment in parade celebrating French cultural heritage and traditions

Farmers and old farm equipment
© Sheron Long

The old winemaker harnessed his horses to haul full barrels of wine on his wooden wagon.

Winemaker in parade celebrating French cultural heritage and traditions

Winemaker hauling old wooden barrels full of wine
© Sheron Long

The milkman used pedal power to pull two big jugs and one little girl.

Milkman in parade celebrating French cultural heritage and traditions

Milkman pulling jugs of milk
© Sheron Long

New Generations Connect to Their Cultural Heritage

Every generation participated. In that afternoon together, the French did something more important than putting a smile on the face of the many spectators. They transmitted a love for their French patrimoine to the newer generations. I could see it in the faces of the younger participants.

Girls & donkey in parade celebrating French cultural heritage and traditions

Younger generations participate
© Sheron Long

Boy on horseback waving in parade celebrating French cultural heritage and traditions

Proud wave from a boy on horseback
© Sheron Long

And I saw it when I looked at babies who were not sure why they were in a pushcart that day. But I knew why—they were reaching out as if to grasp their French heritage, one that they, too, will soon value and pass along to the generation that follows them.

Oh, I see—if you value your cultural heritage, investing time in traditional celebrations like this one ensures its continuity.

Pushcart babies in parade celebrating French cultural heritage and traditions

Babies ride, too, and travel the road of tradition
© Sheron Long

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. As a special treat, you can enjoy even more images of the south of France in these fun, free ebooks. Just click each image below:

Sheron Long Comments

Cultural Heritage & Traditions/France

Sep

Being Bilingual Builds Brain Power

by Sheron Long on September 24, 2012

If video does not display, watch it here.

French? You Can Learn It!

Chatting in a French café makes for a good day even in the rain. Chatting in a French café in French is worth even more—knowing the language, just some or being bilingual, deepens how you experience the life and culture.

Benefits of Being Bilingual

A brain lifting weights to signify the brain power of being bilingual (Image courtesy of Thinkstock)

Flex your brain with a second language and build bilingual brain power

Connecting across cultures is one benefit of being bilingual, but there are many more.

Across the last decade, numerous research studies, beginning with those from York University and Northwestern University, have shown that people who speak more than one language have an increased ability to concentrate, to multi-task, and to set priorities. They may also be building strong defenses against dementia.

So . . . if you’re someone who would love to build bilingual brain power, get started—it may be easier than you think!

The Power of Cognates

Take French, for example, which has many words in common with English. Such words are called cognates, and you can use them to learn a second language.

Try it! Here’s a paragraph from France-Amérique about Julia Child (1912–2004) who had many careers but found her love of cooking in Rouen, France. As you read about Julia Child, see how many French words look familiar to you:

Julia Child a eu plusieurs vies : rédactrice, volontaire pour la croix-rouge, agent secret… Mariée à Paul Child, un représentant des affaires étrangères américaines, elle part pour Paris à l’âge de 37 ans. Pour la petite histoire, c’est au cours d’une promenade à Rouen qu’elle a sa révélation culinaire, en goûtant une sole meunière accompagnée de vin. Ce repas sera comme « une ouverture de son âme et de son esprit » pour elle.

Does this list of cognates help?

volontaire / volunteer

agent secret / secret agent

mariée / married

représentant / representative

affaires étrangères américaines / American foreign (stranger) affairs

âge / age

histoire / history, story

au cours d’une promenade / in the course of a promenade

révélation / revelation

sole meunière accompagnée de vin / sole meunière accompanied by wine

esprit / spirit

Oh I know, there are still gaps to fill in, but in an “Oh, I see” moment, did you realize that you already know about 25% of the French in this article? That’s a pretty good start! Maybe it’s time for a ticket to Paris.

Comment on this post below.

Brain image courtesy of Thinkstock

Sheron Long 1 Comment

Becoming Bilingual/Crossing Cultures/France/Language & Culture

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