Well, here’s one of those guys…and I have my eye on that meat!
Wow, this title sounds like Gunfight At The Okay Corral…it was sort of like that:
Well, Rungis just happens to be the HUGE early morning market in Paris where all the restaurants go to get their produce and fish and meat and mama just happened to be given the chance years ago to visit the market (at 3am, but she was used to that, being a baker and all) and when she got there, because of that weary hour, she headed straight for the café for a coffee and found it full of very large, very loud butchers, in aprons smeared with blood and all with jolly rosy cheeks from their early morning coffee and croissants and she sallied up to the bar (whatever sallied means—I think it’s like sashayed)—she, the only woman in the place at that hour—and ordered her coffee, enjoying all the while the raucous chatter and exhanges between the butchers in rapid French and she was given her café (serré or short in French), which she started to sip and suddenly, the whole long bar of butchers went silent.
Oh, boy.
Mama looked up and down the long, long bar and noticed that all the butchers were gazing at her, some staring outright, and then, one of the butchers at the far, far end of the counter took hold of the heavy silverplate sugar bowl in front of him and with one quick thrust, shot it down the bar to mama where it landed right on target in front of her coffee cup.
Mama didn’t use sugar at that time in her life…
BUT…she took the spoon and carefully added sugar to her coffee.
Silence, still.
She added another spoon, thinking, oh, boy, this is a first and I’m going to gag on my wake-up crutch.
Continuing silence and stares and bemused looks.
In went the third spoon and all conversation started up again, eyes went back to partners and friends and mama was left to her thick, now cold little cup but she was ACCEPTED! Why that moment was so imporatant she just can’t tell me, but it was great fun to suddenly be one of the guys and starting her day at the magnificent Rungis as part of what makes the market so memorable.
And guess what? She didn’t even have to wear a bloody apron!
A fraction of what’s there…
We’re curious as to whether your mom managed to drink the coffee with all that sugar in it. 🙂 Brave lady.
Wow! Look at all those items for sale.
She choked it down but I think there was a lot left in that little cup….ech…she’s not a sugar person, but give her a whole cheese and it’ll be gone in a New York minute.