graham34

I though that by law cheques have to be free in France. Given that plastic involves an annual fee then it's not surprising that cheques remain very popular. Making debit cards free would be first step. On the withdrawall limits of French cards then banks like CA have a basic and a gold card. They're unlikely to increase usage limits for a basic card to the level of the more expensive gold card.

[quote user="le rouge"] I have found that Sancerre blanc is good with spicy dishes, chinese, curries etc [/quote] Definitely Alsace Gewurtztraminer with spicy dishes as well.  

Personally I don't find Pizza goes particularly well with wine - the acidity of the tomato and cheese may have something to do with it. In the Languedoc the obvious maverick combination is Chocolate with Banyuls or the similar Maury, i.e. tawny port style but a bit denser. For Roquefort then Muscat de Rivesaltes is the local sweet wine choice. Picpoul de Pinet with shellefish from the next door basin de Thau. From further east Clairette de Die (sweet sparkling) is heaven with strawberries. A sweet racy muscat (say St Jean de Minervois) with Charentais melon. More personal choices - grilled meats with garrigue herbs partnered with a hearty version of the classic local blend syrah/grenache/carignan. Brandade de morue (salt cod with olive oil and garlic) and an oily aromatic roussanne.

[quote user="crépuscule"]This happened to us a couple of years ago. At the time, I assumed the waiter was saying "Satiété?" - "Have you had enough?" [/quote] It is Satiété, we hear that used frequently before the plates are taken away. Translation is "eaten to satisfaction" or "full to satisfaction" it seems. Graham

[quote user="Tom"] It's a scary film,you are on the edge of the seat thinking the main character is going to do something really horrible. [/quote] Agree it's worth seeing. Also gives Parisian Immobiliers a bad name - using using sacs of rats to evict squatters for example. Graham

Came across an interesting list of the top grossing French films shown in the UK for 2005 (so far) and the past 15 years. 2005 has been a vintage year, at least by the measure of revenue.   2005 A Very Long Engagement (£1.5m) The Chorus 5x2 The Beat That My Heary Skipped (may overtake 5x2) The Last Mitterand Kings and Queens Innocence Pickpocket   1990-2005 Amélie (over £5m) Cyrano de Bergerac A Very Long Engagement Delicatessen The Chorus (£1m)   Jean-Pierre Jeunet has three in the top four of the last 15 years (he didn’t make Cyrano de Bergerac).   Graham

Ref. new world wine - many of the Languedoc red wines are made in the New World style these days i.e. ripe fruity mouth feel, softer tannins. Graham

[quote]Unable to use the recent topics section at the top of the page today, just get </script>void[/quote] I get this too from work (XP, IE6) but fine from home with Firefox. Shows errors on page. One possibility is the anti-virus server that scans web pages could be removing some javascript? Graham

I don't see how this helps as the first thing an executor of the will needs to do is pay off any debt, i.e. the mortgage. Graham

One way is to peel chestnuts is to use a microwave. Cut a cross in the top of the chestnut and put in the microwave. Try three or four at once but go easy on the power/time or they will shatter. They peel relatively easily while they are still warm which is why I suggest only doing a few at once. Peel with a small paring knife, using finger nails gets bits wedged in them and is unconfortable. If you still have problems pop them back in the microwave for a few more seconds. Graham  

Premium Bonds are fine as long as one understands you are gambling with your interest. Held the maximum amount for around 3 years and despite being a 40% taxpayer gained as much as a very average building society accound. If you don't pay UK tax then don't consider it. They are also unsuitable for short periods as you wait at least a month before you are eligible for the monthly draw. Graham

Yes, Jardin des Sens lost their 3rd Michelin star this year, not a big surprise to those who follow such matters. Prices go sky high when a restaurant gets three but the food's the same. Agree that Languedoc is dire for neighbourhood restaurants e.g. Pezenas has nothing decent. Graham

Yes it was fascinating, really. Ref. dining the Languedoc having improved, things need to be kept in perspective as progress has hardly been meteoric. I would put it down to several factors. Montpellier's Le Jardin des Sens in the '90s helped put the Languedoc on the gastronomic map and some of the staff who trained in the Kitchens have opened restaurants in the area. Montpellier itself has also boomed of course. The Provence overspill has boosted tourism, and brought new residents and second home owners. Just as a new generation of winemakers have come to the region attracted by affordability and quality of life, so have a few ex-Parisian chefs opened up in the region. On Adriá-ism, ate at El Bulli the best part of 10 years ago without any pre-knowledge of what he does. In those days it was a mere 16 course experience (plus bits and pieces) and about half the dishes were creative conventional, several were outstanding. If nothing else the other dishes made for some serious reflection. Art needs to move on but agree the "critics" need to do more to promote the classics. Graham

Ian, a most facilitating post.   I would argue that what French cooking (or indeed any cuisine) does best is take quality ingredients and cook them to clearly show off and build on their natural flavours. This was fundamentally what was behind that much maligned fad called Nouvelle Cuisine, a French response in the late ‘70s to the heavy saucing that historically served to disguise indifferent ingredients. The problem with this style of cooking is that ingredients and chefs have nowhere to hide and if they’re not up to it then they should stick to proven regional dishes and the classics (ideally lightened up where appropriate).   On the Adriá-ism as it were, time will tell as it has for Nouvelle Cuisine. The best aspects will enter the mainstream in the long term along with the gadgets needed to make them. In the mean time there will be poorly judged attempts at copying but as this is a Catalan based movement and not a French led one, French restaurants will not be rushing to follow blindly.   The lack of diversity available in restaurant in France is a challenge. Fine for a couple of weeks holiday a year but to be a long term resident would give cause for concern. One reason I’m attracted to the Languedoc is the broad range of ingredients and relatively diverse cooking styles one can find, although by and large execution leaves a lot to be desired in many restaurants. I also don’t care for many of the Languedoc’s regional specialities. Nevertheless, over the past 12 years dining options have at least improved significantly, although not as much as the regions range of quality wines.   Graham www.languedoc-dining.com

The link doesn't work for me. To try and put a balance on it 5 of the top 20 were in France (or Monaco) and well over half practice what one would call French cusine. I suspect relativly few of the 500 "judges" surveyed were French. Personally I agree that the UK and the rest of the world are catching up while France struggles. Hopefully that will inspire French establishments to do better. For the record the top 20 were. 1) The Fat Duck (Best Restaurant in the World, Best Retaurant in Europe) 2) El Bulli (Chefs Choice) 3) The French Laundry (Best in Americas) 4) Tetsuya’s (Best in Australia) 5) Gordon Ramsay 6) Pierre Gagnaire 7) Per Se (Highest New Entry) 8) Tom Aikens 9) Jean Georges 10) St. John 11) Michel Bras 12) Le Louis XV 13) Chez Panisse (Highest Climber) 14) Charlie Trotter 15) Gramercy Tavern 16) Guy Savoy 17) Restaurant Alain Ducasse 18) The Gallery at Sketch 19) The Waterside Inn 20) Nobu Graham

[quote]I have CA Britline account and when my card expired they sent the new one by registered post - no problem. I found them very useful when we first bought our house and our French was practically non-e...[/quote] As magsw says Britline will send the new card by registered post at no extra cost, at least they do if your address is in the UK. This year it did arrive a few days after the previous card expired (the post took over a week). You have to see Britline as an outpost of CA trying to provide a service in English. One problem is that a number of letters seem to eminate automatically from the French computer systems at, I presume, CA Calvados HQ. Graham

[quote]Our local paper on Friday had a report of another one, where they set fire to the lorry while the Spanish driver was still in it. Shame, as I find Spanish wine just as drinkable as French wine.[/quote] That's actually the same incident. I've subsequently found it on the Midi Libre web site under Friday's stories. Of course the Languedoc has had a boom/bust relationship with wine for 100's of years. At the moment it seems to be boom time for premium wine grown on the slopes i.e. those that retail at say 6+ euros a bottle an up. Graham

Read the Daily Telegraph on Saturday and there was a half page International News article on a Spanish wine tanker being immobilised and emptied in Clermont l'Herault. The report says the wine was ordered by a "wine merchant" because it's cheaper than the local brew. Quite what sort of wine merchant hopes to sell 30,000 bottles of anything beggared belief. Perhaps it was simply a publicity stunt - the TV crews were there but only a couple of gendarmes. Nevertheless, a serious local issue. It's also online here http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/05/01/wwine01.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/05/01/ixworld.html (but this may disappear at some stage). Sadly the online version doesn't have the blodd red photo of a tanker pouring out a river of red wine in the street. Although the article doesn't say, it happend last Wednesday night. Graham NB in my avartar I'm holding a glass of Languedoc red.

A great way to cook green asparagus is on the BBQ or a griddle. It shrinks and concentrates all the sweetness. It also makes a superb risotto (OK not exactly French) where you make stock using all the bits that would otherwise be thrown away after the "snapping" operation. A quality nice and peppery olive oil would also be more appropriate for SB - the Herault is not exactly dairy country. Ref. the smell in one's urine I thought one needed a gene to smell it, so some can and some can't . Graham

UK interest rates are also around 3% higher than euroland so if one has a choice of keeping sterling or euros that needs to be considered. Graham

An obvious question is are the droppings underneath exposed wood? If not, then it's unlikely to be wood attacking insect related. Graham  

Just out of interest at this time, how does driving a French registered and insured car for trips to the UK work? Presumably there is no problems with French insurance cover for driving in neighbouring land-linked countries, but is the UK and/or Ireland viewed differently? Graham

Well 2003 is an outstanding year for obvious reasons, but how many great wines were produced remains to be seen. Don't forget that the wine industry does its best to talk up vintages. From the 2003 reds I've tasted my observation is that they have heady ripe fruit and ripe tannins which makes for enjoyable drinking now. The best wines from the best producers will be good and true to the vintage style as they invariably are. The problem is that with all the heat many grapes would have become overripe and this upsets the balance (low acidity, too sweet) - this is especially noticeable as they age and become jammy and flabby. Too much heat during fermentation has a similar effect (the wine gets cooked). There is also the point Will brings up, the younger vines will have been stressed - just how many interesting mineral flavours would vines have extracted in such a short and hot growing season. Conclusion - enjoy reds on the younger side of there normal ageing potential while the primary fruits are still on display. For most wines this means from now on. Graham

What happens if we buy our friends' half of the house? The arrangement at present is a maison secondaire, 50:50 split. In this situation the house has to be considered as two assets. You purchased 50% of a house for x amount in year y and another 50% for another amount in a later year. This would alomost certainly be the case in the UK but I wouldn't assume that France is the same. Just to be clear, there is a tapered tax relief system on capital gains in the UK that favours keeping an asset for longer, but it's not quite as generous as the French system. After 2 years the chargable gain reduces by 5% per year. After 10 years the maximum of 60% is reached. Graham  

Presumably Nimes-Garons will continue as a military, and perhaps private, airport. It's just the commercial flights that are threatened, with those only being operated by Ryanair apparently. One assumes Ryanair pay minimal airport charges in comparison to the likes of Marseille. This suggests the real issue with Nimes airport is the cost to the local taxpayer. Graham