Food and Drink

In collaboration with local/regional vineyards, the Region of PACA is promoting a wine tasting to women. Introduction to Oenology, tastings and a chance to get to know about which wines are produced in our region.

Further infomation is available in French at 2ème édition du trophée régional des vins au féminin.

hmmm. this is an interesting idea and thought I'd share...breakfast delivered to your door. A service called Le Petit Dejeuner Marseille brings it to your home. It offers the viennoiseries (pastries), coffees/teas, yogurts, cereals and all the thoroughfare. 2 menu plans with very reasonable prices (or excusable for special occasions). They offer some specialty items such as jams, bio products, the daily papers and flowers too. Delivery is free if you live in centre ville (look at the map).

Terroir13 – entry is free
June 4, 5 and 6

Hotel du Département – 52, avenue de Saint-Just
Metro Line 1 to Saint-Just
Buses 41, 53, 72 and 81

It is easy to eat locally and in season with the proximity of markets (marchés) in and around Marseille and all of France, for that fact.  Each region has, of course, its own specialities, ours being the Provençal aromatics and olives to name two top-of-mind.

Living in town (and still not driving) makes me dependent on the small local markets and embracing the “rythme naturel des saisons” attitude, which is recognized as leaving a smaller carbon footprint and also a healthier choice. A word of advice to newbies (and fellow procrastinators like myself), get to the markets in the morning for the best selections. If you are someone that prefers to buy-it-all-at-once at the larger French grocery stores, included at the end of the article is a guideline in English (French version) on what you should be looking for to be eating along with mother nature.

This ex-New Yorker has been missing her bagels since she moved to Marseille. I even contemplated trying to make some, but after much research found that my laziness won over my stomach, that being on the assumption that I could even make them. Aix has had them for awhile and another Amercian-expat I spoke to drives each weekend there just to pick them up. Well tummies growl no longer...you can pick them up from a new deli that opened recently called Oscar's. The place has the authentic feel of a NY deli with brick walls and back-counter comradery of the staff members all dressed in white-tees with the bagel logo on them.

Oscar's uses only genuine H&H bagels, flown in from the famed NY bagelerie* (can I make my own french word for this?) They have all the essentials on hand: plain, onion, sesame, cinnamon and some I haven't even tried yet. Of course, what would a bagel be without cream cheese... and that too is real... I have been getting by with my kiri cheese substitute up until now. I had my initiation with a onion bagel, cream cheese and locks...yummmm.

Ever since I have come to France I have found the markets a bit intimidating. All the produce and meats that a native of Marseille readily recognize at a glance leaves me overwhelmed.  I sometimes find myself running over to the nearest supermarket to find something labeled in a nice container.

As a child, I envied the photographed french ladies in billowy linen skirts and wicker baskets selecting each piece of produce with care while the vendor patiently looked on in admiration. But what I failed to understand was lost in translation, literally, since I neither knew what an specific item from my french recipe looked like or knew the exact word to look up when I saw something interesting at the...