How Lucky Can You Be?

Ancient Site of Dijon Foire Gastronomique 

Poster from 1939 Foire.

     As you can see, my imaginary of Dijon's Gastronomic Fair is fixed in the time before I born. Would I find that plus ça change, plus ç'est la meme chose?

     Certainly, the building for the event looked different. I walked through blocks of stately old and ugly new housing, light industry and then around the stadium-like edifice. Once inside, I passed through the International component, which is furniture and rugs, to the Gastronomic section. 

     Immediately I was overwhelmed by the memory of high-tech trade shows where I demonstrated software 30 years ago. The Gastronomic section was divided into hundreds of booths or stalls. I heard a cacophony of chattering vendors and a symphony of cutlery and glassware. 

    At one end of the hall, collections of tables and small kitchens offered visitors meals of regional specialties. I'm intrigued to discover how these are represented---thank heavens, there's 10 more days of fair.

     Next came booths of individual foods and wines. Here's where I got lucky. 

Volaille de Bresse is featured!

     Fate made my new love---no, not Olivier Laboute, although he is charming---Volaille de Bresse, the product of the day. Olivier's salad of chicken, wine, mustard and cucumber was a light take on our American mayonaisse heavy version.

     And then I met a producer! In the heart of Bresse, Jean Claude Marquis raises his chickens from eggs. I learned that there are several different kinds: chapon, poularde, poulet. Chapon is a chicken castrated and grown large. Poularde are fed a rich diet, delaying egg production. Poulet are the youngest. (Or as French wikipedia tells us:

poulets (quatre mois et d'un poids minimum de 1,2 kg),

poulardes (cinq mois et 1,8 kg),

chapons (huit mois et 3 kg).)

Wait, wait, there's more luck involved! Around four o'clock, I spotted this sign:

Do you know what a bréchet de poulet is?

     Intrigued, I spoke with the vendors, who were just cleaning up for the afternoon. Trust me, these could replace wings as the next craze. For my protein dinner, I bought some and took them home. Bréchet de poulet are wishbones, cooked in butter, wine and parsley, and they are quite wonderful. The chickens they come from Bresse grown, but they don't qualify with AOP regulations.

Dozens of wishes!

     Fortified, I will be back at the Fair today. I have not even begun to fathom the role of Vietnam as the guest of honor! Plus ça change, plus ç'est la meme chose?