I watched the show "
The Frugal Gourmet" for years before Jeff Smith (R.I.P.) was brought down by certain allegations. I still don't believe the allegations. I loved the show, and collected all of Smith's cookbooks. An idée fixe in the show was that a chef must use the freshest ingredients in order to make the best dishes. "Froogy" often went to
Pike Place market in Seattle to obtain his fresh ingredients. I always wanted to go ever since I started watching the show.
I finally had an opportunity, and it was a fantastic experience. First let me say that one of the things I love about Europe is the smell of foods when out walking in the streets. I have experienced many American cities, but they are mostly absent these types of odors. In France, fish smells like the sea (not "fishy"). In America, it doesn't smell at all, it is absent odor. Where did it go? Is it natural for fish to be absent odor? How did the fish become sans odor? Anyway, Seattle, around and in the area of Pike Place had all kinds of real odors that brought me to a temporary state of euphoria. I could smell flowers, fish, spices, vegetables, fruits, roasted meats, the yeasty smell of baking, and the nearby Puget Sound.
Of course, as exciting as it was to see all this freshness, I couldn't exactly wrap a fish up and take it home, as much as I would have liked to do so. Instead I purchased raw hard honey, and hard lavender honey, and an infused balsamic vinegar. One week later, and I have almost finished the raw hard honey which I have been taking in my morning tea, and every cup reminds me of Seattle.
While riding my bike in the area between Champagne and Picardie regions of France, in the department of Aisne, I came across several "ghost villages" with deserted buildings. I also came across this church which is small, and overgrown with tall grass. It was not constructed in the typical Champagne style, more of a Picardie style; However, you have to drive another half hour northwest to start seeing everything constructed from brick, it does not suddenly become so upon crossing the Champagne/Picardie border.
