to market to market to buy some moldy cheese

Good day to all you back at home (and places between)! I've had a number of things going on recently, including my first time having real Fondu (delicious) and increasingly cold walks to CERN as the weather changes, but today I would like to share with you a bit about one of the more amazing markets I have ever been to. I speak with some authority as I have been in more than thirty countries on six continents (well, five really. Antarctica doesn't count as a country) and have been to many markets in many places.

While my favorite market on earth remains Pike Place Market in Seattle, the one that came unexpectedly as a close second was the sunday Farmer's market in Ferney-Voltaire, France. The town is so named because Voltaire's family chateau can still be found there. A place of thought and cognizance, somewhere he could flee to when he had annoyed the aristocracy a little more than usual. I've only been outside it but it is quite large and nice, and the town of Ferney-Voltaire is charming, about 5 or 10 miles from Saint-Genis where I live.

Yiota (my landlady), Katerina (heck if I know how its spelled, her daughter), Mateosh (again, no clue how it's spelled he's greek. Another tenant in the hosue), and I were headed there to talk to Telecom, the telephone company we can't seem to get to re-establish our telephone line and internet. Yiota did talk to them and (theoretically) we will have the line reconnected on Wednesday (which comes after almost a month of dithering on their part). Regardless, internet frustrations were not enough to prevent me from thoroughly enjoying the market. I didn't think to take pictures, so I'm afraid you'll have to do with descriptions for now.

The market is spread across several streets where every sunday farmers, fishermen, chefs, and anyone else looking to flog their wares market style gather and clog traffic and parking every Sunday until 1 pm. Much of it is standard market fare only with the French twist of having irreputibly some of the best cheeses, breads, and wines in the world. There were numerous clothing and home ware stands set up as well, but mostly it was food food food as far as the eye could see. Which, as it happens, wasn't very far because this place was PACKED.

Bjorn Nilsen (who headed home on Sunday, I'm now by myself here at CERN as far as Creighton personnel are concerned) had recommended this market with high praise, and I saw the he was not exaggerating in the slightest. Quite apart from having variety and liveliness without those running the stands being grasping or obnoxious, many stands had free food samples for you to try, there were churros being made fresh on the spot, wine tasting, and people from all nationalities. I heard a number of different languages, including english (an elderly English couple who were thoroughly English was amusing to see) in a very short time as well which, while not unusal in Europe, continues to be interesting to me.

I got some rather nice, thick crusted bread (I like French bread with a good thick crust) and some wine made in the Jura mountains that you can't get anywhere else for the whopping fee of 8 euros a bottle. Yiota recommended it (she's into wine which has been a blessing while here as I enjoy wine). Very distinct, strange flavor that is quite impossible to describe. Sort of... bouncy? That may be the closest I can come, as good a description as any. I prefer the white to the red which is unusual for me. Yiota bought some mold based cheese that I will return to in a moment and we all had a fun time wandering along.

There were vegetables, cheese (my gosh was there cheese), bread stands, wine stands, meat stands (I even got to use the term meat wagon which those who have played Warcraft 3 may enjoy), greek food, french food, italian food, chinese food, all sort of mixed things. There were event many stands of wonderful smelling fish (well, as wonderful as fish can smell). I haven't the faintest clue how all the seafood came there and appearing so fresh as we're not very close to the ocean... Maybe it was all freshwater from Lake Geneva, though I doubt it. Didn't hold a candle to Pike Place (and no fish were tossed) but it was impressive nonetheless. There was even a game stall where you could get not yet cleaned or skinned rabbits, pheasants, and other cuddly, tasty critters. This was new to everyone but me (I've been phesant hunting) and everyone found it amusing.

We bought some churros from the churro lady (a friendly, elderly Frenchwoman and her husband ran the stand) and Katerina bought some roasted chestnuts which she is a big fan of. I'm less so, but for those who love roasted chestnuts, they are easy to come by here and I assume these were very good. The market on the whole wasn't cheap, but it wasn't horribly expensive either and the selection and quality made up for it. We bought as we strolled along, returning for the wine once our Telecom errand was finished, and returned home to lunch.

Remember that mold based cheese I mentioned before that Yiota bought? This cheese was being sold at one of the several cheese stands, stalls of immense size where huge slabs of cheese are laid out on display, wafting its cheesy aroma for the world to enjoy. This particular brand was contained in round wooden boxes of varying size (ours was maybe half a foot across or a little less). The surface was wrinkled and grey with white mold sprouting prominently from it. As it happened this was the surface of the cheese and not, as I thought, some cheesecloth wrapping the stuff. The cheese is called Mont d'Or, Mountain of Gold, and is nothing more or less than the most delicious I have ever had in my life.

Yiota is a good cook, but the way she prepared the cheese was so simple even I could do it (and I in fact may). The recipe was suggested by the man selling it, and she had heard the method before, though this was her first try at it. Open the lid and scoop out some of the center of the cheese. Put some wine and garlic into the hole (the more garlic the better in my opinion, she used two sections off a clove). Take it, still in the box, and wrap the whole thing in tin foil, funneled to an opening at the top to let air out (so your foil doesn't explode) and bake it in the oven for 30 minutes at 180 degrees centigrade (around 350 fahrenheit assuming I remember the conversion formula correctly). It becomes a truly delectible melange of garlicy cheesy winey goodness swathed in wood and foil that you then take your bread and lovingly swaddle it in molten cheese for a confectionary delight.

We ate the entire box and my whole loaf of bread between three of us. I tell you, it blew the fondu we had the night before clean out of the water, and that was good fondu. One of the best meals I've ever had and quite unexpectedly too. I'm normally not a fan of moldy cheeses and I was somewhat dubious until I tried the stuff. I dont know if it'll be possible to bring some of the stuff home (cheese is difficult to import and the best cheeses aren't pasturized) but maybe I can find it in the States.

Tune in next time for more adventures!
Ciao!