Sausages here are far more abundant than back home. You can get fresh ones, as in needing to be cooked, but so far I’ve gone towards the dry ones that last forever in a fridge or out.
There have been a few tasty examples, but I think I’m going to start relying on the thin spicy ones out of a concern for cost. The one with olives in the sausage was good, but 5 euros for about 7cm is just too steep for my blood and bank account.
I picked up a new one the other day, sauccissons de coche (sauccissons are generally the fatter jobbies, while your standard saucisse is of a narrower gauge). I asked the fellow what the deal was with coche and much to my pleasure my ever extending French skills allowed me to understand that as the name ‘coche’ might suggest it had to do with a pig, or cochon for my Fr-illiterate readers.
Not just a pig of course, these sausages are made from the older sows that have lived their piglet purposes to a full and are going on to their final duty. I wasn’t clear on all the details, but apparently when they’re older their meat tastes ---- something.
I just had my first piece and it turns out their meat tastes, piggy. Well barn piggy, if that makes sense. This description is going to sound far more odd than the reality, and I must emphasize the subtlety of the flavour. The sausage tastes like a pig barn smells. If you will. An old sow spending her life in a pig barn might be expected to take on some of these scents of course, so it’s no surprise. There is no sharp pig manure taste or anything like that, but as you chew the sausage (as I’m doing right now) you get subtle hints. Yes, this pig pooped and yes the barn took on that odour at times, and yes somewhere in this sausage those aromas are emerging.
Not bad. Just a new and unique taste. Maybe by the end of the sausage I’ll be in love with it. The last one, duck maybe?, certainly grew on me as I worked my way through. And I can only imagine the olfactory joys an old farmer gets when he bites into one of these 20 years after he had to give up the homestead and move into town.
Memories.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Catholicism
Similar to the previous post (given that I’m typing these on my computer in advance I hope I post them in the correct order or at least remember to give them a quick once over…doubtful, and either way this is going to be left in…or is it?), ummm. Yes.
Similar to the previous post, I think if I was ever going to get into the whole Christianity thing I would have to go for Catholicism. It has by far the most interesting structures to worship in, at least over here, and they give you lots to look at. The buildings themselves architecturally, but also all the little chapels and alcoves and saints and statues they have lying everywhere. Then of course there’s all the chanting and rituals that go on, throw in a bit of hazy incense and you have yourself a solid little party.
With all the ‘additions’ above and beyond the straight-up ‘JC is awesome message’, the damn thing may as well still be pagan.
To all my devout and easily angered Catholic readers JOKES!!! (they’re not reading now, but no doubt once I’m famous and people start looking all this stuff up they’ll google me and I’ll get in trouble. Heh thinking about that kind of stuff makes me wonder whether I should post anything online, but I suppose these kinds of resources are going to be the new ‘personal archives’ that get donated to libraries etc. Maybe I should find some intellectual compatriot and start exchanging letters so I have something more solid to give. But none of this is about Catholicism so I’ll stop and go work on something that will make me famous so these concerns will be legitimate).
Similar to the previous post, I think if I was ever going to get into the whole Christianity thing I would have to go for Catholicism. It has by far the most interesting structures to worship in, at least over here, and they give you lots to look at. The buildings themselves architecturally, but also all the little chapels and alcoves and saints and statues they have lying everywhere. Then of course there’s all the chanting and rituals that go on, throw in a bit of hazy incense and you have yourself a solid little party.
With all the ‘additions’ above and beyond the straight-up ‘JC is awesome message’, the damn thing may as well still be pagan.
To all my devout and easily angered Catholic readers JOKES!!! (they’re not reading now, but no doubt once I’m famous and people start looking all this stuff up they’ll google me and I’ll get in trouble. Heh thinking about that kind of stuff makes me wonder whether I should post anything online, but I suppose these kinds of resources are going to be the new ‘personal archives’ that get donated to libraries etc. Maybe I should find some intellectual compatriot and start exchanging letters so I have something more solid to give. But none of this is about Catholicism so I’ll stop and go work on something that will make me famous so these concerns will be legitimate).
urban design
Maybe it was because I was in such an amazing mood generally, but the little touches of urban design that I noticed in Toulouse struck me as quite brilliant. A mediatheque (like a library but with media beyond the biblio) had been recently constructed, in the form of yet another French arc, but its small, adjoined public square in the center of an oversized traffic roundabout had some nice touches. There were a few stores and bakeries and whatnot, but the actual square (circle) had some brilliant little fountains. One a babbling brook running down a ramp and the other popping little jets into the air in whatever happy pattern it chose.
Did it cost a little bit more to put those in and run them daily over and above the cost of a flat concrete courtyard? Yes, probably. Did it put a smile on my face, yes. And really shouldn’t MY happiness be the main concern of municipal governments everywhere?
Did it cost a little bit more to put those in and run them daily over and above the cost of a flat concrete courtyard? Yes, probably. Did it put a smile on my face, yes. And really shouldn’t MY happiness be the main concern of municipal governments everywhere?
French dogs
They’re around, as one might expect.
There are some teensy things seen in ridiculous outfits and all you can think of when you see them is why they haven’t been squashed yet. Not in any malicious way, but they are so tiny and seemingly a bit vapid. A rat of the same size, although many are probably bigger, at least has some heft, solidity and cunning about it. These dogs, not so much.
But I shouldn’t hard on the poor little dogs, there are similar freaks in purses and on frilly pink leashes all over the world.
Homeless people here seem to have far more dogs than back home. But not all the homeless have the same air of desperation about them either and there are a number of degrees and varieties that as I’m typing this I realize I might want to give some more thought to, or at least look into seeing if anyone else has done as much. There seems to be a lot of younger people that seem to live ‘homeless’ as a lifestyle. They have a look, a way of dressing and acting that extends between various groups. They’ve made a choice, and living with a big pack just happens to be their thing. But this is about dogs…
Homeless people and dogs, YES! I even saw one fellow, at least I assume there was someone hidden in the sleeping bag, that had too dogs, one of whom was busily nursing a litter. Making it more than two. I’ll try to stop lying.
As for walking the dogs, it’s a slightly different dynamic here. Many more dogs seem to be walked sans leash, and they are generally well behaved so no complaints. It’s the owners that might need some training, at least in the cross-cultural Canadian manners sense.
Someone here thinks people need to pick up their dogs’ leavings as there are posts with bag dispensers about. “Let’s keep Rodez beautiful!” indeed. But judging by my feet and the close calls I go through on a daily basis, the advice is not always heeded.
As part of a unique dog culture, at least in Rodez, there are a number of small enclosures about designed for a dog to visit and do its duty. No bigger than 2 metres squared with a pole in the middle for piddle, they are surrounded by a solid post fence, lending an air of privacy. The fence is high enough that from a distance you can’t see what’s going on. Instead all you see is a person standing at enclosure’s opening, hands in pockets, slowly rocking back and forth just watching their dog *ahem* finish up.
I assume there is some municipal employee whose main task is to tidy up these pens. Nice.
There are some teensy things seen in ridiculous outfits and all you can think of when you see them is why they haven’t been squashed yet. Not in any malicious way, but they are so tiny and seemingly a bit vapid. A rat of the same size, although many are probably bigger, at least has some heft, solidity and cunning about it. These dogs, not so much.
But I shouldn’t hard on the poor little dogs, there are similar freaks in purses and on frilly pink leashes all over the world.
Homeless people here seem to have far more dogs than back home. But not all the homeless have the same air of desperation about them either and there are a number of degrees and varieties that as I’m typing this I realize I might want to give some more thought to, or at least look into seeing if anyone else has done as much. There seems to be a lot of younger people that seem to live ‘homeless’ as a lifestyle. They have a look, a way of dressing and acting that extends between various groups. They’ve made a choice, and living with a big pack just happens to be their thing. But this is about dogs…
Homeless people and dogs, YES! I even saw one fellow, at least I assume there was someone hidden in the sleeping bag, that had too dogs, one of whom was busily nursing a litter. Making it more than two. I’ll try to stop lying.
As for walking the dogs, it’s a slightly different dynamic here. Many more dogs seem to be walked sans leash, and they are generally well behaved so no complaints. It’s the owners that might need some training, at least in the cross-cultural Canadian manners sense.
Someone here thinks people need to pick up their dogs’ leavings as there are posts with bag dispensers about. “Let’s keep Rodez beautiful!” indeed. But judging by my feet and the close calls I go through on a daily basis, the advice is not always heeded.
As part of a unique dog culture, at least in Rodez, there are a number of small enclosures about designed for a dog to visit and do its duty. No bigger than 2 metres squared with a pole in the middle for piddle, they are surrounded by a solid post fence, lending an air of privacy. The fence is high enough that from a distance you can’t see what’s going on. Instead all you see is a person standing at enclosure’s opening, hands in pockets, slowly rocking back and forth just watching their dog *ahem* finish up.
I assume there is some municipal employee whose main task is to tidy up these pens. Nice.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
posting
I promise I will post more regualrly. Promise.
I'm about ot scamper out the door yet again, but for the time being I'll just say I'm being moved. I don't know where or exactly when, but sometime next week likey and somewhere within the school.
It's just a bit frustrating to be sitting here without knowing hte exact details, especially since this has been rumoured for a while. As well as the obvious other questions like why not put me in the second choice in the first place?...and so on.
Oh well. Onward and upward.
I'm about ot scamper out the door yet again, but for the time being I'll just say I'm being moved. I don't know where or exactly when, but sometime next week likey and somewhere within the school.
It's just a bit frustrating to be sitting here without knowing hte exact details, especially since this has been rumoured for a while. As well as the obvious other questions like why not put me in the second choice in the first place?...and so on.
Oh well. Onward and upward.
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