From the files: Sunday drives

From La Nouvelle Chick in France

April 25, 2010
Today Cedric and I finally went on a tourist-y trip into the countryside. After finishing our chores, which included hanging the laundry out to dry (one of my favorite new things that I do in France), we headed east towards Soult (originally, I wrote west; for some reason, I reverse east and west in my mind when I’m talking about places in Europe).  Cedric chose the destination, since everything I suggested he considered too far away.  When we were 30 minutes out of town we came upon a Foire d’asperges (Asparagus Festival!) in a small town called Mormoiron. I made Cedric stop the car since we didn’t really have any plans in Soult anyway. We parked and walked up a long road, anticipating a festival that was all about asparagus.  Instead we came upon a flea market just like the one we had gone to that morning in Avignon. Next there were the carnival games and the accompanying smell of  cotton candy (barbe de papa).  After the carnival, there was another market, but more like the traditional Sunday markets in Provence, which combine the overpriced produce of the farmer’s market with the questionable provenance of goods sold by a guy from the back of his car; at this particular market, we found a man selling leather clogs next to a stand selling authentic Provence tapenade, next to a woman selling bras and very large panties (culottes).
Finally, we found the vendors of asparagus- large, gnobby finger-like asparagus spears-that were selling for 6 euros a bunch.  No one was selling deep-fried asparagus or other asparagus-themed products.  So, instead of asparagus, I bought an asparagus-shaped magnet from a woman with only a car, no stall, completely covered in magnets.  Festival of asparagus, they called it. But it was all a ruse...and I fell for it.