1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 437 The Complex Provence

There's a joke circulating in Provence that if you want to buy beef, you'd better have a checkbook in your pocket.

Provence lacks pastures, making beef extremely expensive.

For the Provençal people, who are used to picking their beef fresh, the beef that comes by car from the Hauts-de-Alpes region is not fresh enough.

In comparison, people here are more inclined to eat mutton.

In addition, with native chickens, rabbits, and various game during the hunting season, Provençal gourmets should have no shortage of rich and delicious food.

But the people of Provence have never lived a life where they eat meat every day. It has little to do with the price of meat, but more to do with the fact that they don't want to, because there are countless more attractive ingredients available to them.

For example, fish and seafood from the Mediterranean, hundreds of kinds of cheese, and most importantly, the gifts of nature every season—fresh fruits and vegetables all year round, and extra virgin olive oil that we can't live without and would love to drink like wine.

This results in Provençal gourmets having a 'slender' physique that Parisian gourmets do not possess, despite being fellow gourmets.

"It's amazing how I ate so much and felt absolutely no guilt." After finishing lunch, Thor collapsed onto the comfortable sofa in Ronan's backyard, patting his stomach as he said, "This is something I would never have dared to do in Paris. I mean, lying down right after eating. Maybe it's because I eat too healthily."

At noon, Ronan and Thor prepared a honey feast.

Not only are the ingredients healthy, but the cooking methods are also healthy.

They made a large bowl of vegetable salad with honey, mustard, and olive oil, the main course was roasted chicken wings with honey and lemon juice, the staple food was carrot, pumpkin, and sweet potato chunks roasted with honey and olive oil, and they drank chilled honey herbal tea.

It's no exaggeration to say that Thor felt as if he had fallen into the heart of a flower.

Ronan put down his cutlery, leaned back in the soft sofa, and said lazily:

"This meal is not only healthy, but also inexpensive."

Thor chuckled and said:
"I heard on TV that prices in Provence are half of those in Paris."

“More than half.” With the weather getting warmer, Zoe made herself a honey oatmeal fruit bowl, filled with large chunks of the freshest seasonal fruits such as Cavallon melon, apricots, and cherries. “Except for meat and truffles, almost all other vegetables and fruits can be bought for a few francs per kilogram.”

"All fruits and vegetables are this cheap?" Thor sat up abruptly, his enthusiasm returning. "You mean this melon, the cherries we ate today, the tender asparagus from last night, and all sorts of pickled olives are only a few francs per kilogram?"

Last Easter, Thor fell in love with Cavallon melons.

Today he has fallen in love with the peaches, apricots, cherries, and asparagus of Provence.

Ronan nodded:
"This is just the price at a normal time; it might be even cheaper at the market."

Zoe added to Ronan:
"Of course, if you're a local, you might get some 'discounts' or even some free samples."

Thor clapped his hands excitedly a few times, and the 'clever little boy' was back online:
“I brought a Provençal-style outfit with me, and I will wear it to the market in Mena tomorrow.”

As he spoke, he chuckled.

"As long as I don't speak, they will never be able to tell that I'm a tourist. Well, I've learned a few words of Provençal dialect these past two days, which will make it even more authentic."

Ronan arranged group activities for Thor, and Thor gradually learned a lot of 'authentic' sentence structures and metaphors from them.

After two enjoyable days of sightseeing, and with the detailed explanations from his local friend Ronan, Thor felt he had a very good understanding of Provence!
Before Ronan and Zoe could react, Thor eagerly stood up and walked into the room:
"I'll go change now."

After Thor disappeared, Zoe glanced at Ronan, suppressing a laugh, and asked:

"It's not a plaid shirt, is it?"

Ronan poured Zoe and himself a glass of chilled honey fruit tea:

"Hmm, I guess there will also be jeans and boots."

Plaid shirts, jeans, and boots. This is the French 'stereotype' of Provençal farmers.

Just like how when you mention cowboys in the West, you have to wear a cowboy hat.

To make their trip to Provence more comfortable and worry-free, many tourists dress up like this during the tourist season.

But this outfit is seen as... by the locals of Provence.
“I rarely see people wearing red and white checkered shirts, and your shirt is too new,” Ronan said bluntly. “To be honest, dressed like that, you look like an outsider, someone who’s at least 500 kilometers away from Provence.”

Thor glanced at Ronan's shirt, then at his own, and couldn't see any difference at all.

"Is there a big difference? Your shirt is only one browner than mine."

Ronan shrugged:

"You're oversimplifying things, my friend. The Provençal demand for plaid shirts is enough to drive Paris Fashion Week's trend planners crazy."

"For example?" Thor asked, puzzled.

Ronan, speaking from experience, said:

"Our plaid shirts must look like they've been faded by the sun, in shades between 'dust from a lavender field' and 'a menu forgotten in an open-air café for three years.' Any bright colors are strictly forbidden, like the one you're wearing—that red is too garish. And the material should be as burlap-sack-like as possible. The size must be one or two sizes larger than it actually is, with the hem half-tucked into the waistband, as if you've just fought and won against a stubborn donkey. If Pierre were here, he would definitely comment that you're 'a bank clerk who just got fired by his boss,' given how well the plaid shirt fits you."

Thor looked thoughtful:

Why not follow the "good enough" principle now?

Zoë Tironan, a native of Provence, explains:
"Two thousand years ago, the local Gauls made sure that the folds of their corsets hung down elegantly, even when harvesting grapes. Our ancestors taught us that we could live a lazy life, but we must never dress casually."

Thor looked down at his jeans again:
"What about these pants?"

Ronan and Zoe said in unison:
"Please, please take it off."

“You Provençal people are too complicated,” Thor muttered in a deep voice.

When you need to be 'careful,' just be 'good enough.'

This place is too complicated; there are so many rules even when things are 'almost' acceptable.

Ronan understood Thor's feelings perfectly.

Because he went through the same thing, and heaven knows how many 'mockery' he suffered from farmers because of his clothes.

He smiled and comforted Thor:

"I can't explain all the rules and regulations to you, but rest assured, I will definitely help you smoothly integrate into Provence."

“But I don’t have any other clothes,” Thor said dejectedly.

“It’s alright, I’ll provide you with clothes,” Ronan replied.

Zoe whispered a reminder to Ronan:
Thor can't fit into your clothes.

The Parisian gourmet was much 'robust' than the Provençal gourmet; he weighed at least 50 kilograms more than Ronan.

Ronan covered his mouth and said:

“Don’t worry, Freddy didn’t take the clothes he wore when he helped me harvest grapes last year. My mom washed them and they’ve been in my closet ever since.”

Provence occasionally produces a few 'outliers,' such as the equally gluttonous Freddie.

“Please remember, we don’t only dress in plaid shirts, jeans, and boots. You look more like a local now,” Ronan said, looking at Thor in the mirror. “And the kind of outfit where even if you open your mouth, no one will notice.”

Thor looked at himself in the mirror, dressed in an old shirt and shorts, and asked uncertainly:
"that's it?"

“Of course.” Ronan took a few steps back. “Don’t believe me? Go outside and take a look.”

Thor obediently prepared to leave the room, but Ronan stopped him again, pointing to his shoes and saying:

"Take off your socks. From May to September, the feet of Provençal farmers are basically in a 'semi-wild' state—always adhering to the principle of not wearing socks if possible, which is the core."

Thor looked at his feet.

Good heavens, Provence is such a 'complex' land! Ronan is going to the restaurant this afternoon to make final preparations for tomorrow's bread competition.

He arranged a 'playmate' for Thor, Theo, to accompany Thor to Lourmaran to visit attractions and sites he hadn't had time to see before.

But Theo hadn't participated in any of their previous 'group activities,' and the shy Thor declined Ronan's offer, saying he wanted to go out for a walk by himself.

Thor is an adult, and Ronan should naturally respect his wishes.

After agreeing on a time for dinner that evening, the two parted ways at the entrance of the shopping street.

To be honest, Thor felt very insecure after changing into his new clothes. He found it hard to adapt to this new look.

Thor couldn't understand what Zoe meant by 'not dressing casually,' because he felt he was dressed too casually right now.

He acted as casually as someone who's cooking at home and suddenly realizes they're out of garlic, then frantically runs out to buy groceries, so anxious they don't even bother to put on their socks.

It's best not to wander around dressed so casually.

His idea was to find a scenic spot, sit for a while, and, just like on his first day in Lourmaran, quietly and attentively observe and appreciate the village as a tourist.

As Ronan said, Lourmaran is so beautiful, with scenery everywhere, and there are so many details for him to observe and discover, which is what interests him.

However, before finding a place to observe Lourmaran, you need to buy some good food.

Sitting alone is so boring.
There was no need to discern directions; simply by following the aroma, Thor found himself on the street in Lourmaran lined with numerous food stalls.

I was only gone for a day, and they've already expanded the variety of food they sell here.

He clearly remembered that yesterday the drink stall in front of the bookstore only sold olive leaf lemon tea, and he even had a cup. But today, there was an extra chilled melon juice on the sign, made with his favorite Cavallon melon.

There were quite a few tourists queuing up to shop at the beverage stalls. The daytime temperature was already very high at the end of April, and who could resist an iced drink on a hot summer day?

Thor looked at the menu and prices on the sign and was about to obediently join the queue when the owner noticed Thor, especially his clothes and bare feet, and asked him:

"Newly moved in?"

Thor didn't react immediately, unsure if his boss was asking him.

Kalisan asked again:
Are you also a recent resident of Lourmaran?

Since February of this year, many new faces have moved to Lourmaran, and every few days the villagers will find that the Lourmaran family has grown even larger.

Before Thor could reply, Kalisan kindly poured him a glass of chilled melon juice:

"My name is Carlisle, and I live upstairs from this bookstore."

The group heading to Mena Village tomorrow will be exceptionally large.

Some people will stay at the market to set up stalls, while others will go with Ronan to the bread competition, where they will have a more important opportunity to showcase their talents.

Tomorrow is the opening day of the bread competition, and it will be the restaurant's first day of operation, so Ronan will naturally be there to oversee everything.

But tomorrow's market in Mena Village will also see a huge influx of people, as it is now officially the Easter holiday season.

Judging from the number of tourists in Lourmaran today, there will definitely be long queues in front of the market stalls tomorrow.

Ronan had previously handed over the stalls to women to run, but that was during the off-season for tourism.

During this Easter holiday season with its huge crowds, Ronan was really worried that he wouldn't keep an eye on things himself.

After raising this concern, Luo Tianhai took the initiative to say:
"Then I'll go keep an eye on things at the stall tomorrow."

Leah shook her head:

“The purpose of participating in the competition is to attract customers to the restaurant. There will definitely be many opportunities to introduce the restaurant. You are more familiar with Chinese food, so you can’t leave. I’ll go instead. I’ll go to the market tomorrow morning to keep an eye on things.”

Luo Tianhai also shook his head:

"But you'll be more familiar with the crayfish bread and pork floss bread you're bringing to the competition tomorrow. The restaurant needs to introduce them, and the bread you're bringing also needs to be introduced. You can't leave, can you?"

The restaurant's three most important figures all have crucial tasks, making it a difficult question who should stay and who should leave.

Luo Tianhai and Lia argued for a while, and just as they were about to decide the candidate by flipping a coin, Vieri, who came to help, offered a third suggestion:

"I'll keep an eye on the market. You all go to the bread competition. Although I'm not a great cook, I've been helping out at the market for so long, so I'm capable of handling unexpected situations. There shouldn't be any problems at the market."

Vieri has been helping Ronan at the market since last spring and is very experienced.

In terms of ability and experience, he is in no way inferior to Luo Tianhai and Liya.

Luo Tianhai and Liya remained silent for a long time, seemingly unsure of what to do if a child had to step up at such a crucial moment.

But Ronan believed Vieri could do it well:
"Then it's decided. Tomorrow, Vieri will take his men to the market, and the three of us will go to the bread-making competition."

He patted Vieri on the shoulder:

"There will be a lot of people tomorrow, so go and check what you need to bring, especially the rosé wine, bring plenty."

Ronan's affirmation and recognition gave Vieri tremendous motivation, and he immediately took action:

"Okay, I'll go now."

With manpower allocated, the next step is to prepare the items to take tomorrow.

There was no place to make bread at the bread competition venue, so they had to make all kinds of bread the day before and bring them there on the day of the competition.

"I'm going to make bread," Leah said, getting to work as well.

“Ronan and I will help you.” Luo Tianhai rolled up his sleeves.

"You guys go ahead, I need to research some new things." Ronan didn't move.

"What else do you want to research?" Luo Tianhai asked, puzzled.

Ronan said with a smile:
"I'm thinking about whether I can make some steamed buns to take with me."

"Steamed buns?" Luo Tianhai's eyes widened. "Are steamed buns considered bread?"

Ronan shrugged:

"I didn't say steamed food is bad, and I'm just trying it out. I'll make a small batch."

“But meat buns don’t taste good when they’re cold,” Luo Tianhai raised another concern.

In comparison, bread that can be eaten cold is more suitable for this theme.

"Let me think about it some more," Ronan said thoughtfully. "You guys go ahead and make the bread. I can manage here by myself."

As they were talking, Thor ran in carrying a lot of snacks and fruit:
"Ronan, you're amazing! So many vendors gave me samples, they were so enthusiastic!"

“I told you you could fit in!” Ronan said to Thor with a smile. “Go outside and wait a bit, dinner will be served soon. If you’re bored, go play with Paulette and the others for a while. They’re the same people who have been playing with us these past two days. I still need to work on some bread to take tomorrow.”

In the past two days, Thor has met many kind villagers in Lourmaran, which has changed his character.

He asked Ronan:

"I can cook, and I'm not bad at it. Do you need my help?"

Ronan gave him a happy hug:
"That's great! I need more manpower right now!"

(End of this chapter)