1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 490 Provençal Market Culture
Several regular customers who frequented the restaurant noticed something unusual.

The once enthusiastic and cheerful artist-boss has recently become gloomy and worried.

He no longer greets familiar customers with a smile; instead, he sits behind the cashier, his brow furrowed as he ponders something.

Luberon only has one Chinese restaurant, Lourmaran. After adopting Chinese cuisine, many regular customers come to eat on a weekly basis, and some of the more enthusiastic ones have long since become friends with the owners.

Seeing that the boss had suddenly changed his temper, many customers offered their concern.

One morning, a few people waiting for a table outside happened to be the boss's 'friends'. Since they had nothing else to do, they started chatting about Ronan.

Customer A: "Have you also noticed that Ronan has become more taciturn lately?"

Customer B: "Of course. In the past, when the boss saw me come, he would give me a free bottle of rosé and sit down to chat with me for a bit. Last time, I walked right past him and he didn't even notice me. Isn't that too unusual?"

Customer A: "Hey, don't blame Ronan. He's on a diet lately and can only eat a little bit each day, so of course he's not in a good mood. You know, what's the point of living if you can't enjoy delicious food to your heart's content?"

Customer B: "Is the boss in a bad mood because he can't eat? I don't think so. I chatted with him for a bit last week, and he said he wanted to participate in more markets, but the information about markets in Provence is too complicated, and he doesn't know how to choose. He thinks about these things every day."

Customer A: "Huh? There's such a thing? I've never heard him mention it."

Customer C: "Hey you two, you're both wrong, aren't you? I heard Ronan say that he wanted to hire a group of workers to set up a stall at the market, but he sent out the job postings in the middle of the month, and after all this time he hasn't even gathered half of the staff. Now he's dreaming about 'hiring workers' all the time!"

Customers A & B: "Hmm? Ronan has so many worries?"

Customer C: "That's right, the better the business, the more problems there are."

While a few people outside were chatting enthusiastically, Ronan was having dinner with Zoe and a group of artist friends from the North.

They came to Lourmaran specifically to experience the artistic atmosphere.

After discussing the art of Provence, the young men and women from the north curiously asked Ronan about his business dealings.

Successful artists are few, successful businessmen are even fewer, and a successful artist-businessman is an absolute rarity—and there is one right in front of them.

"What kind of successful businessman am I?" Ronan said modestly. "Many businesses are just in their initial stages, and problems are always being solved. I'm currently having a headache about this."

A young artist across from me, wearing a blue shirt and gold-rimmed glasses, asked:

"Every business you're doing well looks like it. What's causing you any headaches?"

Ronan sighed deeply:

"For example, I want to participate in more Provence markets, which sounds simple but is very difficult to do."

The man in the blue shirt asked, puzzled:

"where is the problem?"

What's so difficult about participating in a market?
Compared to artistic creation, it has absolutely no technical skill involved.

Ronan asked them with a smile:
"Do you know how many large-scale open-air markets there are in Provence? There are 150. There are 150 regular markets held in Provence every week. If you include the seasonal markets, the number will exceed 200. That's right, 200 formal markets. When I first heard this number, I was just as shocked as you are."

He shook his head and said self-deprecatingly:

“About two months ago, I naively declared that I would set up a stall in every market in Provence, but to achieve this goal, I would need to organize a team of more than 100 people, which is difficult to do under the current circumstances.”

Ronan and Ines said he wanted to set up markets in every market in Provence and bring rosé (Chinese food) to every inch of Provence.

The president should also be asking Llorente to do the same.

Llorente was quite efficient, delivering every inch he promised, but when he mentioned the number 200, Ronan chickened out.

Markets in Provence are held weekly; for example, the market in Lourmarin is held on Fridays.

However, with only 7 days a week and the market concentrated in the few hours between 8 a.m. and lunchtime, it would roughly take nearly 30 market teams to accomplish this ambitious goal.

The problem is that it's now very difficult to organize even five regular market teams.

The stall sells simple items: their signature sweet and sour pork, Chinese fast food, and rosé wine.

Fast food can be supplied uniformly from Lourmaran, teaching people how to make sweet and sour pork is not difficult, and selling rosé wine requires even less technical skill.

The biggest problem is that we can't recruit workers.

Lourmaran has only a few hundred residents, mostly old and young, some farming. The net labor force is not much.

In the last two or three months, Lourmaran has seen an abundance of job openings.

First came the art shops that opened in late February and early March; then Ronan's restaurant expanded its staff, and around the same time, Stella began to recruit workers on a large scale; before Easter, Lourmaran's commercial value was recognized, and a large number of merchants from other villages took notice of it. Although the second and third phases of the commercial street were not yet completed, the leasing was already finished, and those bosses had already begun to look for labor in Lourmaran.

By early May, Lourmaran was already experiencing a labor shortage, but the final straw was that the Lourmaran Handicraft Cooperative had signed up almost all the female labor force in the village.

Finding workers in Lourmaran is now incredibly difficult; Ronan has already posted job openings in the neighboring village.

However, people from other villages don't know as much about a villager as they do about their own. They can easily tell you 8000 words about the details of a 10-year-old's early romance by just asking a couple of questions, so we are extra careful when hiring.

With difficulties in recruiting, selecting markets, and managing unfamiliar people, how could Ronan not be worried?

But by mid-June, the first batch of market teams had to appear in more markets across Provence—this was his deadline. Ronan shared the difficulties he faced, and a woman in casual clothes next to him in his blue shirt asked a question that had been nagging at him for a long time:
"Actually, I've never understood why people in Provence don't go to big supermarkets to buy things. Why do they have to go to the market? The items in the supermarket are clearly categorized, and you can find all the food you need for the next week in just 20 minutes. But the same items can take two hours to find at the market."

In 1987 France, large supermarket chains were in a period of rapid expansion, gradually becoming one of the main places for urban residents to shop daily.

According to reports, more than half of the food in Paris is purchased from supermarkets. Small vegetable shops, butcher shops and bakeries have been hit hard, and cheese makers, fishmongers and farmers have had to sell their products to large supermarket chains or face bankruptcy and food shortages.

These artists came from a big city in the north, and they didn't quite understand why Ronan would bother to think so much about markets, given that supermarkets were destined to become a trend.

“Supermarkets will never be common in Provence,” Zoe blurted out. “You should go to the chain supermarkets in Avignon or Marseille and see for yourselves; the situation there is completely different from what you see back home.”

Large supermarket chains naturally came to Provence, but they didn't adapt well to the local conditions.

Country folk like Ronan and Zoe, even when going to town for the market, would go to Milona Market in Apte, "the most popular market among women in all of Luberon," rather than a fancy supermarket.

Ronan was more certain of this than Zoe, because even after another 20 years, supermarket chains had not truly entered the Provençal market, and the market culture of Provence had not only been preserved but had become even more prosperous.

"Why?" the female artist continued, "Why don't people in Provence choose the more convenient supermarkets?"

“Because markets are a culture, and a culture that has been passed down for hundreds of years. No one would willingly abandon their own culture, right?” Zoe said eloquently. “The first market in Provence was born in Apte, authorized by King René in 1523, and it has been open every Saturday for more than 400 years without stopping; the second market appeared in 1567 in Roussillon, and the third market was in Gordes, which opened in 1774. Most children in Provence can tell you this. Now, can Parisians recite the opening dates and locations of the first, second, and third chain supermarkets?”

The people on the other side were speechless.

I gained a deeper understanding of the market culture of Provence.

The market culture of Provence is one of the most popular topics of discussion among men at the dinner table. Having lived in Provence for a year and a half, Ronan has a relatively deep understanding of it, and in many ways.

"There are many reasons why markets are so attractive. Shopping in supermarkets is monotonous and lacks character, but shopping at markets is different. Experiences vary from person to person. The vendors are almost all producers, and they are on-site, personally promoting their products, unlike supermarkets where there is no one on duty. You may not be able to imagine what it's like to sell food in Provence, but I understand. As a stall owner, if my food isn't perfect, I'll face the most demanding customers in the world, because everyone here is a gourmet. If a Provençal buys something bad, they will definitely complain loudly."

Zoe and Ronan, as if on the same wavelength, continued to explain, following Ronan's lead:

"But there is also a positive aspect to dealing with the most discerning customers in the world. Buyers and sellers often develop a relationship as a result. Every time my mother goes to the market, she greets dozens of stall owners, and the stall owners will also take the initiative to greet familiar customers and call out their names, regardless of whether they buy anything. In this situation, customers firmly believe that the stall owners will save the best goods for them, and before long, they will feel that the other party is one of their own."

Zoe's explanation made the northerners opposite her think deeply.

"Does this sound more like a social behavior?"

Ronan smiled and shrugged:

"It's not just about socializing; it usually involves educational themes as well."

Zoe chuckled and patted Ronan's hand before continuing her explanation to the group opposite her:

"The vendors in Provence are happy to share the origin and merits of everything, and they'll even teach you how to cook it. For example, they'll tell you to buy fish with shiny eyes, what stuffing is best for zucchini, how to cook two duck breasts joined together, the best way to store olive oil, a trick to peel bell peppers in 30 seconds, and how adding a little lemon juice to water can rejuvenate a vase of flowers—"

Ronan interjected with a smile:

"With just one morning, you can participate in an extremely enriching educational course, and you can learn something different each time you go. Can you get this kind of experience in a supermarket? Provençal people have no shortage of time, and convenience is indeed great, but we would prefer to spend a leisurely morning browsing and finding some enjoyment beyond food and shopping."

Zoe gave Ronan a satisfied look; he was now very much a Provençal figure, not just in terms of appetite, but also in his mind:

"Believe me, the fun that markets can bring is rich and multifaceted. Whether it's the weather, the new postman, or the newly appointed prime minister, you can definitely find someone at the market who is willing to talk to you for half an hour. Even markets in very remote areas can attract a large number of residents from the surrounding area every week. So I strongly support Ronan's idea of ​​participating in more markets. This is the simplest, most efficient, and most direct way to penetrate Provence."

The several northern artists opposite looked at each other, trying to process what the young couple was saying.

It's just buying something, how could it lead to so much trouble?

That's a bit abstract, isn't it?
"Hey, Ronan—" Customer A finally got a table and went straight to Ronan as soon as he entered. "How are you feeling today? Still feeling terrible?"

Ronan patted the customer on the shoulder:

"Feeling better? Have you ordered? Which table are you sitting at?"

"I saw an old weight loss method in the newspaper called 'silence diet,' which involves going to a monastery for a week of quiet meditation, during which time you are forbidden to speak and only eat vegetable soup and dry bread every day," Customer A said earnestly. "Would you like to try it?"

One dared to speak, the other dared to ask; Ronan solemnly asked:

How many pounds can I lose in a week?

Several northern artists listened intently to the conversation between the two men, not daring to utter a sound.

People from Provence really can talk about anything!
You absolutely must attend the market.

Zoe also said that participating in more markets is the simplest, most efficient, and most direct way to penetrate Provence.

Ronan has been pushing forward with recruitment efforts, mentioning it to acquaintances whenever he runs into them, asking if they know anyone suitable.

Ronan is also working diligently to compile a list of markets, consulting with relevant parties and conducting on-site investigations to try and find a few of the most suitable ones.

Before mid-June, Ronan could handle the market business on his own, no matter how much hardship or fatigue he endured.

But once it's running smoothly, he can't be there every day, so he still needs to find someone in charge.

On this day, Ronan sat behind the cashier counter, where he could "see everything at a glance," and carefully observed the employees and acquaintances coming and going for a long time.

Who is the best person to entrust with the market operations?
(End of this chapter)