1986: My Happy Life in Provence

Chapter 517 The Fruit of Love
On the way to the farm, Ronan couldn't help but recall several stories about tomatoes that he had heard from the locals.

Provençal people are all great storytellers and love to boast. Ronan couldn't be sure if these stories were true or false, but he was certain that Provençal people loved tomatoes—there weren't as many people making up stories about other fruits and vegetables.

The first story related to tomatoes takes place during the French Revolution.

It is said that in 1792, a group of Marseilles went to Paris to join the army, vowing to defend their country and resist the foreign enemy, Austria.

It is well known that Maasai people must bring their military song, "La Marseillaise," when they join the army, but in addition to that, they also bring Maasai cuisine—tomatoes.

At that time, Parisians were still unfamiliar with tomatoes. They couldn't understand why every Marseilles carried tomatoes in their knapsacks, and even had tomatoes tied to the shafts of Mauser rifles.

It wasn't until they saw the Maasai people, who used tomatoes as rations, bravely fighting on the battlefield that tomatoes began to appear in the backpacks of residents in northern cities like Paris.

When the farmer recounted this history, Ronan simply smiled and remained silent.

How did these tomatoes manage to maintain their original color and not rot after being transported all the way from the south to the north?

The only believable aspect of this story is that tomatoes were already a fairly common food in Provence by the end of the 18th century.

The second short story about tomatoes takes place in an earlier era.

In the 16th century, Spanish conquerors brought tomatoes back to Europe from South America.

For a long time, Provençal people believed that tomatoes had aphrodisiac properties and called them the 'fruit of love,' using them in medicine or as decorations, rarely eating them directly or using them in cooking.

The explanation given in the story is that almost everyone who has eaten a tomato says it's 'not tasty'.

Why did tomatoes become part of the marching rations of Marseille soldiers just 200 years later?
That's because the people of Provence improved the taste of tomatoes, turning this unpalatable "fruit of love" into a Provençal "specialty" that is enjoyed by people of all ages and can be enjoyed all year round.

Ronan still couldn't be sure if the story was true or false, or whether tomatoes became popular because their flavor was improved in Provence.

But in a lush, rolling countryside not far from Marseille, a local Provençal girl vowed to develop the world's best-quality and best-tasting tomato.

Ronan found Fofana's farm without much difficulty.

Upon arriving at a small village called Liu, all the local villagers along the way could guide him to the farm, so Ronan soon met Fofana herself.

This young woman, who looked quite young but had a darker complexion than Henry, possessed an enviable, robust physique, indicating that she had been working outdoors for a long time.

But what's even more captivating than her figure is her personality.

Fulfana did not make things difficult for Ronan's sudden visit. Upon learning his purpose, she eagerly began to introduce the tomatoes here, becoming more and more enthusiastic as she spoke.

Standing in rows of long, wide tomato fields stretching towards the foot of the mountain, seemingly without end, she said to Ronan:
“You’ve come to the right place. The tomatoes here are the best in Provence. They’ll definitely make a Provençal stew that will make your fiancée’s mouth water.”

Fulfana's farm was much, much larger than Ronan had imagined. Most amazingly, the tomatoes there weren't just one color. Red was certainly the most prevalent, but as far as the eye could see, he also saw pink, green, orange, black, and white tomatoes.
"Um, could you recommend one?" Ronan said shyly, "You have so many kinds of tomatoes here."

Fulfana eagerly stepped into the tomato field:

"In fact, they can all be used for stewing meat. Let me tell you about their special features."

Ronan distinguished tomatoes by color, but in Fulfana's mouth, they became names.

Some tomatoes, like the Venus Jade, Green Zebra, Black Russian, White Queen, and Velvet Heart, are only slightly larger than round cherries, while others are as large as small melons.

Every time they passed a patch of new varieties, Fufana would pick a few for Ronan:

"Almost all the tomatoes here are custom-made for customers, so I can only give you a little bit of each one."

Ronan picked up the black tomato that Fulfana handed him, smelled it, and noticed a strong aroma of purple basil:
"Do different customers have different tastes?"

Fofana nodded confidently:

"That's right, every chef has their own little secrets, and I'm lucky to be able to satisfy them."

Before eating, people eat with their eyes. Therefore, the way chefs use ingredients is much like how painters use paints, so that they can combine different shapes and colors to cook up beautiful and delicious dishes. The tomatoes with different colors and unique flavors at Fufana are undoubtedly the sharp weapons in the hands of the chefs.

"Any flavor can be customized?" Ronan found this incredibly amazing, as if it had opened the door to a new world.

I just learned in a casual conversation that a large portion of Fufana's clients are local Michelin-starred restaurants.

They can make so many things out of a single tomato; these Michelin-starred restaurants really know how to have fun.

“That is certainly the noblest aspiration,” Fofana shook her head regretfully, “but experiments are never so easy to succeed. I believe you should understand that.”

Ronan looked over, puzzled, and met Fofana's eyes.

“Just because we’re meeting for the first time doesn’t mean I don’t know you, Ronan.” Fofana pointed with her finger. “I have to thank the overwhelming media coverage in Provence. I know that besides being a restaurant owner, you also have a few ‘experimental forests’.”

It seems this girl who enjoys working with tomatoes also has a hobby of watching F1. Ronan suddenly realized and looked at the tomato field in front of him:

"So this place is also an 'experimental forest'?"

Fulfana happily continued walking forward:

"I am your senior, so please give my regards to Professor Fernand."

Fulfana told Ronan that Professor Fernand was a very accomplished agricultural scholar, and that the farm's success today was inseparable from the effort he put in during the early stages.

She also told Ronan that although Professor Fernand had a bad temper, he was very responsible for every experiment, much better than other professors who talked a good game but started to shirk responsibility when the experiment didn't go well.

“Professor Fernand’s temper has improved a lot.” Ronan said apologetically, holding a large basket of tomatoes of different colors and sizes. “This is too much; it’s enough for me to stew 10 pots of beef.”

Fofana added two more striped tomatoes to the top of the basket:

"Try them when you get home. I look forward to receiving your order. In addition to customizing the flavor and color, the tomatoes here can also be customized in size, as big as an eggplant or as small as a thumb."

Fulfana gave Ronan so many tomatoes not because of his touching love story with Zoe, but because she was after Ronan's status as a restaurant owner.

Today, Ronan not only received a basket of expensive tomatoes, but also important information—Fofana's attitude, which indirectly proves that Ronan's Chinese restaurant in Lourmarin has been included in the list of high-quality restaurants in Provence.

He smiled and said goodbye to Fofana:

"I believe we will definitely have another chance to meet."

Ronan drove directly back to his home in Lourmaran.

Without the pressure of recruiting at the market, he could finally relax for a while and have some private space. And today's private space was for preparing for tonight's party.

The beef was bought personally, the tomatoes were picked personally, and Ronan himself had to cook dinner.

Having already extended an invitation to Bruno's family, Ronan also called Batty and Cafu to invite them over for a get-together that evening.

We bought too much beef this time, we can't finish it all in one day, so we can freeze the rest and invite Louis and Freddie over for another meal in the next day or two.

This wasn't the first time Ronan had prepared dinner, but this time he felt a little pressured, especially with the Provençal stew he had high hopes for.

This was Ronan's first time making this Provençal dish, but he ate it quite often.

It is well known that the appetites of Provençal people are closely related to the climate; eating strawberries at Christmas or pheasants in June is absolutely impossible here.

The people here strictly adhere to the seasons when eating, waiting for asparagus to sprout, enduring the summer without truffles, and longing for the wild game of winter. Provençal people believe that the longer the wait, the more delicious the food tastes, and the happier they are.

Of course, another reason is that Provence follows the principle of eating seasonally—lighter food in spring and summer, and richer food in autumn and winter, each season should have a different menu.

But even with this kind of personality, the Provençal people have one dish on their tables all year round: Provençal stew. This shows how special and important this dish is.

Ronan had eaten many versions of Provençal stew, but Leah's version was extremely spiced, and after one bite, he wanted to grab a whole loaf of bread and gnaw on it.

Provençal stew was also one of the signature dishes of old Karl's wife, and it was always a must-have at every gathering at the Karl's house. The Karl's version would include more potatoes, with the meat broth being stewed into the potatoes, and it would be eaten as a main dish.

Of course, there are many other versions, such as the one in Mrs. Michel's restaurant where the beef is replaced with lamb, or the upscale version in Mr. Jacques' restaurant.
But today, Ronan plans to use the recipe for Provençal stew from the 'recipe' provided by the system. He believes that this should be the most basic and authentic version of Provençal stew.

Ronan first cut the beef into five-centimeter cubes. Although the Camargue bull is called a 'bullfighting bull,' it is not the kind of beef with firm muscles. It was very smooth to cut, and you could tell how tender the beef was even before you tasted it.

With the beef prepared, the next step is to marinate it.

Ronan adds the best red wine he has at home, orange peel, peppercorns, juniper berries, a small handful of ground cloves, a touch of cinnamon, garlic, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves, then gently massages them together with his fingers to help them blend quickly.

While giving the beef a 'massage', Ronan chuckled and muttered:

"I hope Zoe can eat a couple more pieces, then all my time and effort won't have been in vain."

Zoe now schedules all her work in the Ronan family's backyard studio, and her recent work involves participating in an art event carefully selected for her by Cotillard, while creating as many pieces as possible.

When Ronan got home, he immediately went to the studio to inform Zoe that there was a party that evening. However, because Zoe was at a crucial stage in her creative process, Ronan declined her offer to come and help.

Although Zoe was in the studio, her mind was elsewhere; while working, she kept thinking about Ronan.

"We need to get the kitchen in the studio ready as soon as possible." Zoe walked around the studio with a water glass in her hand, feeling that many things were still missing.

For the past few months, their focus has been on the backyard and the house, with little to no work done on the studio. The first floor is a bit better, as Zoe has filled the pottery, glassmaking, and woodworking areas with tools, but the second floor has nothing but a 'bohemian' style bathroom.

Cotillard came over to Zoe to discuss the event details and overheard her muttering complaints:
"You have to keep an eye on Ronan while you're working?"

Zoe crossed her arms and stared at the empty space in front of her:
“My studio is ready, but Ronan’s studio isn’t yet. He also needs an environment where he can create desserts.”

Ronan always creates desserts in the cramped kitchen of a restaurant, an environment that can't compare to this place at all.

However, the original purpose of building this studio was to make it a workspace for the young couple.

But it seems there's nothing of Ronan's here at all.

Cotillard immediately changed his attitude and said encouragingly:
"If that's the case, then we need to get the kitchen fixed up and running quickly."

Don't forget, Ronan is also a soldier under Codia's command.

But this soldier is too irresponsible!

He does everything, but he just won't do anything related to art.

Cotillard naively wondered if having a spacious, bright, independent kitchen would inspire Ronan's creative passion.
Zoe and Ronan's time is very precious now, and they no longer have the opportunity to spend a lot of time making their own furniture.

She turned to Cotillard and said:

"Could you help me find a team that can do a complete kitchen renovation and design, preferably including the cooking equipment? I want to equip Ronan with a state-of-the-art kitchen."

Cotillard tossed his hair:

"Leave it to me, you can rest assured."

I have tons of connections!
Zoe sped up her work, finished early, and went back to help Ronan complete the second half of the project.

Upon learning that Ronan had specially bought a Camargue bull and gone to a farm that specializes in tomatoes to buy ingredients, and that the Provençal stew was still cooking, she started clamoring to eat a whole stone-ground loaf of bread.

“Darling, I promise not a drop of broth will be left in this pot of Provençal stew; I’ll eat it all with bread,” Zoe said excitedly.

Regardless of how much they end up eating, Zoe's attitude means Ronan's efforts weren't in vain.

However, Zoe's words reminded Ronan of something: they hadn't prepared their bread yet.

In the past, most family gatherings consisted of Chinese food, so bread wasn't needed. When we ate French food, Alain was often present, and he would bring the appropriate bread.

The gathering was for a few knitting buddies, so the matter of buying bread was overlooked.

"I'll go buy it and be right back." Zoe kissed Ronan's cheek and left the house.

About thirty minutes later, Zoe rushed back in a panic and immediately asked Ronan for the keys:
Where are the car keys?

"What do you need the car keys for?" Ronan asked from the kitchen. "Where's the bread?"

Zoe complained unhappily:
“Alan’s bakery only has cheese bread, honey bread and some biscuits left. The stone-ground bread in the grocery store is also sold out. I’ve gone to every possible place to buy it, but there’s nothing. I have to drive to Mena village to buy it.”

The bread served with each main course on the table is different, and there are many subtleties involved.

Take Provençal stew as an example. It can only be eaten with simple breads such as country bread, stone-ground bread, or rye sourdough bread. Pairing it with other types of bread is considered 'cult'.

This is just like replacing the bread in mutton stew with red bean buns, sesame seed cakes, or rice – it's simply not feasible.

Ronan frowned silently, recalling Sandrine's recent complaint that it was too difficult to buy freshly baked bread in Lourmarin.

(End of this chapter)