A funny thing happened to me on the way to the French Riviera... We took a vacation to the south of…read moreFrance and my number one priority was bouillabaisse! It has been 30 years since the last time I visited the French coast of the Mediterranean and I have been craving this iconic dish for all that time. I tried it at a variety of places in France and in the USA, but nothing is like being in the heart of Marseilles, next to the harbor, in the open air indulging in a steaming bowl of this delicious soup. As soon as my meal arrived, I jumped right in with fork and spoon.
After a couple minutes, an older lady walked up to my table and took my spoon away from me while muttering something in French...
Then she picked up a crouton and began coating it with some of the aioli sauce. She put the crouton in the bowl and started coating another crouton with sauce. With a couple croutons in my bowl, she continued to dress them with some of the fish meat and the soak them in the soup.
Now, I have traveled the world (90+ countries), so I am careful to observe my surroundings, reserve any judgement, and learn from my hosts. But, this was stretching me with all sorts of thoughts going through my head. Was she mentally ill and going around to people's tables and eating their food? Did I look familiar to her and she was at the wrong table? Is this a tradition in Marseilles and did I just accidentally hire someone to physically feed me?
I decided to just sit and wait to see what happens. When she was finished setting my plate in a very specific pattern, she said the familiar french phrase "voila" which I understand is "there it is - you can eat now." Apparently, I was eating bouillabaisse the wrong way, and our hostess could not speak English, but wanted me to experience it the right way. The traditional French way to eat this marvelous dish is with crusty bread slices, aioli, soup and the assortment of fish meats - all in one bite.
All I can say is, there is no way I can wait another 30 years to do this again. Ill be back very soon and I hope to see my new friend there for another lesson of enjoying all that southern France has to offer.