Summer in Gascony: Discovering the Other South of France
British student Calder answers an ad for summer farm help in Péguilhan in southwest France’s famed Gascony. There he learns the realities of agricultural life in the employ of a family who own a country inn catering to tourists. Gascony is one of France’s lesser-known provinces, but its rocky fastnesses have produced luminaries such as Cyrano de Bergerac, D’Artagnan, and Montesquieu. Independently minded Gascons consider themselves only loosely associated with the rest of France and treat Parisians with suspicion. Originally peopled with barbarian tribes, Gascony absorbed imperial Roman culture only slowly. Gascony boasts a rich culinary tradition of ducks, geese, foie gras, cassoulet, and fine wines. Calder throws his energy into watering tomatoes and learns how to butcher sheep. He masters the art of grilling duck breasts to perfection for the inn’s guests. Calder’s objective eye never mocks the rustic Gascons, his obvious affection for them shunning shallow sentimentality. --Mark Knoblauch