Food in Provence

On the way to dry dock from the airport talkative driver initiated a conversation about life in Provence. He was obviously a great patriot of his home region and was eager to describe its beauty to a first-time visitor.
But when the conversation touched the cuisine Monsieur became determined to prove it was the best place on Earth.
He explained how passionate the Marseillais (Marseille inhabitants) are about food. The dinner is the main meal of the day when all the family gathers and everyone is happy to cook something as a way to contribute to the family well-being. At the table – unlike Englishmen – they don’t talk about the weather. Instead they discuss food in detail. Everything matters: not only the freshness of fish or seafood and the quality of wine but even bread and olive oil!
Here despite the existence of the big shopping centers in the outskirts of the city traditional specialized shops are still popular. They are so highly specialized that you will buy raw meat at boucherie (butchery) but all sorts of sausages – at charcuterie; bread – at boulangerie but pastries and other sweet treats – at patisserie. Same way fish (poisson) can be found at poissonnerie, ice-cream (glace) – at glacerie, chocolates – at chocolaterie and so on. Same is true for other items: flowers are bought at fleuristerie, locks and keys – at serrurerie… Basically, the name of your store can be formed by taking whatever you specialize in and adding -erie at the end.
In Provence rightfully proud of pastis (an alcoholic beverage made with aniseed and spice) and olive oil one can even see pastis and olive oil boutiques:

Olive oil boutique

Cadeaux Gastronomiques - "Shop of gastronomic gifts" with a large selection of foie gras 

 Here people are so proud of what they do that you can see on the stores signs like “Maître Artisan de Glace” – Master Craftsman of Ice cream – which does not make sense in other languages and cultures but is a proud title in France.

Soon we got a chance to see with our own eyes how much the food matters to the inhabitants of this beautiful southern region.

We had been on the promenade by the Old Port (Vieux Port) quite a few times but always in the evening. On Saturday morning however we could not recognize it: it was loud and crowded:

Quais des Belges on Saturday morning

When we got closer we realized what all the buzz was about: fishermen were selling freshly caught fish and Marseillais of all ages and social levels were there – picking, bargaining, sniffing, discussing the qualities of each species… The fishermen – rough guys in those tiny knitted black hats – were happily demonstrating best pieces.

An old lady was selling Provencal herbs:

And as all today’s catch was sold out the fishermen could happily depart.

Another peculiarity of Provençal food habits is that people take their time to eat. You will not see Marseillais running along the streets sipping from a plastic coffee cup or biting from a burger. In fact the staff at coffee shops will raise their eyebrows if you ask for a coffee cup “to go”. Most probably they will not have plastic cups or lids neither. Here cup of coffee is a sacred ritual, a “Zen” moment when the world stops and nothing else exists.

Same comes to dinner: by the dinner time (which comes after 8pm) all the shops are closed, shutters pulled down but the street cafes start to become lively. Do not attempt to eat before 8pm! Of course, sandwich stores (or as we can now call it “sandwicherie”) and kebab stalls will be offering their services any time. Some – like our favorite restaurant Les Arsenaulx – will offer a short snack menu. But not one gourmet restaurant will feed you before this time.

After a long time in States with restaurants open from dawn till dusk and all sorts of deliveries and takeaways available at any hour we were surprised that French were not making advantage of natural human desire to eat. But after a while we realized it is simply a different culture: food is not something that people “grab” in-between other things while walking or driving. It is an important– if not the most important – activity of the day. This is something people make time for. They put aside everything, close down the shops and spend hours being together, tasting wine and food, discussing their qualities, ways of cooking, spices used…

Marseillas seem to be neglecting all modern dietology rules: they eat freshly baked bread and croissants, they dine late – yet you cannot see any obese people on the streets. Looks like Provençal diet works against all laws!

 The most memorable culinary experience of our stay in Provence – and one of the most memorable ever – was from restaurant Les Arsenaulx located (as one might guess) in former Arsenal building. They have several dining rooms, a library, conference rooms and spice store.

We would arrive shortly after 7 and were offered to order from snack menu or enjoy wine with typical Provençal snacks: navette – a small hard biscuit in the shape of a boat, usually flavoured with orange blossom but here it was salty – that we were supposed to dip in tapenade – a paste made from capers, chopped olives and olive oil (sometimes anchovies may be added); anchoïade – a paste made from anchovies, garlic, black olives and olive oil. At eight o’clock and not a minute earlier we were offered the main menu.

We visited Les Arsenaux several times and tasted other dishes and each of them was a discovery. Pieds-paquets, another typical Provençal dish prepared from pig's trotters, sheep or pork tripe and lard. Do not be put off by this quite veterinary description for it is delicious.

As to appetizers we also took foie gras, sea urchin, chicken breast and… Of course, we did not miss the main courses and tasted rabbit and lamb shoulder. On our last night in Marseille we tasted XXX which was served raw with warm panisse, a sort of a thick pancake made from chickpea flour. It was such an unusual but delicious combination.

 Of course, it was a must to try bouillabaisse,

 traditional Provençal fish stew originating from the city of Marseille containing assorted shellfish, fish and vegetables, served with rouille, toasted bread (croûtes) and often grated cheese. The French and English form bouillabaisse comes from the Provençal Occitan word bolhabaissa [ˌbujaˈbajsɔ], a compound that consists of the two verbs bolhir (to boil) and abaissar (to reduce heat, i.e., simmer). Recipes for bouillabaisse vary from family to family in Marseille, and local restaurants dispute which versions are the most authentic. 

An authentic Marseille bouillabaisse must include rascasse (eng: scorpionfish), a bony rockfish which lives in the calanque (sort of Mediterranean fjord) and reefs close to shore. It usually also has congre (eng: European conger) and grondin (eng: sea robin). According to the Michelin Guide Vert, the four essential elements of a true bouillabaisse are the presence of rascasse, the freshness of the fish; olive oil, and an excellent saffron.

 Generally similar dishes are found in Portugal (caldeirada), Spain (sopa de pescado y marisco, suquet de peix), Italy (zuppa di pesce), Greece and all the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea; where these kind of dishes have been made since the Neolithic Era. What makes a bouilabaisse different from these other dishes are the local Provençal herbs and spices, the particular selection of bony Mediterranean coastal fish and the way the broth is served separately from the fish and vegetables. (c)Wikpedia

Cannot say any better than that. I can only add that the taxi driver who was my first guide into Provençal cuisine explained to me that only in Marseille can you try the real bouillabaisse as only here rascasse feeds on this very special seaweed in calanaques. Well… Now to make sure Marseille bouillabaisse is the best we need to taste its other Mediterranean rivals…

Marseille

Marseille is one of the most ancient cities in Europe dating 2,600 years back.
Unfortunately it is also the second largest city in France after Paris so the history and culture are not that evident.
Beautifully ornate buildings are tucked between others on narrow streets so it is impossible to photograph them even with wide-angle lens. One of the most impressive cathedrals - Cathedral of Sainte-Marie-Majeure or La Major, reigning over esplanade by the seaside was dark and seemed abandoned even though we could not find any information about it being closed neither on English nor on French sites.
There is a famous cathedral of Notre-Dame de la Garde that offers a splendid viewpoint over the city but unfortunately we were not able to visit it as we were mostly free only in the evenings.
But there is a way to see the beauty of Marseilles - it is to look at it from the boardwalk or from the harbor. This is the only situation when it is possible its architecture, colors and lines:

Notre-Dame de la Garde cathedral is on the hilltop in the background

Marseilles harbor

Harbor entrance guarded by the forts

But the night changes it all. And Christmas time casted its playful shade on the local streets:

View from Saint Charles railway station. Notre Dame de la Garde Church is on top of the hill in the right

Even well-known marina looked different at night

Dry dock

Every once in a while – just like a car – big ships have to undergo technical maintenance. And if the cars are lifted the ships are taken care of differently: the are being repaired in dry docks.

A drydock (also commonly dry dock) is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform. Drydocks are used for the construction, maintenance, and repair of ships, boats, and other watercraft.

Usually the companies use the time when the ships is in dock for other repairs: carper change, pipes and air-conditioning works etc. So for the crew who stay onboard it is on one hand life full of challenges with water, electricity and - most importantly - air conditioning disappearing all the time. Sometimes without prior notice and for random periods.
On the other hand it is the time when we can discover ports without clocks ticking down our necks: there is no curfiew and everyone is welcome to come and go as they please. As long as it does not contradict their duties, of course.

Greek ferry in the next dock

General view of a dry dock: the water starts coming in before the boat is set free

 In our case the major work was done on Azipods - giant motors under the ship.

As the motors are stripped off the propellers they look sort of weird

Obviously what is below the blue line is usually under water

Same area viewed from the top of the ship

The time in dry dock is so expensive that work does not stop even for the night:

Night work

Night work 

Night work

The dry dock is located in Marseille suburbs is a part of large port and dock area. Marseille has served its role as gateway to French Empire from its North African colonies of Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. It continues being an important port even after the abolition of colonial system.

The Old Port located in the heart of city was replaced as the main port for trade by the Port de la Joliette during the Second Empire. In the 1970's with the help of EU funds the port and dock area were moved further from the city and now create quite an impressive panorama:

Greek ferry in the neighbored dock  

Closeup of the hull

Giant cranes are an important part of dry rock operation. In the background - giant oil and container port with a cargo ship being loaded

Of course, for us the time spent in dry dock was an opportunity to discover Provence - beautiful area of France...

Street impressions of St. Petersburg

Both of us have been to St. Petersburg before, about 8-10 years ago and were anxious to see how the city has changed since. As according to Wikipedia it is permitted to shorten city name to simply Peter we will use it here too

In Russian literature and informal documents the "Saint" (Санкт-) is usually omitted, leaving Petersburg (Петербург, Peterburg). In common parlance Russians may drop "-burg" (-бург) as well, leaving only Peter (Питер, pronounced as "Piter").

Well, first of all, we were pleasantly surprised to see how much the level of service went up. It might come us a surprise for people born and raised in a market economy but 10 years ago one would not hear much of "hello", "thank you" and so on. I am not talking about people in public transport who would step and your foot and keep walking but about people from customer service sphere, those who were supposed to make money by keeping customers happy.
Well, this time we saw a lot of smiles, heard a lot of "thank you, come again" and so on. If they did not have something they always offered a substitute.
All and all it was a pleasure to deal with waiters, sales assistants, pharmacists and so on, this was a great change!


What else did we notice?


Like any other big city (and Petersburg is the northernmost city with over million people) there is a lack of parking spots. However probably due to the fact that the city was planned, not grew chaotically and the streets and avenues are mostly wide this problem is not so acute, like, for example, in Napoli.
Yet one can still witness scenes of this kind:

Parking. Peter style.

Unfortunately modern life has its needs and often beautiful architecture is misused or simply ruined by modern signage. This richly ornate Art Nouveau entrance is covered with a maze of cables, the arch is blocked with ugly metal door. Looks like the carved door on the right is not being used with people sneaking in through the little metal door.

To top it up "Do not park" is painted on the metal gate 

Signboards of St. Petersburg are another story. From the city that rightfully carries the name of Russian cultural capital we would expect to see more taste in advertising.
Instead there were all visual "effects" that were used 10 years ago when PC became more accessible and therefore a lot of visual design was created by people without proper education. White outlines, shadows, cutouts, "funny" fonts were all here.

Samples of Peter visual advertising

Another feature of modern Peter is the abundance of Sushi bars. Feels like sushi is their new national dish as at some streets it is impossible to walk a hundred meters without stumbling upon at least one sushi bar. Apparently all the kebab stalls from 10 years ago were now replaced with sushi bars.

This really looked more than just fashion, kind of obsession. And even restaurants that were not initially geared towards sushi rushed to include them in their menus. We were surprised to see sushi on the menu even in Elki-Palki restaurant (unfortunately their site is only in Russian) that specializes in traditional Russian cuisine. The interior is decorated in Russian style, waiters are wearing traditional clothing etc. Sushi really was dissonance with atmosphere. Russian cuisine however was good: blini (thin Russian pancakes) with different stuffings - caviar, mushrooms, ham and cheese and others, famous soups Borshsh and Solyanka, wild mushroom soup, they offered home-made kvas and cranberry drink. It is a franchise with over 50 restaurants all over Russia and quite a few in Petersburg so you will be likely to see them a lot. If you want you want to try traditional Russian cuisine at a reasonable price with quick and efficient service Elki-Palki is a good choice.
It is a shame as there are many cuisines worth exposure. The more so because people of different nationalities call Peter their home so during the visit it is possible to taste dishes from different countries cooked by countrymen themselves. We appreciate it much better than sushi cooked by guys who have never even been to Japan.
For example we visited Uzbek restaurant. Place was by no means intended for any passer-byes and we won't recommend it to those who look for a glamorous place or simply do not speak Russian. But if you are adventurous, want to try something real and interior design (though important) matters less then authentic dishes do not ignore these "holes in the wall". We were the only "walk-ins" as the place was more like club or gathering spot for locals, many of them knew the menu so well that did not even ask for one! TV was on showing some Uzbek movie which was looked us with a lot of interest. We ordered two staples of Uzbek cuisine shurpa and plov.

shurpa (shurva or shorva), a soup made of large pieces of fatty meat (usually mutton) and fresh vegetables; ©Wikipedia

Palov (plov or osh), rice pilaf - is the flagship of Uzbek cookery. It consists mainly of meat, onions, carrots and rice cooked in a special cauldron (deghi or qazan) over an open fire; chickpeas, raisins, barberries, or fruit may be added for variation. Although often prepared at home for family and guests by the head of household or the housewife, palov is made on special occasions by the oshpaz, or the osh master chef, who cooks the national dish over an open flame, sometimes serving up to 1,000 people from a single cauldron on holidays or occasions such as weddings. ©Wikipedia

Both dishes were excellent. We were explained that all the dishes here are prepared according to Islamic laws as the notion of "halal" - food prepared accordingly - is very important for Uzbeks. All the ingredients are delivered from Uzbekistan to make sure all laws are being followed.


We got a glimpse of another cuisine - Georgian (country, not state :)) at "Khachapurnaya-khinkal'naya" on pr. Dobrolyubova. Khachapuri - or "cheese bread" - is a staple of Georgian cuisine.

Khachapuri (Georgian: ხაჭაპური - xač’ap’uri or "cheese bread") is a filled bread dish from Georgia. The bread is leavened and allowed to rise, and is shaped in various ways. The filling contains cheese (fresh or aged, most commonly suluguni), eggs and other ingredients.  ©Wikipedia

We did not realize there were many sorts of khachapuri from different regions: I took Megruli Khachapuri (filled with cheese and topped with cheese) and Erkki - not a big fan of meatless dishes - took khachapuri with pork. We also took an appetizer made of string beans and walnut. All dishes were freshly made to order and tasted excellent. Khinkali - another popular Georgian dish - will be something to taste next time.

Khinkali (Georgian: ხინკალი) are Caucasian dumplings filled with various fillings such as mushrooms or cheese, but mostly with spiced meat (usually beef and pork, sometimes mutton) with greens, onions and garlic. ©Wikipedia

The only downslide to otherwise excellent food was the presence of cigarette smoke. 

By all means is it specific to this place only. Just the opposite. Smoking is allowed in the vast majority of Peter bars and restaurants and it is difficult to find a non-smoking place. Most places offer smoking and non-smoking rooms, but quite often there is no real separation or stronger conditioning in these areas so even though nobody smokes next to you the smell is still there. After having spent in the US and the EU where the smoking in public places is prohibited it was a shock.


This is another reason why we really appreciated restaurant of Lithuanian cuisine - Gintaras. Again, unfortunately we could not find there site. It is located on Vasilievsky Island, metro Vasileostrovskaya, pr. Sredny 5. The absence of smoke is not the only reason we came there 3 times during 4 days in Peter! Cozy interior with thorough intention to detail (all tables labelled with their symbol - letter "G", watercolors in the bathroom, photos of old Vilnius on the walls), fresh newspapers, books about Lithuania and albums by famous photographer on the side to read while waiting. Every meal starts with a carafe of water with lemon and fresh mint - so tasty even during cold autumn so we could only imagine how much the guests enjoy it during hot summers. The menu has two parts: Lithuanian and European cuisines. The first 2 times we took split pea soup with smoked ribs and zeppelins - national Lithuanian dish. They come with meat or cottage cheese and can be either fried or boiled. First time we took both kinds and agreed that even though both were excellent the fried one is a little heavier so the second time we took boiled ones. It is possible to choose one or two so light eaters, take one! They are very filling. The soup was to die for so Erkki took it all three times. As I like to try new things the third time I took Saltibarsciai, the traditional Lithuanian cold beet soup that comes with hot baked potatoes. For the main course I switched to the European menu and tried the dish that had been recently added and was not even printed but hand-written on the menu: veal kidney and thymus gland. Despite a pretty "anatomic" name the dish was excellent too. We also convinced Kaspar to take home-made ice-cream. Not only was it delicious it was also artfully presented:filled into emptied lemon skin. Highly recommend!



Let us return to symbols of St. Petersburg circa 2011.
Another fashion-becoming-obsession is hookah also known as a waterpipe or narghile

It is a single or multi-stemmed (often glass-based) instrument for smoking in which the smoke is cooled by water. 

For some reason it is offered not only in oriental-theme restaurants but pretty much everywhere. Almost every coffee shop has "hookah menu" on the last page. To tell the truth we never ended up in such cafe. But it always worried us as non-smokers that the next customer might ask for hookah and we will have to enjoy our coffee in tobacco smell. If you are concerned about it look closer at the café  and beware of the signs below:

Water pipes on display and sign saying кальян - hookah in Russian

Of course, like any tourist city Saint Petersburg offers a variety of t-shirts. Unfortunately for foreign tourists most inscription are in Russian so many guests of the city cannot appreciate the creators' sense of humor.
Here is the translation of some T-shirt slogans: "I love St. Petersburg", "Alcoholics against the drugs", "Peter is a stylish bitch", "Kill a beaver - save a tree".

One of the few t-shirts sellers who stayed despite the cold. There are many more during summer season.

Another problem of all big cities - graffiti. And we mean not graffiti as a form of art but its ugly younger brother  - graffiti "just because".

Garages in one of the yards on Petrogradskaya Storona

And some more creative displays and shop signs.
Below is a sign incorporated into beautiful Art Nouveau window. The translation of the sign is also remarkable: The shop of LenOblPotrebSoyuza - abbreviation for Union of Consumers of Leningradskaya Oblast'. By the way, even though the city itself was renamed from Leningrad to Saint Petersburg back in 1991 the district surrounding the city is still named Leningradskaya oblast' - Leningrad District. What is the Union of Consumers - I do not know.

The official shop of Union of Consumers

Another element that is used for decoration is balloons. Look how beautifully they ornate the entry to Vasilievsky market!

Entrance to Vaslievsky Market

Apparently there is a law in Russia that forces all companies to have signs in Cyrillic alphabet so do not be surprised to see Louis Vuitton written as Луи Вьюиттон. Below is a similar example from Mollie's Mews pub.

Mollie's Mews and Моллис Мьюз

Design aside, this sign is much funnier when you actually understand what it says. Well, let us help you. Along with standard (and respectively illustrated) "fruits-vegetables" there is smaller sign stating: "We are open. Come on in, the prices do not bite".
Definitely there is humor in Peter air.

The shop where the prices do not bite

Another sign created with sense of humor: "Self-service store in pedestrian accessibility". No jokes, it is important as there are a lot of walkers in Saint Petersburg.

Accessible store

Some sign though can be understood without words:

Full assortment

Something modern:

Creative traffic light

Yet next to modern signs and symbols there are always traces of past centuries such as this "Lion's Gate" in one Nevski passages...

Tikhvin Cemetery

As we had been to Saint Petersburg many times before we decided to visit some spots off the beaten path. Erkki remembered once he had been to a beautiful cemetery and wanted to re-visit it. So one of the mornings we headed to Ploshchad Aleksandra Nevskogo metro station.

Tikhvin Cemetery (Тихвинское кладбище) is located at the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. It was established in 1823, some of the notables buried here are: Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky

It was an early morning and the cemeteries were not yet open (keep in mind, they are open from 9:30am every day except Thursday) and we walked around the monastery.

Alexander Nevsky Monastery

Alexander Nevsky Monastery

There were not many people as the next service at the monastery church starts at 10am on most weekdays. The absence of people was compensated by numerous birds.

Alexander Nevsky Monastery

On one side if the road there is so called "Master's Cemetery where famous writers, actors and composers are buried. The monuments were beautiful but a little too formal.

Some details from Master's Necropolis

On the other side of the road lays 18th century necropolis where rich and noble but not famous people are buried. The monuments there were to  our mind less formal, more symbolic and more creative.

General view of necropolis with monastery background

Some monuments were complete multi-figured sculptures using different materials.

One of the complex monuments

This monument uses different colors of marble

Some were high reliefs with complex poses, emotions and symbols: the person buried here was among others founder of the science academy and supporter of arts which is represented by a globe and lyre in the bottom left corner.

A very sad monument: look at the depth of emotions!

Some mid-reliefs were made of bronze and represented complex heraldic compositions including coat of arms, armor, flags, scull and bones... In the 18th century it could be read as a book as every element made sense.

Bronze heraldic composition

There were more transparent symbols: crying figures...

Crying figures

...some demonstrated what "laid to rest" means

Laid to rest

It was a surprise for us to see on many tombstones skull and bones. For a while we were sure it was pirate symbol. Up until we visited Camp Hill cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. We were surprised to see skull and bones as a repeated motive on many tombstones. 

The skull and cross bones are know as a Memento Mori, a reminder of our own mortality if you will, the hour glass also serves as a reminder that the sands of time are running out.

Information board explained that this motive was used in earlier burials and was later on replaced by winged heads. We were surprised to find out that

It is estimated that up to 1750 at least 90% of the gravestones displayed winged skulls. The oldest stones have grim images suggesting pessimism about the soul ascending to heaven. Note the use of symbols such as bones, hourglass or flames of hell. 

So skull and cross bones not only are used in Jolly Roger but also in tombstones that can be found in Europe, America and now Russia:

Scull symbols: the bottom sculls look happy even though the souls represented by bees are obviously leaving them... 

There were many more symbols: anchor apparently symbolizing a seaman, cut down tree with its crown next to it, hooped snake symbolizes eternal life - no beginning, no end, hourglass - passage of time, phoenix bird - rebirth, rose symbolizes beauty... There was even a masonic  eye within a sunburst.

Other symbols