bordeaux :: marché des capucins

10 January 2015

While it feels perverse to be writing a somewhat superficial post about France, I can do little more than to relive the happy days that I was fortunate enough to spend there so recently. 

I realise that truly terrible, unfathomable things happen everyday all over the world - quite honestly, it's hard to keep up with, let alone even imagine living in such places and circumstances. But being that we are a half-French household, it's impossible not to feel that these incidents hit closer to home, and of course there are the political and sociological issues that arise which affect me emotionally. 

There are two things I want to say - one is that generalising an entire religion or race based on the behaviour of radical fundamentalists is utterly ludicrous, and people who actively retaliate based on this opinion are intolerable. 

The other is that it seems the slogan "Je Suis Charlie" seems to be mistaken by some to be a symbol of solidarity with the actual content of Charlie Hebdo, but I don't think that it is. Regardless of whether what they are printing is something you support or don't support, Je Suis Charlie is in defence of the right to free speech. Everyday we converse and exchange opinions, write Facebook statuses, blog, tweet, comment on articles and present our points of view by using this right - and no one should have to fear for their lives as a consequence.

In any case, anything more that I could say about the matter would be echoing the thoughts of most others, so I will stick to what I know and document the positives.




Marché des Capucins is Bordeaux's answer to London's Borough Market. One of the best markets in the country, you can find pretty much anything there - not one for the faint-hearted as there are dead rabbits and other sad looking animals on display, but what do you expect from a hardcore French market? 

We went there to buy some key ingredients for the Christmas Eve dinner that E was cooking, including a live lobster. The seafood looked unbelievably fresh, the meat on offer was impressive and the sheer variety of everything was overwhelming. There are little bars and snacking areas where people had gathered for a casual lunch, as well as a whole bakery area outside where I wanted to taste everything in sight. 

It was buzzing with people, not surprising being a couple of days before Christmas, but the atmosphere was lively without being suffocating and we took our time strolling around. And I don't know if I'm alone here, but I love seeing the French labels on all the food nearly as much as I love the food themselves - there is just something beautiful about the French language, isn't there? I really need to improve in that area...

If you are ever in Bordeaux, this is definitely a place not to be missed. It's open Tuesday-Sunday, and it is a mostly covered market so there's no weather risk involved. Just don't go with an empty stomach, because you might go a little overboard.







































But most importantly -






9 comments:

  1. My heart sincerely aches for France at the moment!

    (And lovely photos as usual.) xx

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  2. I felt really sad after hearing the awful news about
    the terror in Paris. Je suis Charlie!
    And this French market sounds pretty cool! Not
    so fond about hearing that there are actual dead
    rabbits and other animals displaying there ha ;P
    But I can't wait to see what your Christmas meal
    looks like! Xx

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  3. You have captured the essence of France so beautifully in these photos Miho. I so have to go to. Bordeaux don't i?! That's what your pics are telling me.

    Je Suis Charlie

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  4. Oh wow, I especiallllly love the pasta shots. All of it looks so incredibly yummy!

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  5. Your two points are right on. xx

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  6. oh yumm!! love the photography xx
    May

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  7. I love how you opened this post, I could not agree with you more and you wrote it so eloquently. (insert "preach" emoji) Also I was at this exact market when I was in Bordeaux aka you're literally killing me with envy so thanks haha. All those baked goods...are you kidding me, France!? Why are you so far from me?!?

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  8. A French friend of mine put her feelings on the subject well: mon cœur pleure pour l'humanité, et mes larmes tombent sur Paris. Your post is a wonderful way to keep France as we know it best in our minds - an incredibly evocative gastronomic destination for discovery and pleasure, not the centre of violence it has been in the past fortnight. Bordeaux is lucky to have such a lovely market! I wouldn't have been able to tear myself away from those incredible-looking pasta stalls :) xx

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  9. Omg, those photos are seriously stunning! I would have totally bought several loaves of bread, a couple steaks, cold cuts, pate, some assorted fruits and a good bag of raviolis! Love love your shots, the market looks so rich, colorful and full of fresh delicious things!

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