À table, 2

You find the darnedest things in a French supermarket chain store. For instance, canned petit salé and lentils. Who'd've ever thought of that? Why I haven't had petit salé and lentils since . . . the last time I was in Paris! 

     Accompanying a petit salé is not such a straightforward proposition as accompanying a cassoulet. In the interests of not over-taxing my diminishing memory, I've narrowed my choices down to reds from the Loire or Beaujolais. However, other reds or even Chardonnays could be appropriate.

     Loire reds are harder to come by than Beaujolais, so I chose a representative of the former:  Bourgeuil. Bourgueil is a cabernet franc wine which may have up to 10% cabernet sauvignon.

     Price for wine and canned good: $8.50.

À table

A can of cassoulet, posed
with its alliance classique

     This is what's for dinner: a can of cassoulet with a bottle of Cahors (the alliance classique, or perfect accompaniment) available at any supermarket for about $7.00 US. By the way, this can 'o' cassoulet, not to mention 750 mL of wine, will last me for three meals.

     Cahors, for those of you whose mind it may have slipped, is the French version of what is called "Malbec" in the U.S.---actually 70% malbec and 30% something else, in this case Merlot. I won't go into all the interesting details about this wine which can be found at Wikipedia "Cahors wine" anyway, but suffice it to say that a representative Cahors should be "mâche"---a man's wine, very tannic.

     Cassoulet, if I need to explain, is the celebrated traditional bean stew of southwestern France. Disclaimer: the can 'o' cassoulet tasted pretty much like a can of baked beans, but thankfully without the sugar.

     Fortunately or unfortunately, we aren't allowed to make a meal only of can 'o' cassoulet in this country, so I decided to take advantage of the mâche-ness of the wine to have some maroilles, the cheese of the country of my ancestors (Haute Picardie and Nord). Probably, the taste of this cheese is too strong to be paired with any wine, but Cahors holds up better than most.

A quarter of a maroilles

Pont-Neuf

     The name means "New Bridge," which was literally true at the time it was constructed (from 1578 to 1607). But now it's actually the oldest bridge in Paris. At the time it was built, it was the longest such structure in the world.

     Many writers in the past referred to the Pont-Neuf as the center of the city. Apparently, it was both a dangerous and interesting place. Benjamin Franklin said that he had not understood Parisians until he crossed the Pont-Neuf.

     But nowadays, it's pretty much just a way to get across the river.

    The bridge is associated with Henri IV (of Navarre), since it was completed during his reign (1589-1610). There is an equestrian statue of him on the south side of the bridge.