Armchair Uzès

This year's Journée de la Truffe in Uzès brought rain and...

 
...une omelette énorme in the Place aux Herbes.

WANTED: This dog's owner, for truffle thieving!

A miserably wet dog sulks under the arches
as his owners partake of truffle omelette...

NOT a truffle dog, NOT this year
(notice both fine grooming and sun shining)

     All over the Uzès region are wanted posters of a cute black dog, with the words  “Do You Know This Dog’s Master?” One night last week the dog and his owner were surprised in the midst of stealing truffles from someone’s private field. The man escaped, the dog did not. And the region’s trufficulteurs want revenge!
     This year’s truffles, those pungent, highly prized mushroom-y pieces of what look like clumps of dirt, are bringing about 500-600 euros per kilo. They’re not called black diamonds for nothing…and their reputation includes strong aphrodisiacal qualities. The culture of the truffle has always swirled with much secrecy about where they are growing wild, how they’re being cultivated, which animals have the best noses, etc. Highly-trained truffle dogs are being stolen from their kennels; illegal forays into private terrain are the rule rather than the exception; and poor quality, low priced Asian truffles are being passed off as authentic French ones.
     Meanwhile the poor dog who was caught red-handed (or should we say, black-nosed?) has become the poster child for truffle crime. We’re waiting to see if the human culprit turns up. We’ll let you know. While we’re waiting, we’ll probably share a feuilleté de truffes, a delicious pastry tart filled with fresh goat cheese and sliced truffles. Why not wait in style?

Check out more on Truffle Fests...
Truffle Photo Gallery
2002
2001

Lunch on the road…
Un repas routier…
Excuse our gourmand ways, but just two weeks into this year’s visit and we’re racking up the lunch expeditions. Montpellier, Saint-Victor-la-Coste, Fontvieille, and of course Uzès…they’ve all been great, but may we quickly share one of them with you, at least in words?
     On a Thursday afternoon, after the obligatory run to the cave coopérative just up the road in Laudun, we stopped in at the Café de l’Industrie in the town square of Saint-Victor-la-Coste, where last spring we had a long and lovely lunch with Michael and Heidi Lynn. This round we sat at the community table with the locals, all of us sharing le menu routier, a 5-course, everything-included meal for 10.5 euros each (about $11). Quel repas! After starting with a carafe of local red wine, some fresh bread, and a plate of sliced tomatoes garnished with grated hard-boiled egg and aïoli, we moved on to the charcuterie plate, a hunk of country paté, cornichons, and caillette (a sort of sausage thing). We had our sleeves rolled up as they brought us our main dish, veal stew (blanquette de veau) served over rice. More wine appeared on the table, so we helped ourselves, sharing the carafe with les homes du terre sitting next to us. A plate of cheeses followed, and we devoured our share of the funky, fragrant selection. The long list of dessert choices made our heads spin, but we landed on lemon tart and crème brulée. Coffee was welcome (you can take your coffee at the table, on the patio, or over at the bar, as you wish) and absolutely necessary for the return home with our cubies and our tummies filled.  21 euros for two, tax, tip, wine and coffee included.

Saint-Victor-la-Coste has a castle with a view, 
and a restaurant with a great menu routier!

Dead grapes on the vine since last fall,
near Montfrin (Gard)

The Gardon flows gently outside Remoulin,
but the debris is still piled up

A sandswept cherry orchard near Remoulin

Flood effects still being felt
Les effets des inondations
The effects of last September’s floods are still being felt all across the Gard, with individuals and businesses reeling with reconstruction, insurance and governmental challenges that won’t be going away any time soon. Torrential rains, in excess of 40 inches in a two-day period, flooded the Gardon and other area rivers, killing more than two dozen people and causing millions of dollars in damage (see our Fall 2002 report). And just last week an overnight rain caused additional flooding because the ground is now so saturated that anything above a shower causes rivers to rise and roads to wash out.
     Many of Remoulin’s cherry orchards were swept away or severely damaged, with predictions of a smaller cherry harvest this May, and most likely higher prices as well. The wine harvest of last fall was severely affected, with many of the Côtes du Rhône vines left unattended for many weeks just at the height of harvest season, or vendage.  The 16^th century Pont St-Nicholas, the stalwart bridge on the road connecting Uzès and Nîmes, was washed away but is being repaired slowly but surely, with a March re-opening now on the horizon. The Pont du Gard itself was not damaged, but the left bank has been closed since September and may not open again until late spring because of washouts under that side of the bridge. We’re putting together a collection of photos as we go along for those interested in following this devastating event. And we’ll keep you posted on progress.