From the Newspaper

Maybe part of my love affair with the French stems from their love of and use of language.   French newspapers areoffer a great example. Today's weather forecast called for the Aude to be sec et doux. That translates to dry and sweet...but upon further reflection, I think it means dry and mild.  I suppose some of my enchantment stems from my own incomplete understanding of the language. I would also mention that there are THREE daily newspapers here in Carcassonne, and if I don't get in early enough, my favorite sells out.  People here are still buying and reading print media, which gives me hope. 

The other day I was reading about a building that has provoked some controversy here in Carcassonne. The headline read, The Building Makes One Grind One's Teeth...How wonderful is that for a headline? Very descriptive and evidence that newspapers here do have a point of view!

In the same newspaper, they were writing about the little town, Cucugnan, where I had the wild boar for lunch.  It had been selected as one of the towns as a broadcast site for the national telethon that was held that first Saturday in December.  The local hunters' association was grilling sausages for the anticipated crowds.  I have to admit that it was on the windy side, but the paper reported that these hardy fellows had been cooking in "apocalyptic" conditions. (100 kph winds) That's enough to let you know they must've had a hard time keeping the sausages from blowing off the grill.  But it's so much more descriptive that "High Winds Make Cook-out Difficult" or something equally mundane.

This morning's headlines talk about being wary of unregulated horsemeat.  I asked my friend at the tabac about it, and she gave me a long explanation of the horsemeat trade here.  As with most things, you get what you pay for.  If you don't want bad products, buy from reputable vendors.

Today I read that there's a "salon" of sorts over the bridge tomorrow on Rue Trivalle.  People are gathering to share, probably mostly in Occitan, but they said they welcomed other languages as well, stories about Christmas. They invited people to share stories, poems, songs about the holiday. How charming.  I intend to go.  I can't understand a single word of Occitan.  I am barely grasping all of the French.  But can learn. And who knows,  I might even offer a little American carol--I Wander as I Wander, maybe?  Or how about Mel Torme's The Christmas Song?   

For the curious:  http://www.ladepeche.fr/grand-sud/aude-littoral/