And then sometimes… I have to share bad news instead of good news…
I went to visit Madame Mustard this Sunday to check-in on the growth of her kale crops which she planted in mid-July. Three weeks earlier my husband saw her and she said it was growing fine. Until recently.
The escargot ate our kale.
Ils l’aiment beaucoup. They like it a lot. Great.
My heart sank. Monsieur Vincennes is having personal issues – although I know his kale is growing and now Madame Mustard’s kale was eaten up by an iconic French delicacy.
C’est la vie. C’est farming aussi. Especially organic farming.
It was an awkward moment. Madame Mustard as we know is not the easiest person to talk to, so I wasn’t sure how to react to her unfortunate news. I didn’t cry – although my husband I’m pretty sure was waiting for my tears. I didn’t feel angry. I mean of course I was disappointed but in all honestly, what can I do?
I just feel lucky that Madame Mustard was willing to take the risk in the first place by even trying to grow the kale in the first place.
She sat quietly behind her table, making courgette and raw chick pea sprout “sushis,” and calmly looked up at us as her eyes brightened,
“I’m going to persevere. And begin again – right away! I have a different tactic to try this time.”
I asked her if she needed any other seeds and I think she was impressed that I actually knew how to ask her because yes, my French has slowly been improving. She didn’t but had a sparkle in her eye as I thanked her and said goodbye.
So the next time you order escargot, think of our kale.
Andrea says
Damn smart escargot! Sorry to hear about the setback, but glad to hear she’s going to try again. WE WILL HAVE KALE IN PARIS!!!
Patrick Blake (@pblake) says
Oh no! Good on you for not crying. I’ve recently had an experience where I had a LOT of my food eaten and spoiled by mice! So I can related, sort of.
Maureen in Oakland says
oooh merde. bad escargot. bad snails!