Gifts from the Easter Bell

My youngest daughter is halfway through a 2-1/2 month sojourn in France. This Easter, she was fortunate to spend the weekend with a French family in the village of Soissons.

The village is northeast of Paris, about halfway to the Belgian border. The Cathedral Saint-Gervais & Saint-Protais dates from the 12th century, and a municipal museum is housed in the former Saint Léger Abbey, also started during the 12th century. They approached the village down avenues lined with Prunius trees in full blossom.

My daughter’s weekend family included

• maman

• papa
• two grandmeres
• two single grown children
• one son with his
  • wife

  • daughter
  • infant son

At one point, there were 10 people around the table. Most of the conversation was in French, German and English but Dutch, Russian, Spanish, Japanese and the old language of Brittany were also represented.

Chocolate and Candy

The French hide chocolate and candy for the kids, but the perpetrater isn’t the Easter Bunny. It’s the cloche (bell). This apparently came about because all the church bells are silent from Good Friday until Easter morning, so when the bells return, the candy appears. It’s hidden outside, not indoors.

The Easter Bell did hide chocolate outside on the terrace for the little girl to find. But my daughter and each of the other young adults received a gift of candy and chocolate as well — they just didn’t have to hunt for it!

Good food played an important role in the weekend’s festivities (naturellement — it’s France!). Meals included a duck confit, lamb, and a wonderful orange dessert.

You can't see it, but there's a layer of cake at the bottom.

Other notable foods included a homemade vegetable soup, quiche, apple tart, brioche, French cheeses, and bread.

Have you experienced a holiday in another country that you’d like to share? Click the Comment link below.

I have a confession to make. I love chocolate. It’s my drug of choice, my not-so-secret pleasure.

That’s why I was tickled recently to find that Ecuador, one of the countries we’re considering as a place to live, is a good source of the luscious beans. According to MarketWire,

“Where do the Swiss go to buy the best chocolate in the world? The Trade Commission of Ecuador says it’s a little known fact that Swiss chocolatiers have been traveling to South America for centuries, specifically Ecuador, to stock up on Arriba Nacional cacao.”

Eduardo Borrero, Ecuadorian trade commissioner, stated in the same article:

“Ecuadorian chocolate is organic, sustainable, fair trade, superior in quality and when Americans discover they can drastically reduce their carbon footprint by cutting out the ‘middleman’ they will take a serious look at the label for the word ‘Arriba’ before their next chocolate purchase.”

I say, “bring it on!”

The World Wide Chocolate website describes Ecuadorian Arriba chocolate as:

“a special cocoa varietal with a perfumed floral scent. Its flavor is smooth, with a dominant jasmine note and nutty after-tones.”

National Geographic Traveler describes the Kallari Association, a chocolate cooperative which grows the cacao and makes the chocolate. According to the article by Sarah Aldrich, Association members have the opportunity to earn a living without clearcutting the Amazon rainforest. So we can feel really good about eating their product!

Ecuador just moved up a few points in my “next country to live in” stakes.

Would locally grown cacao induce you to choose one country to live in over another? Weigh in by clicking the comment link below.