A tradition. The mother with the oldest child in the school invites all the other mothers, that aren’t working, to her house one afternoon in January to share a Galette des Rois. This year was my first time to one of these events. Do I need to take anything, I asked a friend.. ‘We usually all take a bottle of cider, a sweet cider not a dry one’ she replied.
That afternoon was yesterday, and I along with ten other mothers arrived at Chez Veroniques’ at 1.30. We sat round the huge kitchen table that is present in every French kitchen, and then started my toughest test yet in the French language !!.. Ten women, all talking very rapidly recounting stories and gossip. Much concern was voiced about a little boy, whose family who have chickens living in their kitchen, who has been expelled from the school in the neighbouring village and he starts our school next week. Another mother, is having problems with her dog, who keeps taking her neighbours underwear from her washing line..unfortunately one of the women misheard and thought her husband was taking the underwear…
Three hours quickly passed, the Galette des Rois eaten, the cider drunk and once again I was grateful to experience a little more of the French culture and slowly, very slowly, I am being accepted.
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