Posted: 15 Aug 2013
No one’s been quite been able to
explain the popularity of canned corn in France to me. But the explanation of
why fresh corn isn’t familiar – or eaten – is that fresh corn is considered
animal feed. Which still doesn’t explain how something isn’t fit for human
consumption if it’s raw, but if it’s cooked and canned, that’s another story.
And when it’s in that sloshy, soggy state, it’s often found in unfamiliar
places – like scattered on pizza or piled up in a salade niçoise.
(Which gives people in Nice fits,
because it’s pas respectueuse
– you’re only supposed to use raw vegetables in a Salade Niçoise.)
On the other hand, we Americans
can’t get enough fresh corn and come August, most of us living in France who’ve
been perfectly content to consume wonderful cheese, bread, and wine for the
past eleven months, well, suddenly our seasonal clocks collectively kick in and
we develop insatiable cravings for plump, fresh tomatoes and corn on the cob
slathered with butter and salt.
So how excited was I when a friend
took me to Grand Frais, a giant
supermarket near where she lives, which specializes in produce, and I was faced
with mounds of fresh corn for just €1,50 ($2) for three ears? And if you bought
three, they threw in the fourth one for free. Of course, I couldn’t resist (the
corn, and the bargain), and proudly excited the store with a big sack
containing a dozen ears of corn.
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