“Give us this day our daily bread…” Matthew 6:11 [NIV]
We are once again sitting on the beach, this time just down the road from our stone cottage, at Blainville-sur-mer, watching fleets of tractors edging their way down the slipway over to the oyster beds at low tide. The oysters are cultivated in bags lain across rows and rows of raised platforms made from what look like steel reinforcing rods. The tractors move quickly, for in a few hours the shellfish will all be covered by the incoming tide. A few family groups follow in age-old tradition with rush baskets slung across their shoulders and brandishing trident-like forks in their hands which they will put to use to wrench the oysters off the rocks, or loosen mussels.
I have never been able to face the idea of swallowing an oyster whole and I have to admit, I haven’t sampled many of the delicacies associated with France – do people really eat snails, frogs legs and horse? – but we have enjoyed some regional specialities – crepes, crusty bread with every meal, cheese, wine, cidre, pate, fresh peaches…and very nice they were too.
Thank you God that you provide our daily food and for wonderful tastes and flavours. Amen
Mairi Mowbray
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