October 10 - Shopping with the Chef in Saint Raphael, France

It’s another beautiful day on the Odyssey.  Today we’re in Saint Raphael on the French Riviera.  We were supposed to go to a vineyard and taste wine, but an opportunity to go shopping with the Executive Chef Manfred came up so we canceled the wine tour and set out this morning to get some provisions.

We were on the first tender ashore and headed to what was supposed to be a fish market nearby.  This was Manfred’s first time shopping here so he was relying on secondhand information.  The market turned out to be a fish store that had nothing he wanted.  So, he made a call, a bus came to pick us up and we were off to the Marche Republique, a real market.

Our first stop was the fish counter.  The chef decided to buy a couple of fresh octopi for use in appetizers.  He showed us how to know if they are really fresh.  You put your finger on the suckers on the tentacles.  A fresh octopus will still have some suction.  Now I’m prepared the next time I shop for this!  The fish stall had some nice oysters so the chef bought and had them open some for all of us.  I have to say they were absolutely fabulous!  It is interesting that oysters from different waters have different tastes.  These were a little salty but delicious.

How to choose fresh octopus

Next we were on to the cheese vendor.  You can’t shop for food in France and not buy cheese.  There was a large brie in the case, around a foot in diameter.  Manfred told the vendor he wanted three.  She said “three wedges?”  He told her “no, three whole wheels.”  He bought several other kinds, some fresh butter, and about 25 jars of various honey, jam, and other condiments to serve with the cheeses.

Our chef Manfred checking out the cheese

He bought 3 of these brie

We passed by the produce and spices.  We found out later that his assistant had gone to the large produce warehouse and stocked up there.  When we boarded our tender to come back to the ship cases of strawberries, tomatoes, lettuces and other fruits were loaded on with us.  We won’t starve for the next few days!

The smell of the spices was incredible!

I'd love to be able to buy mushrooms like these at home

After Manfred headed back to the ship we walked around a little in Saint Raphael.  It’s less glamorous than places like Cannes and Monte Carlo but very pretty with lovely beaches.  As we walked along the seaside promenade we came across an antique car show.  Some of them reminded us of old Bogart films.  We had a cappuccino at a café on a square, walked a little more past a nice carousel along the beach and then headed back to the ship.  It was a nice day – a little less energetic than some we’ve had recently.

An old Citroen convertible

Another old Citroen

The carousel on the beach

Bringing on some extra produce.  We wouldn't want to run out in the next two days!