Food and Feelings: Fromage

Bonjour*. When you think of France what do you think of? What comes to mind is probably different for everyone. For me, one of the thoughts that surface is about cheap and delicious cheese. After returning from my rock-and-roll honeymoon, I’m left missing the delicious croissants, cheese, wine and various other delightful foods.

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE cheese so this trip was full of dreamy surprises. My favourite cheese experience was when Shayne and I went to Le Fer a Cheval in Chamonix, France. We were looking for the best fondue in town and this was recommended to us by a local. This restaurant is so popular that if you don’t have a reservation you most likely won’t get a table. So, we made a reservation and I then counted down the hours, minutes and seconds until fondue-ville.

Stoked on life, we ordered the fondue with tomato sauce and potatoes. The cheese had tomato sauce in it and it came with bread and a huge basket of potatoes. I guess you can take the girl out of Pemberton but you can’t take Pemberton out of the girl. It was filling. It was delicious. It was everything that I had hoped for. After this experience, I felt inspired to create a life where fondue was present on a more regular basis.

A few years ago, I celebrated Christmas with my in-laws in Kamloops. They decided to have a fondue dinner instead of a traditional Christmas dinner. This, my friends, was amazing. It’s was a very social experience and made dinner super-interactive. There was cheese fondue, oil, chocolate and many food options. However, there were no potatoes.

It’s impossible to scarf down dinner because you have to wait for your food to cook, bite by bite. We did this for a few years but took a break last year. This year we are bringing it back, Pemberton style (in Pemberton) and I’ve decided to call it a Very Merry Fonduemas. And yes, there will be potatoes.

Fondue round two, HERE I COME!

BONUS: Did you know that fondue originated in Switzerland? Praise the Swiss.  Also, fondue recipes vary depending on the region that you are in. You can learn more about that HERE.

*I speak very little French but do know a few words. Just ask Shayne (pictured below) because he was witness to me trying to communicate in French while in France (which, I’m sure, was a painful experience for him).