Spoiled on sweets

I've come to the conclusion over the past week or so that this entire town is spoiled on sweets! As I've mentioned before, Josh doesn't bring all his creations home. (If he did, I'd most likely eat them and come home 100 pounds heavier!) So, what does he do with them? Well, sadly sometimes they get tossed in the trash. But more often they get handed out to our favorite locals. Usually the stuff is very perishable and is best eaten immediately, which is part of the reason for the waste and the speedy giveaways. Other times, like last week, he makes candies and other goodies that will last a while.

Last Friday Josh brought home a ton of candies. They made orange-flavored marshmallows, caramels, raspberry-flavored caramels, jelly candies and chocolates filled with almond and passion-fruit ganache. Yum. There were so many, though, that he'd already stopped and given some away. Because the candies last a while, I convinced him to let me save some to hand out to my favorite farmers' market vendors on Thursday. Good to go.

Then this week rolls around and his class had two days of practice exams in preparation for their first test next week. At the same time, one of the French programs had finals. On Wednesday, I decided to check out the poissonerie--the fish market--because, well, I love fish. I got to talking with the guy behind the counter--which is nice because sometimes I feel shy and just buy the stuff I want and leave with a "merci, au revoir." The guy was friendly, explained he's from Belgium. I told him we just visited Belgium and loved it, especially the chocolate and beer. I said I was in Yssingeaux because my husband is studying at the pastry school and his face lit up. He said he has a Belgian friend who just finished his final at ENSP and then he went into the back of the store and came out with a box full of cakes his friend had given to him!

Fast forward to Wednesday night, when Josh got home from school with his own four cakes. We went to the pizzeria by our apartment and he gave one to the owner, another to his employee and two to random patrons. When one of his classmates came in behind us with her gifts, there was no one to give them to! And in fact she'd just come from another restaurant where the owner had refused her treats. (We're guessing he'd already gotten too many!)

So, this town is spoiled on sweets, for sure. And the people are quick to thank us for them. The bars offer free drinks, the coffee shops free coffees. When I brought candies to my favorite cheese vendor at the market on Thursday she gave me a whole half a round for free. Clearly not everyone can afford to be so generous and some instead express their gratitude with a big smile and a "merci beaucoup!" All in all the system works out quite nicely for everyone.

Next week brings Josh's first exam. They'll get a list of things to make when they arrive at class and then they get 30 minutes to put their schedule together. They work independently so they really have to know how long each item takes in order to finish everything on time. Wish him luck!