Red

So red they hurt your eyes! Cherries were much in evidence at the market today. Once more I couldn't resist buying a kilo of the cheapest ones (3 euros). The season is so short, and cherry compote can be stored in the freezer to prolong the pleasure. So there's another messy pitting session on the cards.

It was a real summer day today, and everyone at the market was happy and smiling. After shopping, we went to a new tapas bar that's opened in what is pretty much the prime spot in town, a wide frontage on the main street with plenty of space for tables outside, just steps from the Mairie. An indication of the slow gentrification of Lézignan: trendy modern decor,a blackboard of tapas, and a very long list of local wines by the glass (unheard of here, since no-one goes out to drink wine). It looked promising, especially when on the stroke of 12, half the bankers in town walked in for lunch -- a sure sign that a place is going to be a success.

The three of us ordered the special of four tapas for 16 euros. Verdict: nul. The patatas bravas were just fried potato wedges. The tortilla was terrible, worse than I could have done. The squid rings were chewy and greasy. The poulet orientale was just odd. The evidence suggested that whoever cooked these had never been to Spain. Sadly, it seems likely that just because of its location this place will deliver the coup de grâce to our beloved Tira-Tap (which is where we would have been if it had been open).