Menton Market - Charcuterie
This is one of the stalls in Menton's beautiful covered market. It's owned by a young Italian and he always has a long queue of customers wanting to buy his charcuterie and cheeses. He's normally cheaper than others and his food is really good and fresh. I sometimes buy his Gorgonzola and also his Buffala Mozzarella. Never buy cow milk mozzarella - compared to buffalo milk mozzarella, it's like rubber and tastes about as good.
I was intrigued to see a young lady hand over a baguette and ask him to fill it with ham and cheese. He duly weighed the filling, after much discussion on which ham and which type of cheese. He then made the sandwich, cut it in two, wrapped it in paper, put it in a bag and handed it over. (see small photo) I didn't know you could do that. Great idea, don't you think? After all, he doesn't run a sandwich counter, as such. Of course, we all waited patiently. You do when you want good food.
Oh it is so lovely to see a local market in Menton. He looked very friendly and a honest vendor always has a lot of customers. :)
ReplyDeleteYou really get the sense of his pride in his product. So nice.
ReplyDeleteLocal markets here in Mazatlán are very different from what you have photographed. There are large supermarkets that are quite good, but I prefer to shop as the Mexicans do. It takes a little getting used to, however; my husband still is not as confident as I! The vendors are remarkably helpful! Love the description of the sandwich maker. PS. Did you toast us last night as you ate your delectable meal?? You promised!!
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a great place to buy food. I can see a beautiful selection of cheeses in that case.
ReplyDeleteIt is a great idea and most of our smaller, home town stores, will do this in the deli or the lunch meat and cheese departments. Patty used to work there and had to make sandwiches for people who came in on their lunch hour to get a fresh sandwich. Your photos are just great.
ReplyDeleteI love this place. i think un baguette avec jambon et fromage would be trés bonne! How's that ? wrong???
ReplyDeleteV
Customer service always wins.
ReplyDeleteLove the pictures.
Oh, yum. I'm putting on kilos just looking at your photos. I miss French specialty shops like this. What are the little red bellybuttons on the hams? Probably just to cover the little bone, I guess. Cute!
ReplyDelete!!!!...What more can one say???
ReplyDeleteLoving these food pics! And that ham looks devine. I wish we had more markets like this in the US - but alas, we just aren't that cool....or civilized :) So, what sandwich are you going to order next time you go? Let's see!
ReplyDeleteHe has a very nice shot from this perspective of your photograph. I would wait patiently as well!!!
ReplyDeleteIt is quite common to ask small general food shops (generali alimentari) to do this for you, in Italy (in particular in places where there are holiday makers). They usually sell bread as well, so can very well supply the full fare and the advantage is that you can dictate how much you want inside.
ReplyDeleteItalian sandwiches normally have no butter or mayonnaise inside, so it is an easy task. They normally do not add salad or gherkins but they sometimes have marinated grilled vegetables in their cold counters, which you can add. Or you can buy fruits and tomatoes for a more complete meal to go.
My kind of shop, although I might have gotten annoyed at the sandwich lady.
ReplyDelete