Monday, December 19, 2005

French Pigs!


I pass this cute pig family almost every week-end when I go to the market near my home and I keep thinking "I must make a photo". Saturday I did. And here is the result... The charcutier (porkbutcher?) who uses them to attract customers even gave them a name (that is why they have a label). Clever.

14 comments:

  1. Immediate reaction here in the US: "This little piggy went to the market ... "

    Charcutier? Hmm... not sure about porkbutcher. I think it's just "deli" in the States, and I could be wrong but I've never heard of a trade name for the man behind the deli counter. Is there one? Anybody?

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  2. Eric! Pigs have been an obsession of mine for longer than I care to admit, ever since my mother gave me a beautiful piggy bank when I was about ten.

    Now I am seriously thinking of adding a 'Pigs in Paris' section to my site, so I thank you deeply for this discovery!! Can you please please tell me where it is exactly?!

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  3. Tomate, I think it's just the butcher...both for the place and for the person...non? It's funny Eric, it's as if the big pig is watching you to make sure you're not going to take one of the little ones. Another great photo as usual!

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  4. Sab, you are right I forgot to give the location : it's in the marché Cadet, at the end of rue Cadet (that is more on the rue Lafayette side).

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  5. Glad to notice it also accepts "Chèques Déjeuner" ! Eric, please, tell us the story about that !

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  6. I'm sure someone will shoot me down in flames if I am wrong but Charcutier is the name that describes the person who creates and sells the cooked meats & salads and the Charcuterie is the noun for the shops in which they are sold, and the collective noun for the meats themselves. Delicatessen is the word for Charcuterie, there is no word for Charcutier.

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  7. aahhh, I have pigs in front of my charcuterie too! my kids LOVE them. everytime we pass by them they pat and kiss them. I can't help feeling a little bad knowing that in a few years, they will understand where ham comes from...

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  8. The movie Babe and Babe in the City were two of my daughter's favorite movies. This photo reminds me of those movies. Thanks! And have a very Merry Christmas!

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  9. > Elisabeth. I only remember one name : Jérôme (pretty odd for a pig, isn't?)

    > To everybody who participated in the Charcutier discussion. Thanks a lot, I learnt many things thanks to this discussion (I am very into the meaning of words.)

    > Debs. Merry Christmas to you too.

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  10. LOL about "Jérôme"....and you think it's odd for a Pig. Sure hope he doesn't read your blog!

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  11. Last fall while walking the Chemin de St Jacque, we stopped at a charcuterie in a small village for lunch provisions. While I waited outside, a mid-sized black pig came down the street, pushed the shop door open and entered. A small boy tagged behine; voices where heard encouraging the pig to depart. Finally the door opened, a large piece of raw meat came flying out followed by the pig and then the boy. After chomping down the meat, the pig ignored the boy-guarded door and went right back into the shop through an opening under the chicken rotisserie. Some day soon, she (Janine) will enter the charcuterie one last time and come out as charcuterie.

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