ALAN, PETER, DAVID and THEIR FRIENDS,

ON A SPICE COOKING COURSE at MIAM MIAM

Forget bungee jumping and paragliding... introductory weekends to scuba diving or weekends spent in mock battles under fire from paint balls are old fashioned.

From now on personal development courses should promote long term benefits and the activities must respect the local environment and ecology. Here at the Miam Miam Association we see people arrive on Friday evening exhausted. They come without their laptop, their mobile phone is quickly turned off, sometimes “forgotten” in the glove box of their Volvo. They stretch, breathe the air of aulas in the Cevennes, take a tour of the garden and delight in the view of Mont Aigoual- its tranquility. The birds, the ladybirds: They manage to hold on without the assistance of Monsanto (we even manage without watering the garden thanks to a technique using recycled wood shavings). It’s refreshing – and it’s the solution for a tranquil week end between friends, office or company colleagues with their spouses or companions.

The place? A large majestic silk house with its 12th century vaulted kitchen and salon. The men will be interested in the silk industry, the masses of flowers which need very little water and the wood fireplace. The ladies will be taken with the old stone the décor the ladybirds and the birdlife.

The course organization? We simmer tasty little dishes and we taste them together, quietly, with a little glass of Pic St Loup (red) or Picpoul de Pinet (white) under the hundred years old yew trees in the garden, or in front of the huge bay window in the salon and by the fireside.

To be honest, the spice course is at first a pretext. An alibi. However the natural curiosity of the group is always there of course. They’re interested, ready to participate. Touring the world in 80 spices is not a joke. We start with the easiest. The old local traditional herbs: fennel, thyme, sage, savory. Do you know about savory? You know what it’s good for and which dishes it is used in? Your health! Cheers! We learn by cooking and we enjoy cooking. Spices, you know, are not only tasty and stimulating, but also healthy. You eat better. It’s a return to slow food and the true taste of food from local products.

We start with exotic flavors, Asian, Arab, Indian the formidable South American hot peppers or the sweet nuts from tonka, peppers from Madagascar and Jamaica, Hungarian paprika and Russian dill, saffron from Iran or Kashmir, Moroccan cumin and coriander, Lebanese sumac, satay sauce from Malaysia, garlic and Cevennes sweet onions. Flavored oils and vinegars; freshly grated ginger and turmeric. Dozens of subtle recipes for potatoes, or to make sumptuous coconut chicken with lemongrass, lime leaves, ginger and coconut milk, cooked in the wok Chiang Mai style, and supplemented with flavored sticky rice and a warm Thai shellfish salad.

So? Is life not good? It’s not bad here having a siesta or a quiet walk among flowerbeds.

Thank you mr Du Cros that’s an original week end. We’ll tell our friends in the city...

If you want to register to a course or for additional information please contact

Patrick du Cros

info@stage-cuisine.com

www.stage-cuisine.com

Patrick T du Cros

Association Miam Miam pour découvrir 80 épices en cuisine

Un cadeau original personnalisé et gourmand

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Association Miam Miam

Aulas 30 120 le Vigan

04 67 81 75 74