Monday 22 April 2013

Repas des Ainés.

Yesterday, Sunday, was the date of the annual luncheon for the retired folk in our commune, free of charge to all residents above the qualifying age!! I forgot to take photos of all of the courses; my usual trick when I am enjoying my food, but you can see that we did all have quite a lot of fun! We met up at 12h15 and made it home just after 17h30!!

Each of the menus had a picture on the its back and front, all in the style of old French advertisements. There were many different adverts - it must have taken someone ages to print and cut enough  for 150 people! It was also a "spot the  difference" game and one had to find 5 differences between the two pictures - an interesting diversion between food courses!!  Some were quite difficult to find, but I will print a few here to see if you can see the differences, if you have that much time on your hands! The pictures were interesting to see, however,  even if you have not got the time!


Filet de dorade (sea bream fillet).


Lemon sorbet with vodka; the former cleanses the palate, while the vodka supposedly makes more room in the stomach for the next courses! This seems to be called " a colonel's wink" in French!

Rôti de boeuf, with endive, turnip and potato dauphinoise. The meat was tender and cooked perfectly  for our taste! In history, the French military used to call the English soldiers "les rosbifs", because of the red uniforms they used to wear at that time.


Fôret noire. Modern take on a black forest gateau and served with the wrapping still in place!


After the food, wine, champagne and cognac the fun began with a conga line, accompanied by accordion music!!





I guess it was all a bit to much for some, though. Ha ha.




see my daily photo diary  HERE

and also - My Life Before Charente Updated 022/04/2013


67 comments:

  1. Looks like a great event. x

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    1. Karen they always are, we are now looking forward to next years :-) Have a wonderful week. Diane

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  2. Food, fun and life, indeed !!
    The food looks good, especially as it was for free, and most people look like they're having a great time......there are obviously some advantages to being "over a certain age" !!

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    1. Jean there is no doubt about it, we never led such a busy life before, there is alwasy something going on around here :-) Have a great week. Diane

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  3. I would qualify for our local village 'do' of a similar ilk, but Lester wouldn't! Looked like a grand event, and much enjoyed by all.

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    1. Vera it is over 60 so 'quite young'!! Anyone can go but if under age or not from the commune then they have to pay. Take care diane

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  4. the only thing on the menu i could not translate was the colonel's wink. i read food french very well but can't pronounce anything! let's see, the coaster is missing in the first add...the caption under the photo in the second?...the label on the bottle in the next...the woman's scarf in the next and the fork in the bread in the last. looks like you had great fun!

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    1. Jaz there are 5 mistakes in each most of them 4 was pretty simple it was laways the 5th one that took time! It was a great day. Keep well Diane

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  5. What a beautiful meal you had Diane! Everyone looks like they are having great fun too. I love spot the differences so I hope to come back and try my hand later. That last photo with the man's head in his hands is funny (to me, not him). There is such a thing as too much of a good time ;-)

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    1. Joyful I also have one of him sleeping but thought I had better not overdo it he he. We did have good time. Hope all is well with you Diane

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  6. What a splash! The menu cards really add a bit of whimsy and romance too. Hard to be here and stay slim, no?

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    1. Rosaria the menu pics kept us going for some time :-) I agree, we have both put on weight since we moved here on a permanent basis!! Keep well Diane

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  7. It all looks like great fun and the food sounds and looks super... but some of the people in the photos look like they are below "that certain age"!

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    1. Craig it is free for all in the commune over 60. Anyone else can go from elsewhere or under age, but then they have to pay. People often take family and friends along as well. Keep well Diane

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  8. Wow Diane ,, yet another great meeting and meal out ... all looks fantastic and what a menu!! xoxo take care love Anne

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    1. Anne I am trying to loose weight before we go on holiday, not easy, and we were out again last night!! I am beginning starvation diet is the only answer :-) Have a good week Diane oxo

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  9. We have one here too but I don't qualify yet :(

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    1. Mark I qualified when we first bought here so I have experienced quite a few of these!! Keep well, Diane

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    1. Gaynor retirement is great so long as health goes with it. We are pretty lucky when I look around at some of the others! It was a great meal though and long may our health last. Keep well Diane

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  11. It looks like fun, and it all looks delicious, but I really like the looks of that Foret Noir. Good thing my boys haven't seen that picture, or they'd be pestering me to make that, complete with the plastic wrapping on the side!

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    1. Marjie I was surprised to see it arrive in the plastic but I am not sure it would have survived the removal of it! It was like a mousse at the bottom with a cream topping and the fancy bits on top. It was delicious though whatever :-) Keep well Diane

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  12. It looks great!

    I so used to enjoy those get togethers....and there were so many associations, all with their own celebrations.

    But nothing in comparison with the feasts of the past - neighbours showed me old menus....thirteen courses, sorbets not counted, different wine with each course, aperitifs, liqueurs...how did they do it!

    The other nickname for the English in my area was 'godon'...supposedly from their habit of swearing 'God damn'.....and have you come across the coiffe from the La Rochelle area the 'quichenotte'...supposedly from 'kiss me not' - but I don't vouch for the truth of it!

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    1. Fly the repas are really good fun and I think this particular one is always the best of the year. Probably because it is free to most of the people there!! The feasts of the past would have been far too much for me, this menu was plenty sufficient!! I am sure there are many names for us English, a bit like we use the nickname of frog! Hope you are both well Diane

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  13. Dear Diane, I was going to ask you what that colonel´s clin d'oeil was!!! I see you had a great time. What a great menu you had and what a great time, I can see there was enough to drink, more than some could take. Of course I could hardly find any differences on the pictures. Big hugs

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    1. Pamela, glad that your question was answered in the post. Some of the pictures were easier than the others to find the mistakes, I can assure you that there was 5 on each tho'. Have a good day Diane

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  14. Oh, my mouth is watering! Yum...that all looks delicious and beautiful, too! And the dancing looks fun...poor man at the end there...he needs a nap! haha.

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    1. Betsy he did have a nap as well, caught that photo also but thought I had better not over do it :-))) It was a fun day, keep well Diane

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  15. Wow, what a great looking meal. No wonder it took so many hours to eat. And what a fun idea with the images to compare. Everybody looks so happy. Well, except for that one guy.

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    1. Gaelyn it was amazing how much fun the differences in the menu was, everyone seemed to enjoy the added touch. There was so much to eat and drink, and we went out again last night!! I am off food now for the next week, must loose some weight! Keep well Diane

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  16. Your retiree group is quite the wild bunch. The menu looks great! Who cooks all of the food? Have a great week.

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    1. Michel they always used to have a local guy who did the catering and he was brilliant. Sadly he walked into the local lake one day and never came out the other side! Since then we have had different caterers, I think this has been the best to date. They own a small restaurant not too far from Angouleme. Maybe they will keep with them for next year. Have a good week Diane

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  17. Why don't they have sorbets during dinner any more? I think it's a wonderful idea to cleanse the palate.

    It looks like you had a marvelous time and what a meal! I can't tell you what a similar event would be like here... YUK~!!!

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    1. Deanna I think sorbets are a great way of cleansing the palate, this is the first time I have had one for ages I have to admit. All of these events are great fun in France and not to be missed :-) Have a good weekend Diane

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  18. it seems everyone had fun and must be tiring too! yes, i could spot the differences ih those pictures!

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    1. Lena well done on spotting the differences, some of them are not so easy. Have a good day. Diane

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  19. So THAT'S why they call us 'les rosbifs'! Thanks, I've always wondered but have never bothered to find out curiously enough. Oh, and I'll take three Fôret Noire please, with a colonel between each and a café cognac after the last one. Have a nice evening Diane and I hope you and yours are well.

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    1. Fripouille Glad that we managed to come up with an answer that you did not know :-) Love these repas, they are such fun, and the food and liquid that goes with it is always so good. Have a good weekend. Diane

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  20. What a wonderful thing to do! And especially nice that the meal was worthy of such an ocassion. :)

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    1. Hi Bill and thanks for the comment. It is an annual event and we are already looking forward to next years :-) Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Diane

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  21. Woo hoo! What a merry event! You are lucky to live in an area that does something so delightful for its retired residents! The menus are clever and unique---I got a lot of the differences, but only saw one on the Cherry Rocher. The food looks delicious, and with all the "visiting" and fun, I can see why you stayed for so long.

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    1. Pam these events are always great fun. They always last forever :-)) Have a good weekend. Diane

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  22. Belo evento...Espectacular....
    Cumprimentos

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    1. Fernando, Muito obrigado pelo seu comentário. Bom fim de semana. Diane

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  23. This is not what I want to look at when I haven't eaten. Everything looks so yummy and you look like you were having so much fun. I love the Spot the Differences, what a great idea :) x

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    1. Kerry I hope it will not be long before you join us at a repas even if you do have to pay as you are too young :-)) Have a great Sunday. Diane

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  24. What a fun time and the food looks divine. Any meal is good when it's begun with a kir.
    Sam

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    1. Sam I have to say the kir is the least enjoyable to me, it is always too sweet, Needless to say I do not let it go to waste :-) Have a good day Diane.

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  25. Hi Diane .. sorry it's taken me so long to get here - what a wonderful meal and I love the menus .. and the clever spot the differences ... and after that lot .. I'm not surprised people are holding their heads in their hands ... delicious meal - I think I'll come over next year?!

    Cheers - have you got over it yet .. actually I suspect you and Nigel are pretty circumspect in this overeating and drinking regard .. but the chocolate looks good and held together with the plastic girdle ... kept it all in situ .. Hilary

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    1. Hilary we both felt fine the next day but I suspect there were a few who did not! What with kir, red wine, white wine, back to red wine, champagne and then cognac........ It was great fun though and we did enjoy it. Take care Diane

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  26. What a wonderful day of food and fun .... the course menu's are beautifully presented and what a great idea to bring the local community together. I've loved reading this post Diane ... it has my mouth watering.

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    1. Dianne, it was a lovely day and we are already looking forward to next year :-) Have a good week. Diane

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  27. Looks like you had delicious fun! Umm...kir, wine, champagne, cognac...perfect! :-)

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    1. Freda there was no shortage of anything, a great day was had by all :-) Keep well Diane

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  28. A splendid menu, I wish I could have helped with the eating of it. Surely not everybody managed to eat all of it?

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    1. Friko I think very little was sent back to the kitchen, certainly not from our table anyway :-) Keep well Diane

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  29. How fun Diane! What a wonderful idea, some one is very creative to come up with al these great ideas, love the old French pictures, so charming!

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    1. The Café Sucré Farine the menus went down very well and as they were all different everyone had a chance to try each others. Have a good week Diane

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  30. What a great idea of the leaders in your commune. A free retirees lunch. The menus were well done and the food sounds delicious although my french is almost non existent. Everyone sure looks like they had a good time even the tired one.

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    1. Diane it is a great idea and need I say it is very popular:-) Have a great week. t'other Diane

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  31. What a fun time and such a lovely menu. It must be an event that is looked forward to each year.

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    1. backroad jouranl we look forward to the event every year, it never fails to be anything but a great event :-) Diane

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  32. Dear Diane, That looks like a lot of fun. The food looks delicious. That is a nice treat to get together like this and have some good fun and good food. Too bad it is annual the folks should try to get together more often.
    Blessings and a hug, Catherine xo

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    1. Catherine although this event is annual, the leisure club which are mostly 'the oldies' around, here meet every Tuesday afternoon for sewing, scrabble or cards. One Tuesday a month we go for a walk, and there are about 4 other repas during the year at different places all very cheap though not free as this one is. They also have a couple of bus trips to other places in France during the year so there is no shortage of get togethers. Keep well Diane

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  33. I would love to go for a walk on that trail, so beautiful! The food makes me hungry too!

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    1. Rose it was an unusual walk and I was stunned by the number of wild flowers we saw. Yes the food was excellent so was the wine :-) Have a great weekend Diane

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  34. HOHaaaa....now, this is what I call LIFE !
    Kristy

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