La Veillée

La Veillée-the evening gathering in front of the fire, the traditional time for gossip & chat. Men and women sort dried vegetables at the table, and swat the children-who burn their fingers on roasted chestnuts. There is a warm jug of Piquette, the poor man’s substitute for wine-made with fermented grapeskins that have already been through a first pressing-that ‘piques’ or gives a lift. If the need is less for stimulation than relaxation, a bowl of tisane is easily made, sweetened with a spoonful of honey.