Good old-fashion home cooking....

Back to school with no tears, but amidst the usual chaos of not knowing which class or which teacher, or whether or not friends would be in the same room. I'm sure there is an easier way to organize la rentrée, but everyone else seems fine with how it goes, so who am I, the foreigner, to complain?

I'm sure I'll have plenty of new and quite possibly awkward experiences again this year, which will be the 4th year of the 'French village school experience', but I can say that it does feel a little bit more comfortable as the years go on. The little ladies are happy which is of course the most important bit.

What does make me happy each and every year returning to school is a glimpse of the cantine lunch menu. Considering my girls ate their weight in pb and j sandwiches for lunch this summer, it's nice to know they'll be back onto a proper French diet at school. Here's the menu for this week:

lundi-
carottes rapées aux germes de blé

omelette aux fines herbes

petits pois provençaux

emmenthal

bras de venus

mardi-
salade du terroir
saute de boeuf aux carottes
gratin de choux fleur
cantal
compote pomme/passion

jeudi-
friand au fromage
cuisse de poulet grillée
haricots verts à la provençale
yaourt nature
confiture de framboise

vendredi-
betteraves rouges en salade
cabillaud poche beurre noisette
boulgour à la grecque
vache qui rit
pêche au sirop

It's really only the vache qui rit that gives it away as a school menu, don't you think?