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Trou normand Normandy hole
by joon

On sunday 9th, Chris and Magali organized a family party in my parent's home.
We were 19! The day before, I helped them preparing the food and on the Sunday I was a part as them of the cooking staff.

This is a fast description of this kind of party in France.

12.00 am / 1.00pm - Everyone arrives. ?Hello, hello... how are you. You look great. We are not lucky, the weather is terrible, etc...?
1.30 pm - Ap鲩tif. Some snacks and a delicious cocktail are proposed.
1.45 pm - Second proposition of alcohol. Less snacks to eat. Everyone is getting very excited.
2.20 pm - Third proposition . ?Come on, let?s finished it. It?s not everyday, we are together.? All the cheeks are red...
2.45 pm ?Entr饔 Shrimps and avocado and white wine. Oh also, sauce was made with some kirsh.
3.15 pm Trou normand. I forgot about this tradition. Litterally, I could translate it ?normand hole? and I can find two explanations that I am not too sure about it. Or it means, we drink a lot and so we are like holes or normandy is in a hole. If we mix both, I am sure we are closer with the truth.
This speciality comes generally (during big ceremonies) between the first two ? entr饳? and the two different meals of meat, followed by cheese, lettuce and dessert.
Thanks god, Magali made a very good menu not too rich and not that long.
Le trou normand is very simple: apple sherbet and calvados (apple liquor, eau de vie de cidre). Finally, this is a wonderful interruption during the lunch. It makes all the food you had swallowed vanished or almost and then you have more room in your stomach. Yeeha!
Like our generation are bad, we are not respectful with tradition... Christophe made a trou normand rather from russia : apple and lemon sherbets whipped in vodka! It was also very good and the goal is the same: make all the food melted!
For kids, even if in normandy, at 8 or 10 you drink ?boisson? (cider and water or just cider) in this kind of party, They have only sherbet.
4.00 pm ?Plat principal? Meat and veggies. This time, we had delicious ?filet mignon? with ananas ?flambé” with some alcohol but I don?t remember which one.
Actually at this moment, you don?t remember why you are still eating because you are hungry but not too much anymore. So you drink more wine. And now... red wine!
5.00 pm Cheese (s). Definitely, you are not hungry anymore and you would like to stand up but it?s difficult so you drink more wine, an other kind because it?s for cheese and you have to taste it ... yeeha!
5.30 pm Almost dessert ...but first you have to eat the lettuce that you realized is in your plate!
5.45 pm DESSERT. YOU ARE NOT HUNGRY, you are deaf (19 people speaking at the same time), you are drunk but personnally I was ok because during all this, I just spend time checking food, stuffs and so it?s a good point because you can stand up, staying busy and aware!
Ok, with Magali, we finished our drinks in the kitchen very quickly but it?s not easy to serve 19 people! And with the dessert... ?champagne?
6.30 pm Coffee and liquor to make your stomach working well.

Now, it?s seven, the staff do the dishes, some preparation for the dinner with some help while
the guests just had a short walk around the table!
And it?s 9.00 pm, time for dinner. Am I hungry! Wrong question. Never ask yourself this question. Noone is hungry...and lets? go. The dinner is less long and with less stuffs to eat. Same amount of alcohol, I think. And everyone leaves at 00.00am.
You still spent 3 hours at table.
What a Sunday!!!!
On the third of july, I go to a marriage! I don?t dare imagine how it will be.
But this kind of day is great.
By the way, thanks to chris and Mag for the day !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dimanche 9 mai, Chris et Mag avaient organisé µn petit dimanche en famille pour l?anniversaire de Tom. On é´¡it 19 ! La veille, je les ai aidé   pré°¡ré ´out ç¡ et donc le lendemain, je faisais partie de l?é±µipe !

Maintenant, il est sept heures. T?es content ! L?鱵ipe cuisine commence la vaisselle aid饠par des coll觵es et pendant ce temps-lଠtes invit鳠font tranquillement une petite promenade autour de la table. (il faisait pas beau)
Et voilଠil est 21 heures, l?heure du dr. Est-ce que j?ai faim ? Mauvaise question. Tu sais pertinemment que personne n?a faim alors vas-y fonce, ne pense ࠲ien. Mange et bois ! Et il est minuit, tu as moins mang頱ue le midi et tu as aussi pass頭oins de temps ࠴able mais 硠fait quand mꭥ trois heures autour du dr. Le temps passe si vite.
Quel dimanche !
Au fait, merci, merci, merci pour cette journ饠la famille des ouf de lyon !