Narbonne, France has 2500 years worth of history. The city was the first Roman colony established outside of Italy.
I walked through the Via Domitia (pictured above), which is the oldest Roman road in Gaul. It was built to link Italy and Spain. And I could talk about the reasons why or other interesting historical facts…Or I could talk about the, “marche,” or indoor market.
Inside Les Halles, there are more than 70 stands including bakers, fishmongers, green grocers, poultry merchants, delicatessens, bars and wine merchants, caterers and butchers. It recently celebrated its 100th year. A century of the bustle, of French negotiations between vendor and customer, of bright hues of various vegetables, of the smells of hot, fresh bread that engulf the market.
The friend I went with spent less than ten euros on a good amount of authentic French cheeses and vegetables and less than twenty euros on fresh pork. I was in awe at the amazing deals.
Now, this is where it gets really fun. At the market, there are also restaurants and bars. This one below, Chez Bebelle, made my day in Narbonne even more special.
This is where one of the butchers for Chez Bebelle is located, directly across from the counter area where we sat and ate. When you order, the waitress jots down which cut of meat you want and gives it to the head of the operation, Bebelle. He keeps one hand free while holding a bull horn in the other, which he uses to contact other butchers that are further away. Our order was from the butcher right across. Bebelle just gave a whistle and yelled out the cuts. The butcher nodded, cut the corresponding meats, and wrapped them up. He walked around his counter and locked eyes with Bebelle who nodded back. The butcher then threw one of our future meals to Bebelle who caught it in his free hand. Another infield fly and this time Bebelle caught it without looking.
Considering how accident prone I am, I did duck each time, though I didn’t have to. These guys obviously know what they’re doing. As we ate, I watched other neatly wrapped cuts of meat fly through the air, get caught, and passed on to the head grill chef. I can’t really put into words how thankful I am I got to see this. It was just so cool.
This is the end result: A tasty beef, fries that tasted fresh and homemade (seriously, just like the ones my mom makes), lettuce with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and a slice of french bread with a tomato spread on top.
With room left for dessert, I ordered a slice of apple pie, wondering whether it would compare to apple pies in the states. It did. The apples were sliced just right so that they were crisped on top, but soft on the inside. The crust was thin and not as flaky as most are in the states, giving it a French twist.
In total, with the glass of red wine and dessert added, I paid about 18 euros. Not bad at all when you consider the quality of the food, the service and the experience.
