Wednesday, 10 August, 2022 – As I sit here at our friends’ house in St. Paul, I am finishing up Thursday and E is about to start Friday.
I thought he would have difficulty posting pictures and texting but so far, he has posted more pictures from Arles than all the previous 14 days combined.
The woman he met on Monday, the fellow woofer, left on Wednesday afternoon. But not before E and she spent the day at the beach, which I gather is a 45 minute bus ride away. And, we got to talk to him too! He called and we face-timed; we could see that he looks healthy and happy. We could not see the evidence that he is bug-bitten, but apparently, he is. The mosquitos are legion.
About the Farm
E heard about “woofing” from his friend’s older brother, who is an accomplished professional chef. He went to culinary school and has worked for several years in some very good restaurants. At some point, after college, he woofed in Europe and recommended it to E and his friends. Woofing is essentially a way to stay in one place, help out on different types of farms in a variety of ways, and get free room and board. People stay anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. There are woofing sites all over the world. The farm’s page on the woofing site has a description of what E is likely doing. (Click on “Read more” to see the description in English.)
He posted a few pictures of the kitchen and living space where he is staying in the guesthouse, which he said is just a few steps away from the farm and the restaurant. I think that is right. The truth is, I was so happy and excited to see him and hear his voice, I was not paying as much attention to what he was saying as I was to how he sounded.
About the Restaurant
Oddly enough, in looking for a woofing site near Aix-en-Provence (where he was going to study his junior year, before Covid turned the world upside down), E stumbled on a farm that is attached to a Michelin star restaurant. I think it is odd but maybe something in the description sounded promising to E. He had submitted an application to the farm, did not hear back in a few weeks, and decided to google it to learn more. That’s when he discovered the name of the head chef and his reputation in the restaurant industry. Given E’s interest in food and the art of cooking, my impression is that he is enjoying being around people with such skill and talent. He was prepared to work for free but did not expect to be having fun learning and eating such good food, too.
You can see Michelin’s webpage for the restaurant, called La Chassagnette. You also can read a profile of the chef.
E posted pictures of the restaurant’s kitchen.
