Adam & Jessie Weigh In On Southern France

To Our Dear Readers from Adam GG:
Some advice for any future travelers to Plaisance, the "Las Vegas of Southern France".

• Don't forget to sign-up in advance for Mules-Frites Fridays. Seating is limited and you might as well see the acordian player up close considering you will hear him from everywhere else in town. [See our delicious version below, bought fresh from the sea]
• Second gear is your friend, fifth gear is useless - for miles.
• Bring your mom on an intensely long and steep hike. Bring water too.
• You do not want Mr. Roger as your neighbor - he will rob you blind and fill your house with gas while you sip scotch in front of the church.
• The bugs aren't bad so don't be afraid to get naked in nature.
  

And from Jessicano:

Adam's advice is stellar, and you could find none of it in the France Lonely Planet guidebook. Those are all things we learned on our own. Mind you, when we say we vacationed in Southern France we did not set up at a villa in the midst of an olive grove and five vineyards overlooking the riviera... though we did drive by many vineyards, and we did spend an afternoon on the beach. We stayed in the lovely quaint vacation home of a family friend. This home was located in Plaisance (not to be confused with Provence... it's better known cousin) in the heart of Langueduc, the mountainous central region of France. While it was far from the image most have of southern france, our minds were constantly blown by the beauty, the people, and our own ability to have fun even in the most obscure situations (i.e. the gas filled gite of Monsieur Roger, or the 2 hour hike the was transformed into a 5 hour hike after north and south switched directions on us).
Seriously, though, perhaps the most special part of the Southern portion of our trip was the fact that after spending a week with just the immediate family in a small home we still love each other, perhaps even gaining a greater appreciation for each other. This love was solidified by very tenuous games of spades between the family teams (named invincible stinkies, spaghetti and waffles, and this really annoying team composed of Adam and Katy), by hikes, by some folks' naked water plunging and field frolicking, by an up close and personal viewing of the tour de france, and most of all by FOOD glorious food (and maybe a little wine). We cooked nearly every meal... it was all we could afford. Here are some of the highlights of the best eats we had. Mussels, crepes, burgers/lentil burgers/mint potatoes/garlic green beans, frittata (all pictured in this posts). Not pictured include: lentils and rice seasoned to perfection, eggplant parmesan and cappellini, many fabulous to-go lunches with cheese and bread, and all the fabulous meals we ate prior to the souther portion of our trip.
The trip was an extremely special experience rivaled by few other family trips. Our final night we spent in Paris with Jeff and Perrine at an amazing restaurant (Le Mauzac). We were very much convinced of the good to be found in French cuisine. Nearly everyone ordered the duck with blackberry sauce and a sweet potato gratin side. Katy and I indulged in some amazing fish dishes (a tagine of monkfish with fennel and carrots, or a fresh pesto on some white fish with asparagus). Perrine had tuna tartar. Everyone left the meal delighted both by flavor and company. Perrine makes a lovely addition to the family. So, many thanks to Jeff and Perrine for getting hitched so we had an excuse to lose ourselves in France.