24.00 USD
When, on a Tuesday in August of the previous year, Monsieur Hercule Poirot was visiting friends in the charming town of Bargemon (that little jewel of Provence), his host, the venerable Comte de Segur suffered a mild bellyache following the midday meal.
Poirot recognized at once that the source of his friend's difficulty lay in the veal consommé, which, having been served with the first course, and just prior to the jellied pheasant, was, according to the little Belgian's finely tuned palate, un peu "off."
Gathering the kitchen staff in the back garden, the famous detective leveled his unshakable gaze at the chef, by whose countenance and carriage, Poirot deduced, had formerly been employed as a wiper in the engine room of a tramp steamer out of Marseille, but that was another story.
"I believe it is you, Chef René, who is behind my friend's discomfort," Poirot feinted in a sibilant tone that belied the steel flexing just beneath the calm surface of his words.
"Mais non! But you are mistaken," the chef replied indignantly. "For it was not I who spoiled the broth, but these other fellows," he declared, waving his hand in the direction of his very guilty looking assistants. "There are too many of them, you see."
By the way, just in case you were wondering, Chef René is the surly looking fellow with the mustache :)
A wonderful RPPC, circa 1910, of a hotel's, or perhaps a grand chateau's kitchen staff. The photograph was, in fact, taken in Bargemon, in the township of Callas, Provence.
Are French chefs really surly? Well, speaking from personal experience, and having labored under a couple of them in my youth, the answer is, absolutely :) But then to be entirely fair, France has no monopoly on surly chefs. Regardless of nationality, it is a trade secret, you see. The more the chef scolds their assistant, the better the food tastes!
Please examine our high res scans for detail.
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