We Can't Say We Weren't Warned..........

..... or, how to gain 5 pounds in one meal, without even trying.......

Our friend André cautioned us to eat sparingly during breakfast on the day we were all invited to Martine and Yvan's home for lunch. His remarks were just a friendly reminder for what we already knew would be a gourmet meal of marathon proportions.

We had already had the pleasure of a 5 star meal at the home of our friends during a previous visit and as we looked forward to another amazing repast, we once again realized that we were poorly trained in the area of the multi-course, mega calorie, five hour French meal.

The four of us (André, Louise, Mark and myself) arrived, chez nos amis, harboring no expectations whatsoever of waddling away with less than 4000 calories each under our belts. Martine had been preparing her assault for three days, with the help of her daughter Carole (shown above) and would be taking no prisoners.

The apéritif, which began our evening, consisted of several bottles of champagne and a salute to the French craze called "verrines" http://verrines-de-fetes.com/ These irresistable morsels, be they sweet or savory, were served before our meal in miniature glasses, large ceramic spoons and palm sized plates. Knowing what was to come, we tried .....and I say.....tried.....to regulate our consumption. All the while, these delicious bits danced along the coffee table saying...."Sandy, eat me".......

At the table, we savored each course, from the roquefort, walnut and apple mille feuille, all the way (about 4 hours and 3 or 4 bottles of wine later) to the chocolate fudge tarte with homemade mango sorbet and nutty biscuit.

Lest you think the afternoon was mired in decadence and indulgence, we redeemed ourselves by participating in a favorite French pasttime, "the promenade".

Before we became too comfortable, we were whisked away by car to the nearest monument, Le Chateau de Tonquedec (just a stone's throw from Lannion) for a two hour stroll along the river. http://www.chateau-tonquedec.com/

Even on a brisk day such as this, there were countless other health enthusiasts, (besides André and Mark) who were "strolling away" their sumptuous Sunday lunches.

And after today's meal, I'm feeling quite fortunate NOT to have a scale at my disposal.