Page 197 - WINE DINE AND TRAVEL FALL 2020 South Africa

hat conjures up in your mind when you
LIFE AT A SNAIL’S PACE Wsonally, it reminds me of my mother as
hear the word, Burgundy? For me per-

burgundy is her favourite colour - she has hand-
bags and clothes this shade, that is not purple, not
brown, this deep rich wine colour. For many it
would be the world class Burgundy wine, which
the colour is named after, but little did I know be-
fore my trip last summer that Burgundy had so
much food, even by the French standard, to offer -
Dijon mustard, Beef Bourguignon, the Burgundy
truffle, and Mâconnais cheese.
Burgundy prompts me to be a little adventur-
ous, and I try snails for the first time in my life, in
the restaurant at Château Sainte Sabine. When I
ask Véronique Beigenger from Burgundy Tourism
whether this is a delicacy only served in posh
restaurants, it turns out that snails in Burgundy, is
a bit like mushrooms where I come from. “My
whole family goes snail hunting. It’s strictly con-
trolled in terms of the timing and the size of the
gastropods, and it’s really messy preparing them.
But there are countless recipes with herbs and
butter, cheese or wine and they’re just delicious”.
Geographically Burgundy is in the heart of
France, and one can really feel the slower pace of
life. The French saying pour vivre heureux, vivons
cachés (to live happily, live hidden), couldn’t ex-
press the local sentiment any better.
“I love having breakfast outdoors, listening to
the birds, the solitude”, says famous English sculp-
tor Paul Day who created the 30ft high The Meet-
ing Place in London’s St. Pancras Station. Traveling
around the world for his work to places like China,
Russia or New Zealand, he’s been calling Burgundy
his home for sixteen years and wouldn’t want it
any other way.

WINEDINEANDTRAVEL.COM 197