Mussel memory

All over Normandy and Brittany the locals ravenously slurp up pots of steamed mussels (moules). Served in a big steaming pot, you use the lid for the empty shells. To look like a pro, you pull the orange meat of the first mussel out with your fingers and then use that empty shell as your pincers to pull the meat from the next 99 shells. They eat a lot. I assume the sauce is the main attraction because, well, it’s France. The sauce choices include Camembert, crème, Roquefort, or mariniere (white wine and shallots). Always served with French fries (frites), apparently due to the original Belgian tradition. My only explanation: like escargot, they are easy to catch.

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