.....We were exactly where we’d always dreamed of being this Christmas morning, at the foot of the pale olive tree slopes, with the perforated stone of the landscape around us like lace filigree. We had reached Oustaù de Baumanière, a place so beautiful, so utterly captivating that it could make you weep with joy.....
.... The vision of the majestically splendid room was enhanced by the beautifully set tables, like glossy islets with their light-colored cloths, impeccably and carefully draped. Each one had a vase with white hyacinths, fine china, and a candlestick. We sat down to enjoy the order of the meal.....
..... We were already nibbling the flesh of a small biscuit made of egg white, topped with black truffles whose golden yoke, once the mold was opened, flowed down our throat like a living spring.
The wine was an Affectif that amply deserved its name. We drank it without restraint and it aroused such a world of emotions in us that we kept returning to it throughout the meal.
Next we discovered in front of us a sea bass served on a china platter. Our forks continued moving back and forth, ever faster, piercing the delicate, shimmering flesh, reaching our mouth, titillating our taste buds, as the same sensuous impatience held us in its spell.
We were eating very rapidly as if we were afraid they might take the fabulous dish away from us. Only God knows how we worshipped the firm and tender fish at that very moment, how we loved and blessed the one who had prepared it! The sea itself was our table companion in this satiny and supremely aromatic catch. There were some cheeky commas on the platter, too, dense and crispy, incredibly appetizing calamari that perked up our senses in a similar way.....
..... At the end of the meal we went outside to pay a visit to the cold. The sky was opened up like a huge blue book, the North wind stung our cheeks. Only beautiful thoughts filled our heart this Christmas day......
..... On the way there the frost flung its white sparks at us, the grass was crackling beneath our feet, but it couldn’t make us shiver, warmed as we were by the fine food......
...... The Charials’ property was one of the most beautiful hotels in Europe and I was thinking that a benevolent star had been watching over us in the heavens above the Oustaù; the most precious and brightest one likely to bring such happiness. The star must have attached itself to a corner of bright sky just above Jean André’s house, a marvel in itself… though others might call it destiny.