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’mgoing toneed aminute. Sittingback in
my chair, I contemplate the dish in front
ofme. The fillet of fish seems tobe staring
back, testingme fromits bedof lemon
and seaweed risotto, mockingmewith its plumpness,
teasingmewith its lake of creamy lobster foam. Breathe,
I think. You cando this…
I’ve never beenone to shy away fromeating, but this
is getting ridiculous. This fillet is the tenthfishdish in
three days, the foamsurrounding it just one of 33 sauces,
mousses, foams, emulsions and reductions I havewolfed
down; the risottoone of dozens of accompaniments, from
quenelles of rich, butterypotato to crispvegetable gratins
and artisanbreads. Anddon’t getme startedon thewine.
I can’t helpbut wonder: will this littlemouthful of risotto,
glistening innocently, be the straw that breaks this camel’s
back or, rather, stomach?As theFrench say,
celui quimange
l’estomacplein, creusesatombeavec sesdents
(thosewho
eat when they’re full, dig their gravewith their teeth).
The reason for all this gluttony? It all goes back to a day
threeweeks previously.While reading about theAlpine
regionof Savoie in easternFrance, I discovered a casual
mentionof a small village, population4,000-odd, that had
fourMichelin-starred restaurants. FOUR?That’s the same
number present in thewhole ofWales. It breaks downas
oneMichelin-starred restaurant per 1,000or sopeople.
Toput that figure in context: greater Tokyo is home to the
most starred restaurants in theworld – 293 to its 35,682,460
people, so that’s only one for each 120-thousand-odddiners.
What couldpossiblybe attracting all these top chefs to
such aprecise spot?Was it the birthplace of aparticular
cuisine?Was it a place of great obesity or, more likely
given the associationofMichelin starswith luxury, a
place of obscene affluence, where chubby, mink-swaddled
inhabitants revelled inplatters of foie gras and fatted calf?
Therewas only one thing todo. I turnedoffmyphone’s
calorie counter, putmy conscience aside, andbooked a
ticket out there. Youmayhave heardof cult TVshow
Manv
Food
?Well, thiswas tobewomanversus food…
And the challenge begins soon after landing. Arriving
at the delightful lakeside village of LeBourget-du-Lac, an
hour’s drive southofGeneva airport, I jump right into
Previous pages,
cheese at Auberge
Lamartine; local
fishermanOlivier
Parpillon;
below,
the scenery of Le
Bourget-du-Lac;
right,
local fish
lavaret with a
vichyssoise cream
at La Bateau Ivre;
opposite page,
chef
Jean-Pierre Jacob
of La Bateau Ivre
GENEVA
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