Dogs, cats, horses, sheep, chickens, and yeast! Endlessly entertaining biodiversity here at Le Brewery.
Homecoming at Le Brewery
My mom sent me an email just after our arrival at Le Brewery. "Do you feel like you are at home?"
In many ways, yes!
Le Brewery is a small, artisanal farm brewery in Normandy, France, brewing fantastic English-style real ale. It is the creation of Steve and Jane Skews, and family. It is also the center of a lovely community we have come to know and love.
We first came to Le Brewery in September 2012 to check out life on a farm brewery and get some experience in small production brewing. It seemed a sensible experience to have before diving into our own brewing enterprise.
After a month, we left wiser. Our time at Le Brewery was a serious reality check. And a serious inspiration.
We left with a better understanding of the enormous task ahead of us in building a brewery from scratch. We left knowing we had to come
back. Steve is an amazing brewer and teacher. There was still much more to
learn from him. So here we are, six months later, back at Le Brewery.
What schools feed children in Paris
We're in Paris. We're wandering around the Montmartre neighborhood near our hostel. Its dusk and chilly and extremely lovely. We climb hundreds of steps up to the Basilica of Sacre-Coeur and take in the views. Its the highest elevation in the city.
On our way down, we pass a school. It's a public elementary school. Now, as a teacher, I am always curious about the schools we encounter while traveling. I stopped to glance at the bulletin board and was completely amazed by what I saw.
Look at what these children are eating for lunch on Tuesday. Look!
And forgive the crappy iTouch photo.
I don't read French, but I can decipher enough to know that this menu is seasonal, balanced, and oh so French!
Now think of the endless plastic wrapped cinnamon buns, tater tots, hot dogs, and chocolate milk we feed our kids in NYC. What culture do these school lunches reflect? Whose interests do they serve?
On the street in Paris, I immediately thought of an inspirational TED Talk by Ann Cooper, head of nutrition for Berkeley, CA schools. She correctly frames school lunch as a social justice issue.
Unrelated to brewing? Not really. It all connects to bigger issues of food production and distribution. Yes, beer is food.
During our 24 hours in Paris, I was impressed by the architecture and energy of the city, the countless boulangeries and patisseries, the wine selection in the grocery store. But perhaps I was most impressed by the school lunch menu.