Monday, April 09, 2007

A Fish Tail

French Easter I've reached the tail-end of my Parisien Pacques/Easter research. No pun intended.These swimmers were in Gerard Mulot's vitrine/ window.
French Easter Not just chocolatiers had their fish on display.
I spotted this huge fish sculpture one night in a galerie window. You can order it in a variety of sizes.
French Easter Or find a more managable size and edible too at Gerard Mulot's.

French EasterThis print shop joined in the April tradition with a window full of poissons prints.
The story goes on the 1st, you'd run around pinning paper fish on the back of unsuspecting folks, like your teacher or parent. A kind of April Fool's day joke, called Poissons d'Avril. No one bothers anymore but there are still plenty of fish to be seen in the chocolate shops and galleries.

French EasterBlame It On Paris asked me specifically to find her a chocolate shrimp. I hope a Langoustine (an overgrown shrimp) will do.French EasterAs part of the April fish tale - small cello bags of chocolate friture or little fish are sold. They're made to fill the big hollow chocolate eggs, hens, bunnies or this school of fish. They're straight forward dark chocolate shapes and yummy. I succombed in the name of research and brought home 2 little bags - seashells, snails, shrimp, turtles and fish of course. I wish I'd brought more.

French EasterHere's marbelized chocolate fish again from Gerard Mulot.

French EasterAnd finally the "FISH n'HEN" from Jean-Paul Hevin, joined together as he says in a shot-gun wedding and filled with those chocolate fritures.
Where are the Fritures? Here what's left - Fritures are really little fried fish oft served in Provence!

16 comments:

  1. Such beautiful creatures, and as you said in a previous post, that combination of artistry and sense of humor is irrestistible (I find that in Vienna, too - well, we've been touched by the French in the not so far past, so to speak *g*). That "chocolate friture or little fish" gives a whole new meaning to Goldfish (anybody suggesting to Pepperidge Farm to inaugurate a special chocolate Easter edition next year?).

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  2. Anonymous9:14 AM

    Oh, Carol, that "fish/hen" is just hilarious. I love that! These are wonderful poissons! Great photos, all! There is a delicious humor in all of that, it's true!!

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  3. Anonymous10:42 AM

    I could be happy wioth every fish you caught! Where is the friture?

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  4. Anonymous11:52 AM

    Fish fry! Are you coming? The Mer by Marseille is hoping to have waves of chocolate soon!Thanks for including Friture!

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  5. Anonymous11:56 AM

    Chocolate fish? I never knew such a thing. Leave it to the French to have a perfect symbol the fish (Jesus)for Easter.

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  6. Chocolate, chocolate everywhere. Surely a piece to share!
    Looks delicious.

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  7. Mama Mia! I'll take a dozen of the fish third from the top! I can't stop looking at it!!

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  8. What fanciful photos! I love this post, pun and all!

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  9. I love the langoustine! Thanks, Carol. :)

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  10. Your blog and paintings are SO beautiful! Thanks for making it easier for me to imagine that I'm in Paris, instead of here in my living room :).

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  11. Now this is interesting....learned something today....and it looks so yummy!!!

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  12. When I was in Versailles a few weeks ago I took a picture of a window full of chocolate fishes in a net. It came out as a wonderful picture of me taking a photo of a window full of fishes.

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  13. French April fool is called poission d'avril, that might be why there are so many fish around at the moment.

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  14. duh! should read EVERYTHING that you write...am too fazed by all that chocolate!

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  15. Anonymous7:09 AM

    Can't wait to see some of your Paris watercolors in your Etsy shop!

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  16. Craving chocolate now...look at those fish!

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