“1,000 grams of sugar and only one litre of water?” I ask my uncle-in-law. “Surely, that will be too sweet?”
“No, no!” he said in his Frencher-than-French accent. “I mean, oui oui, yes, but you can add a sherry to counter the sweetness.”
(By “sherry,” he means “cherry,” by the way.)
“Ah, I see.” I cock a brow, my blood sugar levels spiking just listening to him walk me through his Pastel de Nata recipe.
Being French and a baker, pastries aren’t just food…
THEY ARE A WAY OF LIFE FOR HIM.
Fun fact:
The French Army, including the French Foreign Legion, has long recognised bread as essential to both morale and sustenance. (Yes, really.) In fact, the military has historically included “boulangeries de campagne” (field bakeries) as part of their logistical corps.
Do they still do it now?
Not a clue. 🤷
What I do know is that, like my uncle, French soldiers were (and still are) deeply attached to bread as a dietary staple, and military leadership understood that cutting corners here could seriously impact morale.
In a weird roundabout kind of way, this reminds me of something that happens in Chapter 20 of The Great Betrayal.
Without giving too much away, Darius and his cohort come across a family in peril. A senior member of his party (not saying who) suggests abandoning them for the sake of their “greater” goal, but is swiftly challenged by their subordinate.
This subordinate (also a new addition to The Divided Region) holds the belief that innocent lives are worth fighting for — even if they are not “their people.”
Like the French, little do her (whoops, that slipped) peers realise there’s actually a reason she is deeply attached to this belief, and it has everything to do with her childhood (where so many of our own beliefs and behaviours stem from).
However, unlike the French, she’s quite tight-lipped about this matter, which has shaped her to become one of the more interesting characters to have ever been cast in the series so far.
Does that mean she will live beyond this instalment?
I can’t make any promises. 😈
This is a gritty epic fantasy, after all.
To read the scene in question and meet this new (and fiery) addition to the TDR cast, go grab yourself a croissant and a copy of The Great Betrayal (not necessarily in that order 😉):
https://djjwatsonstore.com/products/The-Great-Betrayal
DJJW