My niece sent me this photo from a tiny village
near Bar le Duc in the Meuse area of France.
It feels like a sign of the times.
I thought maybe it was due to Covid
but another friend saw my post about it on Instagram
and sent me this NYTimes article .
Bakeries in France are closing at a sadly rapid rate
particularly in small villages.
Young people aren't interested in the work's long hours
and many people are no longer eating as much bread.
And when the boulangerie closes and people have to go elsewhere to shop for their bread,
often the butcher (boucherie) or caterer (traiteur) next to them must close as well.
As much as I hate this change,
If I was in a hurry and had to drive miles to another village to buy bread
and one of these was within walking distance of my house,
guess where I'd sometimes get my bread.
But also probably try to make sure I made errands in the next village
and stopped at their bakery as often as possible.
So many changes these days.
Another version of the Buy Locally idea.
Have you shopped at your little neighborhood market lately?!
(Photo credit: Victoria Delon)