A VISIT TO RUNGIS (Part 1)
Guy Chelma looks like he has been a trader at Rungis since the market first opened. Ruddy-faced and enthusiastic with an infectious passion for food and an encyclopaedic knowledge of the market. Such joie de vivre would be impressive at any time of the day but at 3.am on a cold October morning, it is close to a miracle.
Rungis market lies on the outskirts of Paris covering 232 hectares and each working day it welcomes 13,000 workers and 26,000 vehicles. It was moved here ,close to Orly airport in 1969, as a replacement for the famed Les Halles market, which had operated in central Paris since the 10th century. The limited size made expansion impossible at Les Halles and it had become increasingly difficult to manage new hygiene standards and rising traffic levels. But for some Les Halles’ passing is still mourned. For them, Rungis heralded the coming of food industrialisation with less focus on individual producers and more on large-scale growers and suppliers. They felt the heart and soul of the market have been removed; replaced by gleaming stainless steel and endless regulation. A long way indeed from Emile Zola’s evocative descriptions in his 19th-century classic on Les Halles “The Belly of Paris”. No overflowing tubs of Brittany butter here or cut rounds of camembert overwhelming the senses with gamey overtones, swapped instead for order and cleanable surfaces.
Our group is lucky to have Guy as our guide around the market as he inveigles us with the history of the market’s inception. Perhaps modernity has cut some of the heart out of the market but it is not at all evident in our guide’s exuberant passion and conviction. Guy, is in fact, no trader but a Professor of Geography at the Paris- Sorbonne University. Our group is in Paris attending Hautes Etudes du Gout (HEG) a multi-disciplinary programme which explores the scientific, cultural, historical and sociological approach to taste through lectures, workshops and dinners and our early morning start is a happy confluence of academia, food and trading. We could have no better guide than Guy. I would admit that another happy confluence of espresso and steaming milk would be welcome but time does not permit, and instead, we don white overcoats to enter the halls. It is patently apparent these garments have been nowhere near the great haute couture houses of Paris. Less high fashion, more Michelin man. Visitors to the market are strictly controlled and documentation is regularly checked by officials who remind you that bureaucracy is, after all, a French word.
The market hums with activity and is well into its trading day when we arrive. Trucks are rolling into loading bays, petrol stations, banks and restaurants are in full service to support the workers. It is a small town, vibrant and alive, while in central Paris to the north the city still slumbers. Seventy percent of the meat and produce sold at Rungis is still sourced from the regions surrounding Paris with support from Brittany and Normandy. The remainder coming from the rest of France and abroad. The overseas product extends the seasons giving seasonal product all year round supply. Guy asks the questions is global sourcing right? Is industrialisation friend or foe? Is it right to sell tomatoes in October? Can you afford not to?
