II: Black Turnips
The tiny hamlet of Pardailhan is home to a black turnip.
Good morning. Today is duodi, the 2nd of Frimaire, Year CCXXXI. We celebrate les turneps de Pardailhan, a special turnip exclusive to southern France.
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Look, I don't know why turnips "turn up" so often. In this case, the day is given to just an obsolete synonym for the root. It's almost certain that Fabre d'Eglantine intended for this to refer to a distinct turnip species from le navet, and many English translations give this day to the rutabaga, which makes sense given that related root's longtime association with France. But rutabaga has a word! Always has. It's, wouldn't you know it, le rutabaga. So I dug a little deeper and found something truly French, and truly odd...
Remember the last time we talked about turnips? Here was the last line: "And that's as much time as I've ever wanted to spend talking about turnips." Oh, well.
