Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
Published: 9/6/2023 11:30:53 AM
Greenville is once again celebrating its French-Canadian roots, with a second dinner featuring traditional Quebec and Acadia dishes.
The town held a similar dinner last year as part of its 150th anniversary celebrations, and the event drew about 150 attendants. It was so popular, organizers Moe Desrosiers and Henri Vaillancourt have decided to bring it back as an annual event. Already, he said they have sold almost as many tickets as last year, though they have room for up to 200 guests.
“This is a French community; they have grown up with that food,” Desrosiers said.
The dinner will include main dishes and desserts from Quebec and Acadia, including chicken fricot, pork pies and ragoût de boulettes, a pork meatball in gravy sauce. Desserts include pets de soeurs, a pastry made with brown sugar; and grandpères, dumplings cooked in maple syrup and brown sugar. Acadian dishes include Acadian poutine, a grated potato dish with pork in the middle; and rappie, a grated baked potato dish.
“We’re trying to honor the two ethnic French traditions in Greenville. Even though they’re often very similar, they also have very different histories,” Vaillancourt said.
In addition to the food, traditional French-Canadian music will be played, including live music from Jeremiah McClane on accordion, Eric Boodman on fiddle and Jessie Ball on mandolin.
Vaillancourt said the music will include songs from both Quebec and Acadia, which he said have close ties and often are shared between the two regions. Among the tunes that will be played are “St. Anne’s Reel” and “Aristide’s Reel,” popular traditional dance tunes.
Vaillancourt said the dinner should be nostalgic for those who grew up on those dishes, and a good starting point for those who want to learn more about the culture.
“It’s a nice gathering for people to share their culture – at least in terms of the food and the music,” Vaillancourt said. “But you can introduce a lot of people to your culture that way.”
Alcohol will not be served at the dinner, but members of the public are allowed to bring it.
Tickets must be purchased in advance. Tickets are $15, and can be purchased by contacting Desrosiers at 603-878-3009. The dinner is Sept. 16 at the American Legion pavilion on Route 31 in Greenville. The doors open at 4 p.m., and dinner is served at 5 p.m. Proceeds go to the costs of the dinner, and reserves for next year’s event.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172, Ext. 244 or asaarI@ledgertran script.com. She’s on X @AshleySaariMLT.