3 Questions to : Pierre Montaldon

As a representative of the Ministry of Health, Youth and Sports, how do you rate your relationship with charcuterie and folklore ? I maintain an intense and very romantic relationship with ham. Coming from the humble pig, ham is the equivalent of a big gothic cathedral : a work of the people and for the people. Initiation in the pleasure of ham-tasting is, in my opinion, of major importance in informal education. In terms of folklore, I prefer a mixture of different types and the regional clothing syncretism as here in Cannes, with my beach après-ski. Folklore is my world !

We saw you next to Madame de Fontenay in the photo of the Jury members of Miss Folklore… Why ? Do you know her personally ? My fascination for Madame de Fontenay relates back to the pleasures of the flesh (sausages). In fact, before her work with the ‘Misses’, she had a promising career as a magician, thanks to her illusionist acts : making head pâté and potted mince appear from under her big hat (Tata Yoyo, by Annie Cordy).

Your favourite film in the Quinzaine ? Again, it’s my pantagruelian appetite which guides my choice. Without hesitating, Egg by Semih Kaplanoglu. According to Jean-Luc Godard, master charcutier of the Limousin, “one should never come out of one’s own shell, sausage and pork replacing what our eyes can see with a world which reflects our desires”.

Flamand Rose