Monsieur Kim in Dijon.

Back when I was growing up in Lincolnwood, IL my parents had a collection of Time-Life books, one of which focused on French cooking. Inside the vintage 1965 pages, there was a photo of a magnificently tiled medieval building: the hospice of Beaune. It was built in the 1400’s and served the sick. Since I was about 10 years old, I have dreamt about that picture.

Last summer, we traveled through Switzerland and France, and one of our stopovers was Dijon in Burgundy. About a half hour away, by train, is the wine growing town of Beaune. It was a rainy day when we finally arrived. The courtyard of the hospice, crowded with tourists, is even more brilliant and wondrous than imagined. Clouds and the consistent downpour made the cobblestones streets of Beaune glisten. The dour wet limestone on the buildings contrasted to the many hued colors on top.

There was a group of loud American bicyclists in town that day. They rode into the square and sat down in our outdoor restaurant. The guys, with their guts stuffed into spandex shorts, poured beers and talked about the the upcoming taste of Chicago festival. After stuffing themselves with beef bourginon and chocolate cake, they rode off.

All throughout Burgundy there are examples of other buildings with the snake skin like tile work. But none compare to the hospice at Beaune.