The King's green peas
-Gentlemen,
here is a real treasure.
A green pea.
-Hm?
-This new pea comes from Italy,
and His Majesty requested it at his supper table tonight.
-It's a thing of beauty! -What a wonderful little vegetable!
-M. de La Quintinie managed to cultivate some in our vegetable garden
and is coming to bring a full basket.
We've never cooked any. We can't afford any mistakes!
-BOSS, YES, BOSS!
-Would you like a cookie, Belfort?
Here, treat yourself.
Oh?
If M. de La Quintinie doesn't hurry,
the supper won't be ready in time.
-I thought you might appreciate this cookie, Lupin.
-You know me well! Thanks, Belfort.
It's so good!
-Great news!
Tonight, at supper, my master is going to taste brand-new vegetable.
-And what is it?
-Green peas.
-Never heard of them.
-I've heard that these green peas are a pure marvel.
What do you say we go taste them?
-Oh, yeah!
-This vegetable garden is impressive.
M. de La Quintinie grows hundreds
of different fruits and vegetables here.
-Where do the brioches grow?
-Where are those green peas?
-And where are the gardeners? Usually, there are plenty here.
-That's true! Hm...
Elephant footprints...
Has Madame Rosa been here?
Good heavens! There she is!
Let's go to the menagerie!
Oh, how awful!
-A pachyderm devouring the king's green peas is unforgivable!
The chains, that's what she deserves!
-Yes, sir.
-Madame Rosa didn't do this?
-I don't know, but this is really bad for her.
-His Majesty is going to be furious. Why bother?
I'll let the cooks know.
-Yes, M. de La Quintinie.
-This is despicable! -Poor Madame Rosa!
-Ah! Belfort!
I'm accused of having devoured some vegetable.
To be treated like a criminal in public, what a disgrace!
-Her goose is cooked! -Game over.
-Rest assured, Madame Rosa,
Lupin and I are going to free you from this horrible chain. Hm?
Well done, my dear Lupin!
-There you are!
-Thank you, but it doesn't change anything.
I've been wrongly accused.
Me, a thief?
-This is an insult! -An insult!
-A scandal! -Oh...
-And to top it all off, I'm deprived of my peanuts
due to late delivery. This is a nightmare!
-Don't worry Madame Rosa,
Lupin and I are going to investigate the green peas disappearing.
-And we'll prove your innocence, showing it was a bunch of nonsense.
-Thank you for your time. Without you...
-Tell us, why did you go to the vegetable garden?
-The vegetable garden?
Hm... But I've never been to the vegetable garden!
-Well... your paw prints are over there.
-Yes, they are. It's true.
-I have absolutely no recollection being in the vegetable garden.
And yet, I have a memory of... Of what?
-A good memory?
-Yes, exactly!
-But then... Yes...
How do we explain the presence of your footprints?
-Let's see, the vegetable garden...
Oh, I know!
I'm a sleepwalker.
I sometimes walk in my sleep.
-Hm hm... Walking...
Don't you also sometimes have a snack in your sleep?
-I just told you I was asleep.
I can't remember a thing.
-Hm... Why don't we ask the other animals?
They might have some information.
-You'd make a good police dog!
-No, I didn't see anything.
I was sleeping deeply. And with my eyes closed too.
-No, I didn't.
No. Did you?
-I didn't see anything either.
We sleep with our heads under the wing, I remind you.
-I haven't noticed a thing.
-Hm?
-Madame Rosa is innocent.
Innocent, Your Honor!
-We don't know what she did last night.
-And these green peas,
we have never heard of them.
-Madame Rosa would never eat those green peas.
Peanuts! She loves peanuts!
-Peanuts!
And besides, you'll have to clear her name quickly,
because we've got a surprise for her.
-Forget it! There's nothing to learn from these brainless birds.
-I'm afraid you're right.
Madame Rosa must remember her nocturnal visit to the vegetable garden.
Sleepwalking... Does she talk in her sleep?
-Yes, she does! She talks about her memories of Portugal.
-Ah! We have to make her fall asleep...
-So that she can tell us about last night!
-Exactly, my dear Lupin!
-What an excellent idea! I couldn't agree more.
But there's one problem: I'm not sleepy at all.
-We'll help you.
Rosa will be asleep in no time.
Sleep, elephant do
-The elephant will sleep soon
-117 peanuts... 118 peanuts...
119 peanuts...
-Hm?
-How about a massage? Hm?
-Stop it, that tickles!
-Ladies and gentlemen, please...
We need silence for Mrs Rosa to fall asleep.
We beg you!
-What's going on here? Is Mr. Lully giving a concert?
-We'll never get her to sleep!
-Hm...
When my master struggles to sleep,
he drinks chamomile tea. It's very effective.
-What are we waiting for?
-What do you mean, no green peas?
And what do I cook? We've already announced the menu!
-All you have to do is serve roast elephant!
She's the one responsible.
-Hm... "Chamomile"... Ah! That's it!
-What do you think? That
vegetables grow overnight, by magic?
-No, no and no!
The royal kitchens keep their promises!
Find me some green peas!
-Gentlemen, here:
this chamomile tea should soothe your anger.
-Sir, please excuse me. I don't know what got into me.
-No, my friend. I was obnoxious. I got carried away.
I am the one who owes you an apology.
I shouldn't have used that tone of voice.
-Your chamomile tea is ready.
-Oh, thank you so much, Belfort!
I hope it works and
I fall asleep soon.
-It's super effective, your trick!
-We're going to find out what Madame Rosa did last night.
Dear Mrs Rosa...
Tell us about your walk last night.
-I took a walk in the gardens of Versailles.
Oh, how beautiful! It's a full moon.
-(Shh!)
-It's not my fault, I'm allergic!
-I walk into the grove.
The little gravels are so pleasant under my paws!
This night is so sweet!
I smell the delicious scent of orange trees
that reminds me of my dear Portugal!
Oh, Portugal...
I walk delicately, so as not to crush anything,
and what do I see?
Amazing little green vegetables.
I want to taste them, but I'm not touching them.
No, no, no!
We are at Versailles here!
-Mme Rosa told the truth, she didn't eat the green peas.
We can wake her up.
-Get up, in there!
-Peanut!
Oh... sorry! What happened?
-You're not guilty. -Well, that's good news.
-I'm relieved, but...
Alas, it won't be enough to restore my honor.
-But don't you worry, we'll investigate,
find those green peas and clear your name.
-Oh, I'd love to believe that! Alas!
-Come on, Mrs Rosa, we must not give up hope!
With your flair and my knowledge,
we'll solve this enigma.
Right, my dear Lupin?
-Well... Yeah, but...
What does it look like, green peas?
I've never seen one.
-Well, it's small, round and green.
-Okay, got it!
Little round things, there's no shortage of them around here.
Look, gooseberries!
But they're not green.
And these are unripe grapes, so they're not green peas.
-Why don't you use your nose to pick up on an unfamiliar scent?
-Oh yeah, clever!
Found it!
It's round, it's green, and I've never smelled it before.
But it's big.
-They're melons.
They're a novelty here, too.
But that's not it. -Melons? Can you eat them?
-Absolutely. Humans love it.
That said, the time is to search for clues.
-Boss, yes, boss!
Hey, Belfort! I've found a plump green caterpillar,
but with no legs.
Hey!
What are these?
-They're green peas! Eureka! Nice work, Lupin!
-Green peas grow inside caterpillars?
-This isn't a caterpillar, Lupin. Actually, it's called a pod.
Green peas grow in a pod,
like beans or peanuts.
-I don't know anything about it, but we've finally a clue.
-Green peas used to be grown here, but they've disappeared.
This pod is our only clue.
-With my super sense of smell, we'll know who touched this.
-What do you think? -There's a bunch of different smells.
The 1st one is Bernard, the gardener with the foot odor.
Next up, a ladybug with 7 black spots.
Then a slug,
and then...
-Your super flair is effective. Far too effective.
With so many suspects, we risk failure.
-And I wasn't finished.
-If your nose can't help us,
let's use our eyes to observe this pod.
-We won't see a thing, it's too tiny!
-It's even tiny.
Let's take it with us, I know a way to get a closer look.
-Great!
They waxed the floor again!
-Damn elephant!
She deserves much more than the chains!
-Can you see anything, Lupin?
-Wow! How crazy!
I see lots of marks of tiny little bird beaks.
-Bird beaks?
-Er... Belfort, what are you doing? -Calling the birds.
-OK... Leave it to me, I'll take care of it.
Artus! Oh, Marcus!
-Hey! Hello everyone!
-How's it going? -Did you touch the green peas?
-The... what?
-Don't pretend. We know everything.
-I don't know what you're talking about.
-Swear to tell the whole truth! -What are you talking about?
-Be quiet! -We're talking...
about this!
-Ah... this!
Uh... Yeah, we ate some.
-It's not bad at all. It's got a little taste of "lets eat more".
-Oh, you brainless birds! Madame Rosa has been accused
because of you.
-She was accused of having eaten the green peas, but it was you.
-No, no, no! Take it easy!
We may have pecked 1 or 2. -1 or 2...
-Hm... They couldn't have pecked all the green peas.
They're too small. We screwed up.
-Big mistake, as you said. Oh, dear. Our clue came to nothing.
-Sorry, guys!
-No harm done. -Well, we'll leave you to it.
"Adios"! Good luck, guys!
-We did our best.
-Lupin's right.
But unfortunately, our investigation has failed.
We have no proof. -Yeah, that sucks.
-Oh, alas! It was hopeless!
I will remain a vile criminal in everyone's eyes.
What a tragedy!
-Don't worry. We're here.
-And we have something that should comfort you.
Don't move!
-What? Belfort,
you see this? -A pea pod!
-Oh, dear!
-Oh, no!
They're still not ripe.
-You're right, they're still green.
-What are we going to do about it?
-Ladies!
Give us that basket. -And make it snappy!
-Out of the question! This is our surprise for Madame Rosa.
-It was our idea, not you!
-Catch !
-Good heavens! We've got to catch them!
-Let's lose them, my dear!
-Let's split up!
-Oh...
-You're done! -We demand an explanation.
-What's up? Madame Rosa ran out of peanuts,
and we found a whole field of them over there.
We wanted surprise her.
-Except they weren't ripe.
Absolutely! They were still too green.
-HM?
-We tried to hatch them, like an egg.
-But that didn't work, so we put them in the sun.
-Hands off! You've done enough!
-Let's not exaggerate!
All this hustle and bustle for peanuts!
-They're not peanuts, they're green peas!
-HM?
-The green peas have been found. Get ready! To your posts!
We must prepare the King's supper.
-BOSS, YES, BOSS!
-You've earned another cookie.
Here you go.
-Oh, you poor pachyderm!
I've been unfair to you.
To make it up to you,
please take these peanuts, which have just been delivered.
Please, help yourself.
-All's well that ends well.
-Thank you, Belfort.
Justice is finally served thanks to you and...
your friend, there!
-This is unfair.
It's even scandalous.
-We went to a lot of trouble, and
we didn't get a chance to surprise Madame Rosa!
-All of this made me hungry. -For me also, my dear Lupin!
Let's go to the kitchen!
I'd be very curious to taste these green peas.
-If you like!
I'd prefer a cookie. Or a brioche as a second choice.
-That can be arranged.
-The last to arrive is mummy's little doggy!
-Wait up!
-Come on, faster!
-Unlike previous queens and kings,
Louis XIV loved vegetables.
Curious to taste new ones,
he commissioned M. de La Quintinie, to create at Versaille,
a gigantic vegetable garden, that we can still visit to this day.
La Quintinie developed advanced techniques,
to grow the best fruits and vegetables,
for the royal table, almost any season.
We call it "le forçage des primeurs". *Note: process for accelerating growth, seedling emergence and fruit ripening.
At that time, ships import fruits and vegetables
unknown in France, like tomatoes,
melons, green peas, and later the potato.
Today, these foods are well known,
but in Louis XIV's time, they were real treasures.
It is said that the Sun King loved Italian green peas,
that one day he suffered an indigestion, after eating too much of them.