Since Tuesday, the chime has been five seconds ahead of the opening of the annual plum tart competition.
Organizers fear the first slices will go cold before the judges arrive.
In Saint-Loupiac, a small village clinging to the hills, the matter has dominated conversation ever since a resident timed the church bell with his egg timer. According to his measurements, the first strike sounds at 2:29:55 p.m., whereas the competition is officially set to begin at 2:30 p.m.
The Tart Committee, which has been preparing the event since February, fears general confusion. “If people hear the bell before the hour, they’ll think the judges are late, or that tart number 12 has already won,” worries Mireille Poncet, head of the plates stall.
The sacristan suspects the recently oiled mechanism but insists he hasn’t touched any settings. A check is scheduled for Friday, with three watches, two kitchen timers, and an hourglass borrowed from the village hall.
In the meantime, the committee has decided not to move the competition forward. Competitors are asked to cover their tarts with a tea towel until the second chime — except number 12, whose pastry, its pastry chef assures, “handles the wait very well.”
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