Tuesday, December 02, 2003

Thanksgiving in Paris The Remains of the Day!   November 27th, the day Scott and Jory arrive in Paris to join us for Thanksgiving.  We are ready - have been for weeks.  We live in a city where butchers think it strange that anyone would want to cook a 10-12 lb. bird, let alone have an oven large enough to do it in.    We are determined to enjoy a wonderful American tradition. We feel a little like the original Pilgrims, forging new ground.  Our goal was to find the turkey and all the trimmings that go with the traditional Thanksgiving feast.   Luckily, the expat network in Paris is efficient and we located not only fresh cranberries and sweet potatoes, but also a shop that promises a bird stuffed, cooked and with enough juice to make our own gravy!  We are set!    On, Thursday evening Paul and I headed off at 6:00 pm with our ‘pousette marche’ to stand in line with other fellow American’s to claim our bird.  (This is one time when we longed for the delivery system of NYC).  Scott and Jory arrived to the smell of roasting turkey in the oven and what followed was a wonderful feast.   Our only departure from tradition came at dessert with local pastry and crème frâiche.    Here you see the remains of our bird the day after our feast attesting to the fine taste of the bird!  As you can see, there is not much left and while I was clicking the shutter, I had to fend off the cats who wanted their fair share at last!  At $79 Euros, this bird while delicious was no bargain!     12:18:38 PM    comment []

What men can do better than women I have previously written about things that women can do better than men (folding and packing). But I find that I must now, with much reluctance, talk about one of the few things that men can do better... I was just at the supermarket waiting to check out. At the front of both lines were women who just couldn't seem get their act together. Before paying, they wanted to check their packages through and then pack them away - neatly - in the bag or 'poussette'. Once that was complete, they first started to consider how to pay. One was insistent on finding the exact change somewhere in her commodious purse, the other was first taking out her checkbook to write a check. A guy would have paid first and then thrown the stuff in a bag, any which way, so as not to hold up the line. This experience reminded me of other situations where people (read women) don't prepare in advance to minimize delays. Now I have to admit, right up front, that I am obsessive on this topic - I always plan ahead to pay most efficiently. I take out my change or card in advance to have it ready when the bus arrives - and I always have exact change or my credit card ready to avoid delays elsewhere. I keep my wallet handy to put it back in the same place without delay. I don't understand why they can't do the same. They know the bus is going to arrive. They know how much the fare is. They know it's raining! I thought this behavior was limited to American women - I don't know why. But I was wrong. It's the same here. I know women are trained to guard their purse and wallet but I don't know what they are worried about. I don't think I look like a pickpocket. It's the same thing in restaurants - whether it's dividing the check or calculating the tip - it takes forever.   12:14:51 PM    comment []

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