Episode 29: The King Knew What He Wanted For Dinner

"In the time of the Sun King, the souper a sonnette -the 'bell dinner' - was invented, during which the ladies sat at the table dressed only in powder, perfume, and jewels. On the backs of their chairs hung loose robes, to put on whenever the servants, summoned by the bell, entered to perform their duties. No servant of the time has left a memoir that might enable us to understand what thoughts passed through his mind while he was serving. Perhaps in the silvery sound of the bell one can discern the first signs of the future revolution."
- Aldo Buzzi, Journey to the Land of Flies and Other Travels

*************************************************************************************
Get This
What happens when ideology is corrupted by religiosity:
A House subcommittee has approved a $34.24 billion foreign aid package. It would restore federal funding (cut off during the Reagan administration) for the distribution of contraceptives, the frontline defense against the spread of of HIV/AIDS.
It will almost certainly be vetoed by Bush. No surprise there - his base thinks handing out condoms just encourages people to commit fornication. Condemnation of the sin of sexual intercourse is, of course, one of the great inconsistencies of true believers, considering it's the only way to produce more little right-thinking Fundamentalists and evolution-deniers.

More important, in this case, Dubya has just called for an appropriation of $30 billion to expand AIDS care abroad!

*************************************************************************************
Speaking of Money and Dubya
Add these numbers to the steaming pile of blame righteously dumped on the floor of the Oval Office:

*$50 billion was the estimated cost of the Iraq War before the illegitimate invasion.
$1.2 trillion is the revised guess.
*$3 trillion is the increase in the national debt since 2001.
*In that year, one U.S. dollar bought $1.50 in Canadian currency. Now, it brings only $1.06 Canadian.
*In that year, 85 U.S. cents bought one Euro. Now, a Euro costs $1.36 U.S.
*In that year, an English pound cost $1.44 U.S. Now, it costs $1.99 U.S.

*And in this year, about 45 million Americans are still without health isurance.

*************************************************************************************
Faith On Parade
An imman in Egypt has issued a fatwa - an Islamic edict - declaring that unmarried men and and a women could share an office if she breast-fed each of her male colleagues five times.

I did not make this up.

*************************************************************************************
Over There
In the last episode, Geezer daringly declared that "The French Really Don't Suck". American friends who live in Provence directed me to YouTube.com to search for "Bill Maher". Do that, then click on "Bill Maher on the French". It's a hoot, and way true.

*************************************************************************************
Apple Fie, Partie Trois
So Geezer finally gave up trying to program his iPod Shuffle, a maddeningly frustrating process rife with unexplained jargon demanding that I deploy nonexistent procedures. (You Apple Lovers protested my displeasure with Big Steve and hinted darkly that the problem lay with my egregious lack of computer smarts.)
In time, the techies at Apple agreed that the Shuffle in question was damaged and sent me a new one, along with ornate directions on how to re-package and mail the old one. By the time I got around to programming the new one, it went fairly smoothly. I take it to the fitness club and on the train into the city. A nice little toy. Maybe I am a technical goof.
Turns out I'm not. It is now reported that customers who bought the new Microsoft Vista program (like me) found that they could not download songs from Apple's iTunes or even play the ones they'd already purchased. And, iPod content often became corrupted.
New updates and patches were released by both Apple and Microsoft to address the problem. All is right again, until the next innovation.

Then yesterday, I got a letter from Apple. They're sending me another replacement Shuffle. With elaborate directions on how to package and return the old one.

But I did that already.

Travel Notes
Once, in a tavern in the Spanish hilltown of Calaceite, Geezer was pontificating to his wife that Spanish men never wore shorts, for it was considered unmanly. The words were barely out of his mouth when a farmer whipped aside the beaded strings at the entrance, strode to the bar, slammed the flat of his hand on the bar, and demanded a beer.
He was squat and muscular, a burnished reddish-brown from years in the sun-blasted fields, and he slapped his clothes to release puffs of hard-earned dust. And, of course, he wore shorts.

Since then, Geezer is cautious about suggesting proper dress for Americans in Europe. But it still strikes him as wise to avoid drawing attention. Tourists, after all, are the main targets of the pickpockets and con artists that plague every big city in Europe. So Geezer's Modified Dress Code declares (1) save the shorts for the beach and (2) don't take clothes emblazoned with flags, patriotic sayings, political statements, and jokey inscriptions of the "I'm with Stupid" variety.

Not long ago, he would have cautioned against running shoes, too, but now they are common wear for Europeans as well as North Americans (the Brits call them "trainers") but he'd still leave the white ones home. Jeans are worn by just about everyone, and baseball caps are increasingly evident, especially, but not exclusively, among the young. Those with the entwined "NY" of the New York Yankees logo are ubiquitous on the heads of people who don't know a bat from a baguette.

Eating in Paris
With the Euro at record highs, as noted above, the "where d'ya wanna eat?" question is more fraught than it's been in years. Still, devout foodies like Geezer and Jo can't alight in the City of Chefs vowing to eat only in cafeterias and McD. Our solution was putting together meals from street markets - bread, cheese, charcuterie, tomatoes, rotisserie chicken, prepared salads, wine. That usually made dinner, while lunch was at carefully researched bistros and small restaurants where the tab was unlikely to exceed $125, all in. Most Paris restos are significantly cheaper at lunch, especially when a prixfixe meal is offered.
A much-remarked mini-trend has chefs throwing over the pressures, expense, and stress associated with attaining and hanging on to Michelin stars and opting for less formal, less expensive establishments offering elevated food in simpler surroundings. Perhaps the most visible exemplar of this movement is Yves Camdeborde, the chef-owner of Le Comptoir (9 Carrefour de l'Odeon, 011-33-1-43-29-12-05; 6th arrondisement). He regales patrons with lavish servings of foie gras (upper left), and is noted for such items as chestnut and celeriac soup with chorizo and scallops and buckwheat crepes with roast veal. Our three-course lunch, with wine, taxes, and service was only $128. Le Comptoir was booked for dinner for the next year, but they take no reservations for lunch. Line up at the door at the crack of noon to snare a table.
Down near the left bank of the Seine, Le Reminet (3 rue des Grands-Degres, 01-44-07-04-24, 5th arrondisement) has been around a long time. But it changed ownership a year or so ago, and the old clientele apparently didn't return. It was empty (left) when we visited, a condition we hoped was unusual, since we found our meal delectable and the service scrupulously attentive. The waiter took our picture without being asked and the chef came out to talk after we sent our compliments. All this made us a little giddy, and we ordered more food and wine than we might ordinarily, so the bill came to $168, all included. We'll go back, with a touch more attention to the right side of the menu.
Equally pleasing was Chez Rene (14 blvd. Saint-Germain, 01-43-54-30-23, 5th arroundisement), at the far east end of the famed boulevard and so less afflicted with tourism. Rarely have we been treated with such good-humoured ebulliance, especially from the maitre d', who spoke fluent, if ragged, English. The bistro has been around for decades, largely due to its precise renditions of such traditional dishes as the definitive boeuf bourguignon and tarte citron. The self-labeled house beaujoulais is the wine of choice, and recommended. Our meal, out on the enclosed terrace, slid happily on for two hours; $153.

*************************************************************************************
If you came across this blog while surfing and would like to receive notice of future postings, please send your e-mail address to www.TUCKg3@optonline.net . Your address will not be shared with anyone else.