Thursday, March 11, 2010

The French Way

I am staying with a French girl in Paris - we met two years ago in New York.
French Girl writes me in New York:
Dear Macaron girl,
Oh btw, when you are here, we will do the American way
you do as if you were in your home, you open the fridge, put in tons of macarons, eat in the kitchen, use everything you want.......so funny!!!!
When American girl arrives Sunday, French girl announces friends are coming at noon for lunch in Chinatown.
12:06: American girl, who is famished from long plane trip says, "Where are your friends...ahem?"
1:06: American girl says,
"Ahem...do you think we should call your friends? maybe they got lost?"
1:30: American girl is pacing the room, thinking of looking in the fridge for macarons..
At 2ish friends arrive - This is The French way I'm informed.
American girl is leaving for fancy French fashion show...
French girl politely asks:
"Are you taking that bag with you?"
The American Way:
"You are not leaving the house with that horror!"
French Girl has a snack.
The French Way:
She eats just 2 chips, with a naughty smile and puts the bag away.
The American way:
Devour the entire bag at one go mindlessly.
French Girl downs her petit dej' of two slices of toast slathered with beurre de Normandie and some tea...
One wonders how French Girl can fit into this complicated, witty skirt, that only a French girl could wear? It's beyond me...

In the morning (5am) I am at the computer, headphones on, working on my PB post, humming merrily away to Whatchasay.
French Girl is suddenly standing in the doorway in her PJs.
"Your singing is waking me up!"
French Girl does her blog posts in the evening like any sane French person bien sur.
French Girl is off to Carnaval in Limoux Thursday night, so she warns,
"French people sleep in on the weekends.
No loud singing SVP"
On Thursday evening I go to my macaron class at the Ritz.
I see deux mecs/2 guys standing outside in chefs jackets yacking away in English. I ask them,
"How do I find the class?"
They respond The French way,
"Bonjour, bonjour"
and then lead me down into the Ritz kitchen.
At reception 2 French women look at my facture and remark/giggle, "But your class is next week!"
Eeep...I did not read the fine print :(
I remember author Elizabeth Bard...
Is doing a reading/book signing of Lunch in Paris
at W
.H.Smith just up the street on rue Cambon and run to catch it.
Elizabeth has a delightful and endearing way of recounting her experiences of The French Way - she met a French guy in Paris and married him. Elizabeth's French mother-in-law is eternally thin and never snacks between meals. At the beach she only brings a liter of water.
C'est comme Ça!
Elizabeth describes her French husband at breakfast-
G. leisurely makes coffee, sits down, reads his paper perhaps, surrounded by chaos, yet ignoring it - The French way.
Do stop by Elizabeth's blog - I know you'll enjoy it as well as her book.
Wednesday night, French Girl says,
"OK I am going away tomorrow.
So tonight we eat The French way. After, you can do what you want."
She takes away my soup pot, puts the computer on the chair, lays down a linen tablecloth and silverware. My soup is served in a proper bowl. Then she sits down and joins me for dinner The French way and heaves a sigh of relief.
French Girl's parting words as she takes off for le week-end,
"Don't burn down the house."
This is a universal sentiment...
So whatchasay?
Have you experienced The French Way?
BONJOUR LE FRENCH WAY!

0 Comments:

Post a Comment



LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
 

FREE HOT VIDEO | HOT GIRL GALERRY