Blague

n. – joke
Rigoler
v. – to joke
Our local butcher is a very jolly fellow – almost a young Kris Kringle type without the beard and with less of a girth. He’s always making jokes – asking how many hundred of pounds of this or that I want. At first, I had trouble getting them because his method is very tongue in cheek, but now I’ve caught on. So today when I went in to ask for some veal, he asked me how many dozens of cuts I wanted. I thought I was very clever by responding, “une sixieme d’une douzaine” or a sixth of a dozen so in other words, two. I guess he didn’t get my humor either though since he started cutting six pieces.

Back when we first arrived in Paris and were living on the Ile St. Louis, there was a very hot butcher as he was known on the island. I wrote about him in an earlier posting, but what I should have done was take a picture of him! On the other hand, thanks to my mother who was here at Christmas, I have a picture of our current butcher, not hot, but very pleasant.

My hairdresser is quite handsome and the grocer is a bit of a player, but everyone these days is hot – whether attractive or not. The main topic of conversation lately is the “chaleur” or heat. The French are living in fear of another “canicule” or heat wave. A little “clime” or air conditioning would go a long way, but I doubt I will see that in my lifetime if ever. We make due with a giant “ventilateur” or fan and it suffices.

It’s surprising that especially the French women don’t put up more of a fuss. I say this because recently I was having a conversation with an Italian woman about working out, more specifically, power yoga and how it’s not that common here where as a more gentle practise is preferred. She explained that French women don’t like to sweat.

We’re all creatures of habit, which is why it can be challenging to move to a different way of life. I remember discussing the showerhead dilemma with a former French intern of mine who had lived in New York for six months. Where I can’t understand why they can’t be attached, she couldn’t understand how you could take a shower without being able to remove it from the wall. Personally I prefer having both my hands free in the shower, especially when washing my hair, but to each his own.

Here the windows don’t have screens, another topic I’m sure I’ve broached. It’s lovely for the view, but not helpful in dissuading bugs from coming in. Last year, I was eaten alive by mosquitoes and just the other day I was attacked by a giant moth. I never had these issues in New York, but wouldn’t you know that the tenant renting my apartment there now, who happens to be French, asked me if she could actually remove the screens.

So it all comes down to what you’re used to and the beauty of adaptability is that you get used to more and more things. That’s why change should be looked as an opportunity - to learn how to live with or without different things and to grow as a result.