0807052030 “Parisian Buying Jambone“

0807052030 “Parisian Buying Jambone“

The Louvre Museum in Paris have knowledgeable tour guides that can tell an hour-long story for every picture, statue and artifact for each of the museum’s thousands of exhibits. I have been getting used their style.

This is one of my pictures of the day, I call it:

“Parisian Buying Jambone“.

What the camera cannot convey here is the delicious aroma of the ham, potato salad, olives and fragrant Mediterranean fare. It is the welcoming waft that accompanies a happy family reunion at Christmas.

Our scene depicts a distinguished Parisian gentleman dressed in clean comfortable smart attire that suggests he is not wanting for the necessities of life. The style of his clothes suggests that he may have a military background and has planned to visit the local markets for his regular casual and relaxed search for a satisfying meal at a bargain price. The picture shows him stopped at a colourful, vibrant delicatessen arrayed with a bewildering selection of summer salads from all over the world. The wide range of products on offer is typified by the ox tongues in the foreground. The green reflection on either side of the ox tongues highlights that this particular item is different, out of the ordinary, they certainly belong with the other fine products but are considered different. They are shown escaping their boundary, spilling out of their tray as if they choose to behave in a manner contrary to the order around them.

Our Parisian gentleman is shown leaning forward in eager anticipation of receiving his hefty handful of exotic Jambone. We can see his aged, chubby finger pressed so hard that the last joint of his finger is pushed out of alignment as it is forced against the cold hard glass in an effort to indicate to the shopkeeper that he would really like that, no that, exact piece of ham. His gaze is fixed upon the object of his desire, while his expression shows a mild concern, perhaps impatience. The dutiful shopkeeper skilfully balances the order of exotic ham in one hand while calling upon her years of experience to efficiently estimate its weight.

The shopkeeper is wearing a plain white pinafore of starched, crisp cotton indicating efficient, almost ruthless cleanliness as does the spotless glass of the display cabinet while the glass reflects the summer sun over Paris giving the scene an airy light ambiance. The shopkeeper’s jewelery is modest and yet conveys that she, and by association her delicatessen, have good taste and traditional refinement.

There is a mutual respect between the two that is indicated by the framing of the picture - our subjects are framed so that one is neither above nor below the other - they are framed as equals. There is a bond or an affinity between the Parisian customer and the shopkeeper. They both have wise worldly experience, an understanding and a passion for the delightful fare on display.

The picture is balanced on one side of the counter with our robust and rounded Parisian against the several disproportionately large wholesale-sized cured salamis on the shopkeeper’s side.
The delicatessen disappears into the distance towards the left indicating that this is a typical routine that is ‘endless’ ongoing and timeless.

This is the style of explanation delivered by the wonderful tour guides for every exhibit the Louvre.

0807032330 Alex’s 18th Birthday Dinner.

0807032330  Alex’s 18th Birthday Dinner.

Alex has been a man for a while, and now, according to local time, he is ‘legally’ a man. It has been almost a year since Alex has demonstrated his manliness by living away from home while finishing his final year at school and driving solo in an all expenses paid Ford Falcon.

Parenthood has a distinct and defining point where it all begins - there is an urgent rush to the hospital so the parents can be in time for the anxious 27 hour wait during labour, but after the fairly dramatic start, significant events seem to fade out.  As a parent I cannot remember the last time that I tied a bib on a kid before a meal.  I cannot remember the last time that I picked a kid up from school nor can I remember the last time I packed a school lunch.  I wonder if I would regard these everyday events as a special occasion if I had known that I was doing it for the last time?

My mother, who died a long slow horrible coughing death because of smoking, tried to remember the last time when all her children were in the same place at the same time.  As my mother remembers it, there was an insignificant everyday family dinner with eight people sitting around a small round kitchen table eating burned chops and three veg in a housing commission house in a small Victorian town where my dad sold second-hand tractors.

There was no ceremony, no speech, no last goodbye and no awareness that this family meal time was anything other than yet another ordinary meal at the end of another long line of insignificant days.

Alex is now eighteen and soon he will going off on his own fabulous adventure to BYU.  We will only see him on special occasions.  The family meal together will become a special occasion simply because Alex will be home.  To mark this particularly special auspicious occasion we had a family dinner together at the restaurant on the Eiffel Tower.  

The kids loved the whole evening. They were all so happy and laughing and, this is the clever bit, so well mannered and polite at the same time.  

There is a certain age, a turning point, when a parent loses creative control of a child.  That point is when they can speak.  Alex, this new man sitting with the family at the table, talked about his views on US politics, his observations on the customs of his friends from the US, China and Australia.  The kids were talking and agreed that it is highly probable that within the next five years Alex will be married.

Sunrise, sunset.  Tevye, I am starting to know what you mean.

We all had a great time.  The meal was superb.

The Meal.

Amuse Bouche

Entrée’

Main Course.  

Dessert.  Cheesecake.

Our happy waiter.

The waiter was delightful.  He really enjoyed working at the Eiffel Tower.  He laughed and joked with Hugo about the availability of chocolate dessert and he talked to Rachel Ruby in French.

At the end of the meal, we asked for the bill for the drinks - the waiter replied in a happy French accent and with a comical dismissive shrug ‘comme ceci comme ca’ (‘its OK’ it doesn’t matter, don’t worry about it’.)  It was if the restaurant was not going to demean itself by asking us to pay for a few miserly bottles of lemonade.

Our family now consists of two parents, one boy, one girl and one man.

www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/France/Ile_de_France/Paris-99080/Restaurants-Paris-Altitude_95-BR-1.html

0807012330 - Scooters

Scooters.
Paris is full of scooters. Here a few scooters that zoomed passed me today. I have been looking forward to a new motorbike ever since that dreaded day when a big white movingvan carrying my K1200S disappeared into the distance leaving me alone and motorbikeless.

First up, here is a mess of thoughts :I used to have a motorbike and I would like to have another. I live in Hong Kong where the entire island is a 60 km/h zone. I have a regular job and so I need to get to work everyday. Although I am quite happy to take Hong Kong’s magnificent MTR to the Kowloon side, I would also like to be able to ride from Stanley into the city and be able to explore Hong Kong on weekends. I do not need, nor would I like to have, another sport/touring bike like a BMW K1200S while I live in Hong Kong. Riding a sport bike at 50km/h would be torture - I don’t know why anyone in Hong Kong would buy a Ferrari and have to idle that V12 engine around in second gear.
Choosing my next bike is a problem that I am very happy to have. The process of figuring out the code used by BMW for describing the engine and model was entertaining and after about an hour in the BMW showroom I had a good idea of what I wanted. I have gone through a similar process finding a new Scooter. Research into my next trusty steed began in a slow progressive way, first simply noticing what scooters were available and then looking for a scooter that had that certain special something - one that looked good. I did a Google image search for scooters just to see what I liked then I applied these simple principles:
Step one - clear my mind of all motorcycle prejudices.

Step two - disregard external opinions, I am buying a motorbike for me.

Step three - consider everything, even if only briefly, even if it is a scooter.

Step four - I am a contracted Native English Teacher with a limited income.

I gradually dwindled the list of possible bikes down to four scooters for serious consideration.
The Yamaha TMax 500, the Gilera Nexus 500, the Piaggio MP3 or the Vespa GTS 250ie.
I really liked the 2007 Yamaha TMax but Yamaha made a few style changes that I believe appeal to a different demographic. I just didn't like the 2008 model because of changes the wheel design from a sporty alloy to an all black cast metal style that makes the Tmax look cheap and agricultural. A simple silver rim would have clinched the deal for Yamaha. The Gilera Nexus 500 - why get a scooter that looks like a sports bike? Why not just get the sport bike? Nice scooter. The Piaggio MP3 - very interesting front end - that amazing three wheel setup is a work of a genius. A three wheeled bike that tips over - why didn’t anyone think of that before.
I am seriously considering a Vespa. The Vespa GTS 250ie with ABS. Blue, maybe silver-grey like my old K1200S, the old standard issue Ford Falcon and the old Hyundai.
The Vespa was designed by an aeronautical engineer who did not like motorbikes. Seriously - the story is all here. http://www.piaggio.com.au/Products/GTS250ie.html