F Train to Paris

In which a Jewish family from Brooklyn moves to Paris, France for two years of work, school, and adventures.

We had a wonderful vacation in Rome, but we only had a couple of days to enjoy the post-vacation high before the disastrous U.S. election outcome brought us down. J., our 15-year-old son, was passionately interested in this election--the first he's paid attention to--and is as depressed as I am at the result. He was raging yesterday at the International Herald Tribune's headline: "Bush Wins 2nd Term By A Solid Margin." He had been following the elections all day Wednesday and knew that "solid" margin was as flimsy as a few hundred thousand absentee ballots and provisional registrations in Ohio.

Today I made the mistake of bringing the most recent issue of the New Yorker along with me to read on the Metro. It's the pre-election issue, although it arrived here on Election Day, and the entire Talk of the Town section is devoted to an endorsement of Kerry and a summary of Bush's catastrophic first term. I had to stop reading--I found myself beginning to cry.

The writer Anne Lamott, one of my heroines, wrote in Salon yesterday, "We'll take care of each other....We'll baby ourselves for a few days. (I personally am going to finish off every single bit of Halloween candy.) We'll make lots of indoor domestic lights, as the darkness increases -- fires in the fireplaces, candles on the mantel...."

And I, personally, have been trying to make myself and my family feel better through food. Paris offers plenty of possibilities in this regard, as you can imagine. I bought all of us marron glaces as a treat on Wednesday night, following a dinner of macaroni and cheese, dripping with Gruyere. I had a hot chocolate with whipped cream yesterday at Carrette, one of Paris's best tea rooms.

And tonight, of course, I'll light Shabbat candles. I've been lighting only two, recently, to conserve candles, as the supply I brought from NY runs out. But tonight I'll light all five. We need the light.

posted by: pariskleinmans at 13:27 | link | comments (2) |

Comments:

#1  05 November 2004 - 13:50

 

I just discovered your blog. It is great! Have you ever seen a Jaques Tati film called "Playtime?" It takes place in a Paris where you only see the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe in reflections of modern buildings. It is worth finding. It reminded me of the movie, when you said you go about your leveryday life, and look up to see these landmarks.

Leigh

#2  06 November 2004 - 17:51

 

My first comment! Thank you, Leigh. No, I haven't seen the film, but I'll look for it. And knowing that someone out there is actually reading this is inspiring.

Lisa

pariskleinmans

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