I drove into the old part of Nice today for the antique market. The weather was beautiful, the traffic was heavy. They were taking down all of the Christmas decorations all at once so were blocking off lanes in almost every town.
I wanted to have lunch at a really nice little rotisserie restaurant that I found but was uncomfortable going in. It's very small. They have a communal table, but it just didn't feel right so I walked around and found this brasserie. It is one a beautiful square with the church at the end. I sat inside to be less conspicuous. The waitress spoke to me in very rapid french. I understood most of what she said. I think my french is getting better.
I ordered the plat de jour too quickly...it was a steak with potatoes Au gratin. I have been trying to eat red meet once a week. I ordered it " bleu " I think the waitress was surprised. I think I should have ordered it Au point, ( I think it's called...it would be medium rare. I sat and read my book and waited for the food happy to be surrounded by so much red.
A man came in, an older grey haired man. He sat in front of me, turned around and said in old timer American English....what are you having and is it go. I told him yes, so he told the waitress in a really gruff manner that he would have the plat du jour. I told him...there are 2 plat du hours, and the other is the fish Loup. I don't know if he didn't hear me or what but he ordered just the plat du jour.
he said to me...I know how these "union" people work....huh???? Then he said...once, I was substitute coaching baseball...I told the hitter to hit toward the fences and he said to me, I don't have to do that because I'm not in the union. What ?????
I asked him why he spoke to me in English and why he thought I was American...he said I could tell just by looking at you " all you people look alike." I'm try so hard to infiltrate and here this man flushes me out so easily. He barely looked at me. He talked to me with his back turned like you see in the picture.
He asked me if I was in the military. He told me that he was a pacifist. He said that he couldn't remember a time when people weren't killing each other. He was born in 1936. From what he told me his life was strewn with broken relationships, ex wives, ex daughter-in-laws.
His food came out and it was the loup. I mentioned it to him and he got angry at the waitress....he tarted snapping his finger at her and yelling...hey!, hey!
He told her that she brought him the wrong thing. I reminded him that I told him that there were 2 specials....he decided to eat it anyway. I explained in French to the waitress. No one was happy with him.
He was some kind of lawyer that comes to Villenfranche on business. He's from Saul St. Marie.
He was a cantankerous old goat with the over pronunciation problem. He spewed big ugly french words that were painful to hear.
As I was leaving he was telling me that niagra falls is on the same rock formation as a big part of Michighan. His ex wife wouldn't believe him. One day the was an earthquake, a tremor. He told me he felt it. He was sitting on the toilet.
I had had enough...and left.
It was like he just didn't care anymore what anyone thought. he told me that he didn't have all that much longer to live anyhow. He was determined to spread his brand of uncomfortable where ever he goes.
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