Hot Trout

Here's something funny that happened today. I went to my Chiaropractor in Nice and was feeling a little sore after. I needed a new hot water bottle . Hot water bottle you wonder...don't grannies use hot water bottles? Well, I had thought so too but when I first moved here, it became obvious that people use them here in the winter. 

I'm not all together sure why this practice has been scuttled. Think of how nice it is to pre warm your bed on a cold night. Think how nice it is give those sore muscles some heated relief. They are also comforting in a way...but most people wouldn't know because they have gone out of fashion in The US.

Anyway, I had blown through my first French water bottle that I bought when I first got here.  The boiling hot water eventually got through the rubber, luckily in the sink. It was memorable too as it had a soft orange cover with a blue elephant on it. That elephant was extra comforting to me. This happened about 2 weeks ago.

 In the interim , I had serious shoulder muscle pain and a bad flu....and no hot water bottle. My friend J. suggested a hot towel. She explained how she and her husband employed hot towels when they had back pain. All I could think of was that I would need a cabana boy , or be in a spa  for the wet towel treatment as I know I would make a big wet mess of the whole experience. 

I went into 2 local pharmacies and it was impossible to explain what I needed. Of course, in french, it has it's on name. You can't just translate hot water and bottle. It doesn't work. The first 2 pharmacies made an attempt but I gave up...then I went to my supermarket where I bought the original one. They are always so busy in there, cleaning , stocking, restocking. I wanted to ask a woman and she had to look understanding. I found my victim in an obscure aisle and I went through the pantomime of trying to explain what a hot water bottle is. I used the words I knew...hot, water , bottle, pain, back, for the bed...it sketched it in the air. A couple of times I thought she got me...but she led me around through all of the plastic housewares type stuff, holding up measuring beakers, electric tea pot...another woman joined in the search. I tried a few more words...rubber, winter, medicinal ....eventually they got it....check in Salle de Bain.....no, somehow, we are out. They did give me the name and I repeated it to myself a few times....sounds like the town Biot but with an r in it.

I was desperate and in pain, so I had to use the hot wet towel from the microwave, but I put it in a small plastic bag when it came out steaming hot and then in another large plastic bag to be doubly sure of not having a hot accident. This worked well enough for a few days. The down side was the next day you have this clammy wet towel that you have to dry out. You don't want to throw the plastic bags away , you want to reuse them, so there are wet plastic bags to contend with. On top of it all, would Jackie Kennedy use this method? I think not. So why should I?

Today I found a pharmacy in Nice, in the "mall" under which I park my car. I have to say the mall has a much nicer name that the mall itself , Nice Etoile ( star) . It looks very nice, all marble and clean with escalators and interesting seating situations. However, it has the cheapest  most polyester clothing stores and they are fairly expensive. I can go back to the States for 20 minutes by going into the Starbucks there. It's the only Starbucks I know of in this area and it's always packed.   I have never bought one thing in this mall....that is, until today.

I went into the pharmacy and thought I'd look to see if I could find it first as I was not sure of the name. ...was it. Like Biot but started with a T and had an R in it? I couldn't remember. The pharmacists are all very territorial, I never feel like you can just look. Immediately a pharmacist caught my eye, luckily a man moved in front of me and I thought I was safe...but no, he had come out from around the counter and was standing in front of me. All I remember is he had a black polo shirt on and grey hair...he was mince ( thin). 

May I help you?

Yes, I am looking for a hot water bottle ( I try the literal approach) ..that didn't work...so I try out the name I think it is...it comes out... Truiot ( True oat)...no try...

Truite...( truewheat....) 

No....break into English....oh, he speaks English....oh good...and he knows exactly what I need. He shows me right to them. I had my choice of a tiger print furry cover or an all white fluffy cover with 2 fluffy hanging balls, that looked like something you might wear when you were singing Christmas carols in the back of a sled in 1832. I of course chose the fluffy white.

He did advise me in English...." You know you have to put hot water in it don't you".... He talked me through the pronunciation of the word again, and again I have lost it. I really need to see things written down to remember.

It only cost 6.95€. A steal. I should have bought 2.

One last thing, I realized when I got home that the word I was saying to him was Truite....which means trout. I was asking him for a trout to pour hot water into ....and it's not even fishing season.

( PS/ found out today the word...Bouillotte....pronounced Brew yacht. )