Letter from France 12

Sunday, November 5, 1989

born: Eugene V. Debs 1855

died: George M. Cohan 1942

Folks,

Don't ask me why but I have decided to learn Chinese cooking. I got a hold of a Chinese cookbook written in French and now combine learning the language with learning to cook Chinese. At the time it seemed like a great idea, and then I realized how small Châlons is and how difficult it is to locate most of the necessary ingredients. My evening dinners now start in the afternoon as a giant scavenger hunt. Mostly I am happy, though, I do confess that many of the dishes end up being eaten after they have been placed between two hamburger buns and smothered with ketchup. You can take him out of America, but you can't take the American cheese out of him. I got a great, cheap wok in Nantes and was excited to come back and try it out. The first meal I tried on it started out well and then halfway through, I realized I was following the recipe for a different dish than what I thought I was making. Nothing a little ketchup and some hamburger buns couldn't cure, though.

Progress with the language continues. One drawback is I find myself forgetting what things are called in English. Not knowing the word in French and forgetting it in one's native tongue it can be a bit disconcerting. In the middle of a juggling lesson, while shopping at Carrefour, or perhaps during a conversation with someone in French, I will suddenly remember an English noun I was trying to think of a few days before and blurt out, router or tofu or some such thing. Admittedly, this native burst of Tourette's tends to slow down an already strained discussion, and has no value unless I happen to be in the tool section or at the local health food store. However, I see it as a small victory against Alzheimer's Disease and am pleased. Actually, even if I am situated properly, it still doesn't do much good because I am usually the only one who knows what it is really called.

I have finally ventured out into the world of movie theaters, and it's not so bad. While viewing a film I think I have a sense of what is going on but my synopsi afterwards usually show a certain lack of comprehension. I generally tend to sum up a film something like: "Well, there was this one guy, who was pretty nice. And then there were all these other guys around, trying to do things to him." This tends to make Batman sound very similar in plot to Dr. Zhivago, Good Morning Vietnam, or any other movie.

The worst time came when I had a chance to see The Big Sleep with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall on late-night television in the original English with French subtitles. Maybe I was tired, but by the end of the movie I didn't understand a thing. It's bad enough when you have the excuse of not speaking the language; when you don't get it in your native tongue, you grow concerned. As near as I could tell there was this one guy, Humphrey Bogart, who was pretty nice. Then there were all these other guys, trying to do things to him. Fortunately, the town library has the book in English so I now know that the plot really didn't work and they changed the movie around so Humphrey Bogart could end up with Lauren Bacall.

In other television news, things are looking up. I still rely on a lot of TV to learn French. It's the only time when I can rudely stare at people while they are talking to figure out what they are saying. Recently we had Jane Fonda on an interview show (she speaks French okay, with a horrible American accent but has a strong vocabulary). It was nice to see her lapse into English and ask the host "How do you say like a fish on a worm in French?" In contrast, last week Michael Keaton was on Club Dorothée, of all things, speaking very good, unaccented French. That man leads a complicated life. Possibly the most exciting news is that WWF Big Time Wrestling is in France and, of course, being broadcast on late-night Saturdays. The difference here is that every night the good guys win! I suspect the French people aren't ready to see the baddies triumph yet, so I get to enjoy a winner every match.

So, it seems as if I am about to go through a real winter for the first time in years. I find it hard to believe, but I am actually farther north than most Americans. Any tips on how to survive in snow? All I know right now is that it gets dark and cold mighty early. I imagine the students just switch from their regular props to snowballs and icicles. We shall see.

take care,

Todd Strong, Professeur du Jonglage

Centre National des Arts du Cirque

1, rue du Cirque

51000 Châlons-sur-Marne

FRANCE

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