quail and turkey

I was following a seminar this morning where the speaker, a guy from Delaware doing a sabbatical in Grenoble, lucky man, had a few really bizarre slides. To be more precise, it was the same bizarre thing that showed up in several slides, a little animate gif, Elmar Fudd stalking a chicken. This was a scientific talk.

Now it happens frequently that scientists try to be funny. Those who know me can attest to that. So I tried to find the reference to chicken in the protein structure that was presented, and on one slide it even looked like one. I didn't think much about it. I was too busy keeping myself from falling asleep while at the same time trying to come up with something smart to ask at the end, to fool people with well-chosen words.

Before the end came, the speaker pointed out the obvious that would have otherwise remained dark to the audience forever. Elmar was trying to shoot himself a turkey. Happy Thanksgiving!

Funny thing is, I had a Thanksgiving-worthy dinner myself last night, though I was not aware of the coincidence. With the Alliance Française I went to the Hôtel Lesdiguières, a local hospitality and gastronomy school of national renown. Tenue de rigeur exigée. I even had one of the older gentlemen tie a tie around my neck. Maybe one day I'll put the picture up on flickr, as there aren't many of that kind.

We were treated to a banquet, just so. Four hours of potable, edible and, since this is the Alliance Française, sociable delicacies. It started with Kir and hors d'œuvre followed by salty crème brûlée with a hint of foie gras, a true taste of the extraordinary. The real meal kicked off with grilled tuna on creamy/crunchy vegetables. The bird of the night was - not a turkey but a quail. French cuisine comes in tiny but ambrosial dishes. The dessert was divine. A coffee and a shot of Chartreuse, and midnight was gone.

Tomorrow I have what I hope will be another memorable meal - Lutefisk with the loonies. But that's worth its on post. Stay tuned.