Freedom Fries and Cafe Creme (2 page)

Carla thought that Armand's book would be far more interesting than her husband's because people would rather read and talk about good food and recipes than politics, especially nowadays.

‘I really love this soup!' Rick repeated, trying to keep the subject away from books.

Armand appreciated Rick and Carla complimenting his cooking. He was always grateful for the praise, since, when he was growing up, his family had rarely had anything positive to say to him.

‘Wait until you see the
dernier cri
pieces I brought back from Paris,' Carla told him. ‘They'll give you some great material for your book. I also thought about a few titles
on the plane. I couldn't read, and the only movies were tiresome commercial ones.'

Rick and Armand exchanged glances: Carla would never change. When she had something on her mind it was hard to stop her.
Why doesn't she just write the book herself?

Suddenly Carla stood up, blew out all the candles except one, and turned the lights off. Juliette asked what was going on but Armand took her hand and told her not to be afraid. The melancholy piano music in the background added to the air of mystery.

But not for Rick, who was obviously in cahoots with Carla. He was chuckling quietly.

‘Go on eating, and describe your sensations,' Carla ordered gently, her tone serious. ‘The aroma, the texture, the flavour of what you're putting in your mouths.'

Armand found all this a little odd, even if he was used to the occasional eccentricities of the couple.

‘OK,' Juliette replied, more relaxed now, and definitely more amused about this little game than her father.

Kids always think that life is fun, Armand mused. Why does that have to come to an end when one grows up? Although adulthood didn't seem to have stopped the fun for Rick and Carla, who were constantly cheerful.

‘Of course,
you
know what ingredients are on your plate, Armand, but Rick, Juliette and I will try to guess what they are while we eat in the dark.'

The three of them in turn shared their observations about the soup.

After a few minutes Juliette grew tired of the game. She couldn't identify all the ingredients, even though she
did pretty well describing what she had on her plate. She whispered in her father's ear that she wanted the lights turned back on.

Finally Armand told everyone what the ingredients were.

After a few ‘Oh, really?' and ‘I knew it!' the lights were back on and the candles relit.

‘You see, the most interesting meal we had on our Parisian trip was at the restaurant Sombre-Obscur, one of the
restaurants branchés
of the moment, where you basically eat in the dark,' Rick explained.

‘Definitely a world-class restaurant!' Carla added.

Armand didn't really like these sorts of places. In his opinion they offered no atmosphere, besides having a similar corporate designer look, with no sense of conviviality – the way Rick and Carla's kitchen had looked before Armand had added his human touch – and they all served the same kinds of dishes no matter where you were in the world: experimental cooking, overly complex preparations and bizarre mixtures of ingredients that in the end denatured the essence of the food. The prices were also completely over the top.

Armand would have preferred an intimate local family restaurant, colourful and welcoming, where the menu was made from what was available that morning at the market and the cuisine was as authentic as its clientele. Unfortunately these little eating places were becoming increasingly rare everywhere in the world.

‘And you'll never guess what we had for dessert!' Rick finished.

‘The most expensive dessert in the world!' exclaimed Carla.

And, yes, it has to be expensive otherwise it can't possibly be any good, Armand thought.

‘White truffle ice cream. Thirty euros a scoop!' Rick informed them.

‘What? That's forty-five dollars!' shouted Armand.

‘That's awfully expensive for white chocolate ice cream,' said Juliette, her eyes wide with surprise.

Rick explained to her what white truffles were.

The little girl made a face. ‘Ice cream with mushrooms?'

‘Was it good, at least?' Armand enquired.

‘It was, wasn't it?' Rick turned to Carla dubiously.

‘It was … er, yes, it definitely was.'

That wasn't said with much conviction, Armand decided. It was apparent to him that Rick and Carla had simply played their preferred role of trendy connoisseurs because it was the wealthy people's thing to do, not because it was enjoyable.

Rick and Carla continued raving about
Sombre-Obscur
, where customers were supposedly able to develop their sense of taste and smell, and experience brand-new and exciting sensations while eating.

‘It was a bit tricky to eat and drink neatly at times, but we truly could taste our food like we never have before. It was worth a try, wasn't it?'

‘It was. Er, it definitely was.'

‘You spent the whole meal in total darkness?' Juliette asked, somewhat astounded.

Welcome to the odd world of adults, Armand was
tempted to whisper in his daughter's ear.

‘Just a few candles on the walls of the restaurant, that's all,' Carla explained.

‘That seems a little creepy, doesn't it?' Juliette stared at her father with her big hazel eyes.

‘It was very romantic, actually!' Carla replied, glancing languorously at Rick.

Romantic, my foot!
Armand decided it was a silly idea because a big part of the delight in enjoying food is to see what you're eating.
If you want to taste what you have in your mouth without seeing the food, then close your eyes! This so-called innovative cuisine that mixes anything and everything together with no logic – no, thanks! And watching your companion enjoying food is also delicious … if indeed one has someone with whom you can share such pleasure …

‘I wonder if such a restaurant would work in New York?' asked Rick, cutting short Armand's thoughts.

‘Why not?' Carla replied.

‘Because we Americans aren't used to spending a long time sitting at a table smelling, tasting, sensing the food. Remember how long the dinner was? No, people definitely don't have the time here,' Rick concluded firmly.

‘But people like us do, don't they?' remarked Carla. She wanted to believe that she and Rick had healthier eating habits these days, and that they lived better than their friends and acquaintances.

Armand brought in the main course and a salad.

‘Ah, how thoughtful of you!' exclaimed Rick and Carla together, smiling appreciatively. ‘For dessert, did you also make …?'

‘Wait and see,' Armand answered, winking.

‘I made the salad, and I put some colours into it!' Juliette informed them proudly.

‘Like you always do in your pretty drawings.' Carla smiled fondly, being full of admiration for the little girl. She had felt attached to her since the day they met. ‘It's beautiful! Artistic talent definitely runs in the family.'

‘Talking about talent,' said Rick as he took a generous portion of the Divine Meat Pie, ‘the afternoon we spent at the international Art in Food exhibition was simply fabulous.'

‘All the works of art were made of food,' Carla explained.

‘Really, really?' Juliette opened her eyes even wider.

‘Oh, yes. There were miniature Christmas trees made of spinach meringues.'

‘And they even had a fashion show with …'

‘… a dress made of various shades of pasta …'

‘… with jewellery made of dried fruit and beans, and hats made of bread.'

Rick and Carla continued with ever more extravagant descriptions. Juliette looked at the two of them as if they were aliens from the planet Food.

Armand was sure that his daughter was already thinking about the pictures she'd draw from all this.

I personally prefer the kind of culinary art that stands on a plate in order to delight by being eaten, and that satisfies the eyes and the taste buds. All this seems a little wasteful when you think about the many people who are starving in the world.
But, once more, Armand kept his thoughts to himself.

‘And the Petit Palais had a special exhibition of still lifes:
La table des peintres
. Totally first-rate!' said Rick.

‘I would have liked that. Wouldn't you, Papa?' asked the budding artist.

But Armand didn't have a chance to reply.

‘Some of the paintings looked so incredibly real,' Carla added, ‘that I felt like I wanted to plunge into them. I imagined myself sitting at the table wearing an elegant period dress, tasting the foods and drinks that were represented so beautifully, and being exhilarated by all the sensations of an idyllic vanished era.'

A silence ensued. Everyone was struck by Carla's images from the past, when people took time to eat, and enjoyed the company of their friends and families, and the outdoors, with a kind of simple nonchalance.

It was time for dessert. Armand opened a small bottle of champagne and poured a few sparkling drops into his daughter's glass.

‘I see you also thought of the Winter Fruit Delight! Thank you, Armand!' exclaimed Rick and Carla.

‘To a New Year full of good meals!'

‘And healthy habits!'

‘C'est si bon, si bon si bon',
crooned Rick.

After dessert, Juliette was ready to go to her room with the Armande doll and her new French book. She said good night to them all after making them promise that they would tell her all about their New Year's resolutions the next day.

When Juliette had gone to bed, Rick and Carla gave Armand their first gift. They never failed to bring him and his daughter a few presents whenever they went on
their travels. Armand wondered if they felt sorry for him because he couldn't afford trips like theirs. Not that he was at all interested in luxury travel – he personally thought it a bit superficial – though he did sometimes wish that he could see more of the world. But at least New York had a lot to offer.

The first gift was a thick book about
La table des peintres
exhibition, which Rick and Carla began praising for a second time.

Looking at them, Armand realised once again that he had never seen a couple get along so well: two married people who spent so much time together at the table, appreciating almost any kind of food, and constantly talking to each other. When he was with them he often felt as if he were part of the audience at a long and cheerful romantic play.

That made him think about Liana …

The way Rick and Carla had met was a good omen. ‘Impress me with a meal you've cooked and I'll date you' was a new concept in dating. The gathering of single people took place at a renowned and upmarket cookery school. The participants needed to know how to cook, at least a little bit. There was a pre-selection of fifteen women and fifteen men. Each participant was asked to cook his or her favourite dish, and then display it alongside everyone else's on a long buffet table. Then everyone was invited to taste the dishes that appeared the most appetising. Carla literally fell in love with Rick's Winter Fruit Delight, and Rick with Carla's Divine Meat Pie. They found a little table for two away from the others and stayed until
someone politely informed them that it was closing time and they were the only ones left.

Back to the reality of their hectic daily routine, Rick and Carla had had to face the fact that they didn't have time to prepare and enjoy the kind of meals they both loved because of their long working hours. Being extremely
career-oriented
, they spent their whole day working, eating only when they could spare a few moments. They were usually too tired to cook when they got home in the evenings: she, back from her law office; he, from the hospital.

The new couple needed to find a solution in order to be completely happy. They were desperately searching for the answer when a colleague of Rick's told him about the
Art de Vivre
show that was coming up.

Armand was exhibiting at the show, trying to sell his services as a good-and-healthy-life coach, his slogan being ‘Too Busy to Cook? I Have the Solution!' Not that Armand was all that motivated by the idea at the time, but he was anxious to find a job, and he liked cooking. Why not, after all? Especially since he wanted a new start after Han's flight, and he was tired of selling holiday
timeshares
to people who didn't really want them.

Carla and Rick had hired him immediately: it was so fashionable to have a good-and-healthy-life coach, and a live-in one as well. This had suited Armand because he'd also needed a decent place to live for himself and Juliette, who was just a toddler then. Being Quebecois had been in his favour, Rick and Carla would later reveal, as they found his French heritage appealing.

The couple now flew to Quebec City at least twice a
year, ‘for the remarkable food experience and romanticism without the jet lag', as they put it.

Since then, Rick and Carla had been eternally grateful to Armand, who had helped them lead more stable and less stressful lives. He did the shopping, cooked balanced and tasty meals, supervised their workouts in their gym room, and organised their social events.

Armand liked his job. An unusual kind of friendship had developed between him and his employers, plus he lived in a luxurious home – even if he found the furniture too modern and the many decorative objects a little too gaudy for his own taste.

‘The
Tendance
show at the Grande Épicerie was also a lot of fun! So many trendy and sophisticated groceries!' said Carla, giving Armand a slender, elegant blue glass bottle with a white moon on it.

He examined the label and discovered the contents promised much.

After Armand had thanked them for all their gifts, he brought out a few of the food selections he had made. Another part of his job was trying to find the most fashionable, the healthiest and sometimes the most extraordinary food and drink: this was, after all, the height of good taste for Rick and Carla. They then went on to impress their friends and colleagues with Armand's discoveries.