"Shop, Mostly for Cognac"

Inside, a warm club meeting; outside, rain and
traffic and more rain. Photo©Alan Pavlik

Adrian 'I Love To Eat a Lot' Leeds' Report

Paris:- Thursday, 14. December 2000:- Today's meeting is another one I am not attending as secretary, because my leg in a cast has told me it would rather lie down than peg-leg down and up métro stairs to get to the club.

Fortunately, Adrian 'I Love To Eat a Lot' Leeds has agreeably said she will take over the awesome responsibility of hosting the club's members today - writing down their vital facts and keeping some sort of record of the proceedings.

This she has done and her report has arrived tonight. However, she has also informed me that photos are available - but they will not arrive until later, which turns out to be tomorrow. Without them, the weekly 'update' cannot be nearly instant, so here is the meeting's complete report - sort of - with the regular weekly edition.

"This is Adrian 'I Love To Eat a Lot' Leeds reporting on the Café Metropole Club meeting held on Thursday, 14. December in Paris.

"Thanks to Alan Pavlik, a Pasadena, California resident and long-time loyal reader ofMetropole Paris with a digital camera, there are photos of today's meeting attached.

"Alan took all the photos except for the one of me and him, and I think Charles took it. We should credit Alan with the photography though because it was his camera.

"As you know, Marilyn Burke and Charles Eitel are established members. Katharine Whipple came to talk to me and ended up really enjoying the club meeting instead. Alan Pavlik is a very loyal follower and sends his fondest regards. He will be back and hopes to meet you if you ever get your leg out of that cast and come to a meeting.

"There were many more 'quotes of the week' than usual. I can't figure out which one was the number one, so here are all of them.

Alan said, "I came to shop, mostly for cognac." Alan, a former English literature teacher, added in a paraphrase of William Blake, "The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom."

Katharine, Marilyn and Adrian, in unison, said, "Somebody's going to count those votes."

About Bill Clinton, Katherine said, "I'd divorce him but I'd still vote for him."

"For a man to marry a second time represents the triumph of hope over experience," Alan said, thinking of Dr. Johnson.

"'City of the Week' - is Pasadena, California," according to Adrian's notes.

"Restaurant recommendations to me, Adrian 'I Love To Eat a Lot' Leeds - is Le Petit Retro and the Toscana which are both in the 16th arrondissement. To be tried at a later date, but not too long from now because I'm getting hungry."

'Ed' interrupts this program because after the plugs for these restaurants there is a list of conversational topics which mainly feature American political figures - going all the way back to Jimmy Carter's 'Lust' statement made about 20 years ago - what were the members' with long memories actually saying?

Whatever is was, the group also touched on sources of French news in English - Radio RFI - an good jazz clubs in Paris, before getting on to the benefits of lower taxes.