Their visit with us brought back memories of January 2007. It was then that my wife and I had the joy (and I do mean JOY!) to visit Paul, Louise and their son Philip and daughter Elise in Dijon. Among the many unique experiences we had (first trip to France, first time to eat a crepe on the streets of Paris, first time to use my limited French to ask, "Excuse me, sir, where is the bathroom?", etc.) was the culinary delight of eating snails.
I must admit that when the Klawitters suggested snails for the menu ... I was not so sure. I had never eaten snails before ... never really had the desire! But I did know that snails (escargot in French) were a popular delicacy in France. Paul and Louise (along with then 16 year old Elise and 18 year old Philip) assured us that they ate them (and lived) and actually enjoyed them. So
much so that their family always feasted on snails during the holidays.
So when they
brought out a plateful of steamed snails, I knew I would have to be
brave. I sure did not want to appear cowardly before a sixteen year old
girl! As I scooped the snail out of its shell, I was hoping it would fall
on the floor so that Marcel the dog would gobble it up. When that did not
happen, I realized I had to go through with it. But there was something
about eating a snail that just would not allow me to place this thing ... this creature ... in my
mouth. So, Elise (seated to my right in the pic)
came to the rescue. She took my fork, and pretending to be an airplane -
she flew that snail right into my mouth (If you are a parent, you can remember
those days when you used this same routine to get your kids to eat their creamed
carrots or stewed green beans!). As soon as I tasted the snail (smothered
in garlic and butter) I thought, "Wow! This is good!" So
good that the second snail followed quite quickly after that.
Sometimes all it
takes is a taste. Les escargots taste good. Maybe that is why they
are so popular with our friends. The book of Psalms urges us to
"Taste and see that the LORD is good!" (Psalm 34:8). Indeed the
LORD is good - He is very good! I trust that today you will “taste” HIS
goodness in a powerful way!
Thanks for stopping by . . .
pj
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