The Frog read Friday’s post (he reads, but not regularly, as he is a particularly busy amphibian) and he was quite shocked that I (still) felt such animosity towards his parents.
Strangely though, this weekend went off without a hitch. I took a step back and left Tadpole alone with her grandparents for much of the time, taking the opportunity to catch up on some much needed beauty sleep and going shopping without a pushchair for the first time in aeons. I think I have been letting the bad experiences I had when Tadpole had just been born cloud my judgement somewhat, and maybe the fact of ’emptying my bag’ (as they say in French) in Friday’s post finally enabled me to put all those bad feelings to bed. I still plan to stay away altogether next time, but for more positive reasons and as someone pointed out in my comments, a healthier relationship with the In Laws will be better for the Tadpole, who was probably picking up on all those bad vibes flying around.
The only negative thing about the weekend was the amount of food I managed to bring back (in my rather painfully distended tummy). MIL pulled out all the stops and we feasted on winter warmers like choucroute (sauerkraut, speciality from Alsace with various meat and sausages), a raclette (melted cheese heated in little shovels and poured over spuds, eaten with cold meats), pintade (guinea foul?) with wild mushrooms picked by the In Laws in the woods and served with big wedges of polenta… All lovely dishes provided you are going for a spot of skiing afterwards. But if you are going to be lazing around and you already have a well-developed case of ‘blogger’s behind’, possibly a bit too calorific.
As the Frog has always been rather a picky eater the In Laws make a big fuss about how great it is to have someone around who ‘enjoys her food’, piling on extra helping whenever I pause to pick up my wineglass.
I may now have cause to bring the exercise bike/thermometer out of early retirement.
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Stop! You’re making me hungry…:sad:
Comment by Claypot — November 2, 2004 @ 2:42 pm
apres la photo des chocolats dans la vitrine, la photo de la raclette finit de m’achever. difficile a vivre pour une savoyarde, quand meme…
Comment by emilie [mimile] — November 2, 2004 @ 4:04 pm
mmmm melted cheese…. i love raclette
Comment by maryse — November 2, 2004 @ 5:47 pm
blogs are quite a good medium through which one can talk to one’s husband, aren’t they?
;) hehehe.
beijinhos from the home of excessive vitriol and then feeling shockingly guilty afterwards!
Comment by vitriolica — November 2, 2004 @ 6:28 pm
mmmmmmmmmm raclette. Good times. I always keep piling cheese in my little skillet until I’m ready to explode. I’m so happy raclette season is upon us!
Comment by ViVi — November 2, 2004 @ 6:43 pm
Oh gee, that picture has me drooling on my keyboard. We rarely have the occasion to eat Raclette – I must insist on a traditional dinner in Savoie during the Christmas season. Mmm.
Comment by Katia — November 2, 2004 @ 7:10 pm
I’d never even heard of Raclette before reading this. It sounds good.
I feel so provincial.
Comment by Tim — November 2, 2004 @ 9:02 pm
Don’t worry Tim, the people who left comments about it mostly live(d) here. You’ll just have to get yourself over here. (Although I don’t see how any holiiday could possibly match your 2004 US road movie…)
Comment by petite — November 2, 2004 @ 9:08 pm
Hi petite! I haven’t been by in a while but your posts are always so interesting!
Comment by yayaempress — November 2, 2004 @ 9:30 pm
We had a raclette party at the lycée at the end of term when I was in Lyon – there must have been about 30 of us. It’s great as a “social meal”…
Glad the weekend *didn’t* live up to your expectations!
Comment by witho — November 3, 2004 @ 10:48 am