Maybe the cat has fallen into the stew, or the lettuce has frozen, or the cake has collapsed. <i>Eh bien, tant pis.</i> Usually one's cooking is better than one thinks it is. And if the food is truly vile, then the cook must simply grit her teeth and bear it with a smile, and learn from her mistakes.

"After we'd moved into 81, we had placed an order for a phone, and waited. First a man came by to see if we lived where we said we did. Then two men visited to make a "study" of our situation. Then another man appeared to find out if we really wanted a phone. The process was very French, and made me laugh, especially when I thought of how quickly such a transaction would have taken place in the States."

It was fun, although we felt like pawns, or prawns, in the maelstrom.