I did [almost] a week washing up at The Jack Straw’s Castle, the large restaurant/pub opposite the pond at the top of the hill overlooking Hampstead Heath.
My first night the Scottish chef [not G. Ramsey] assembled the waiters, who were all Spanish, and told them not to take any orders for flambés because there was no spirit for the ‘stoves’.
The first waiter in with a dessert order called “Table 3: Two Crêpes Suzette!”
The chef went ballistic - pure Ramsey, 20 years before the real thing. If the waiter hadn’t run back into the dining room the chef would have scragged him.
Chef downed tools. He refused to cook another thing. He came and sat by me to chat as I washed up.
It was a miserable job, washing crockery, pots and pans by hand in a ever increasing ‘soup’
One night I was on my own because my fellow washer-upper was on an identity parade in Brum on account of an armed robbery. On the Thursday night I asked for my week’s wages early because I needed it for a deposit on renting a flat. They gave it to me. I no-showed Friday night.
Irishman decided to live in France, I am an immigrant and have zero issues being labelled as such.
The locals don’t mind me particularly as I spend my UK earnings in their local economy.
On the US tie, whilst plenty of US $ are coming to Europe I know a few US folk giving up their citizenships, particularly since DJT reduced the price.
Wow! I’m surprised they didn’t get it all a’flame and tip it on yer 'ed!
Tho’ my understanding of the demise of J d’Arc is that the Brits turned her over to the FR bishops, who condemned her for heresy, which was a ‘flambé’ offense.
Earlier in the piece she appeared at Chinon etc etc…
I took a Chateaux of the Loire tour party there. Big bucks trip. We got to the hotel - very nice - to be told “You were here last week and we have you booked for next week - but not for now”
Tour manager had failed to amend my itinerary! Pax not happy, esp as it was roasting hot all week and the a/c in the bus had broken down. There being large glass panels in the roof - for UK conditions - I had medium grilled Americans for 5 days. …
That what people said my life would be like if I retired to France, but I’m still waiting to have time to hang around on a terrasse doing that. How do they do it?
In the UK, my Dad died first and we got an engraved headstone. When my Mother died seven years later, the mason did exactly as you said David - carted it off to his workshop, added Mom’s details reinstalled it.
Hmmm… a fully-trained chef/owner and his co-owner suffered burns due to a flambé which went wrong… and this flambé was a speciality of their restaurant so they should have known what they were doing…
