We celebrated the triplets' birthday tonight. Their birthday isn't until the 22nd but they'll be with their dad in Rome then. Céline's aunt and uncle came for the dinner. Everything went well until we started eating. We had steamed shrimp as an appetizer. Bonne maman made the kids use forks and knives to remove the skins, lol. Anyway, We somehow got on the topic of maman being allergic to shrimp and I admitted that I was too. Bonne maman was baffled...'Well, how are you eating it now???' I had to explain through Didier that I had built up a tolerance over the years until my antibodies no longer fought the antigen. Bonne maman told me that I was crazy and that people die from allergies all the time. Obviously I'm not an idiot and always did it little by little, building up the amount over time and keeping an epi-pen nearby. I explained the process and while everyone was listening intently, she abruptly changed the subject. It was clear that the conversation was not yet over but I was tired of trying to translate anyway.
Next problem, Didier's family has always served dinner the same way--if the dish to be passed is in front of you, you serve the oldest or the host first. Didier offered to serve Bonne Maman the entrée before serving himself and she refused. Apparently, she yelled at him too but I wasn't paying attention. The dish then came to Camille who offered to serve me first, but I told her to serve herself since it was her birthday. We got in trouble for that, ha haha. I really don't understand what the pattern is, because it's not serving to the right as we do in America. Everyone also had a special seat. Yes, there was a seating arrangement. And I do not understand it at all, because traditionally--in Anglo-Saxon countries anyway, couples are seated across from each other but Uncle Georges and Aunt Rosan were seated next to each other while Céline and Didier were seated on opposite corners of the table. Whatever. I don't really care and no one can explain to each other what the rule actually is. The only person that knows these rules and regulations is Bonne Maman. The rest of the family is just guessing.
For dessert, Céline made a chocolate cake. We all know I don't like chocolate and with how much chocolate went into the cake, I told the kids I wouldn't partake. When it came time to dig in, Uncle Georges asked me why I wasn't eating. I had to explain that I am not a fan of chocolate but that I was going to taste the cake anyway. Bonne maman interjected with 'You're going to taste it? But you have no plate.' Camille chimed in with 'Well, she's going to take a bite of my cake.' And Bonne maman replied with 'No, she can't eat cake without a clean plate and she told Baptiste that she didn't want a plate so we put it back in the cupboard.' Baptiste immediately shot back with 'Actually, she didn't say that' and then Didier tried to come to my rescue by explaining that I didn't need an entire plate for a small morsel but I just gave him a look that told him to drop it. I'm very thankful that everyone had my back, but it wasn't necessary and I didn't want her to get irritated like last night. I know that she has a certain way of doing things and I had eaten too much anyway. I waited until the conversation died down a bit before I excused myself from the table. Now, I'm here writing about all of the excitement ;-) I'm all for traditions and ritual but if you can't explain it to the people around you, then it's kind of just there for your own amusement.
Next problem, Didier's family has always served dinner the same way--if the dish to be passed is in front of you, you serve the oldest or the host first. Didier offered to serve Bonne Maman the entrée before serving himself and she refused. Apparently, she yelled at him too but I wasn't paying attention. The dish then came to Camille who offered to serve me first, but I told her to serve herself since it was her birthday. We got in trouble for that, ha haha. I really don't understand what the pattern is, because it's not serving to the right as we do in America. Everyone also had a special seat. Yes, there was a seating arrangement. And I do not understand it at all, because traditionally--in Anglo-Saxon countries anyway, couples are seated across from each other but Uncle Georges and Aunt Rosan were seated next to each other while Céline and Didier were seated on opposite corners of the table. Whatever. I don't really care and no one can explain to each other what the rule actually is. The only person that knows these rules and regulations is Bonne Maman. The rest of the family is just guessing.
For dessert, Céline made a chocolate cake. We all know I don't like chocolate and with how much chocolate went into the cake, I told the kids I wouldn't partake. When it came time to dig in, Uncle Georges asked me why I wasn't eating. I had to explain that I am not a fan of chocolate but that I was going to taste the cake anyway. Bonne maman interjected with 'You're going to taste it? But you have no plate.' Camille chimed in with 'Well, she's going to take a bite of my cake.' And Bonne maman replied with 'No, she can't eat cake without a clean plate and she told Baptiste that she didn't want a plate so we put it back in the cupboard.' Baptiste immediately shot back with 'Actually, she didn't say that' and then Didier tried to come to my rescue by explaining that I didn't need an entire plate for a small morsel but I just gave him a look that told him to drop it. I'm very thankful that everyone had my back, but it wasn't necessary and I didn't want her to get irritated like last night. I know that she has a certain way of doing things and I had eaten too much anyway. I waited until the conversation died down a bit before I excused myself from the table. Now, I'm here writing about all of the excitement ;-) I'm all for traditions and ritual but if you can't explain it to the people around you, then it's kind of just there for your own amusement.
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