Thanksgiving Turkey Saga - Part Deux

Yesterday, I went, in the rain, to Matthys & Van Gaever, (which sounds to me more like a law firm than a buther shop, although the argument can be made that they are, in fact, quite similar) to pick up my dingdong/turkey. Unfortunately for me, the woman that witnessed the possessed universal turkey dance was not working, which meant I was going to have to convey (somehow) that I was here to pick up a turkey that I had already ordered.

Have you ever considered how difficult it is to say "past" in universal hand gestures? I opted for what I like to call the old "windshield wiper" gesture, while chanting "dand", which, apparently, is the correct way to say "turkey" in French. I was unable to get my point across with the "windshield wiper", so I switched to the "bailing water from a boat" maneuver. Again, no luck.

I can only guess what must have been going through this woman's mind at this time. (They say that the eyes are the windows to one's soul. Well, I think -- scratch that -- I've learned that the eyes are also a pretty good indicator of someone's confusion level.) Let's just say by the look in this lady's eyes, she was CONFUSED or, as my daddy would say, she was looking at me like a calf staring at a new gate!

I was at a complete loss for more hand gestures for the word "past", when I noticed a calendar on the counter. I picked it up and, lo and behold, there was my name on the date with "dinde" (which, apparently, is the correct way to write "turkey" in French) written on it. The communication gap has been closed; the eyes have returned to normal.

The lady turned to a freezer behind her and pulled out (drumroll, please) a brown bag! I, in turn, opened my bag and pulled out my wallet. So far, so good. She then told me, in French, how much I owed her. Having no idea what she just said, I gave her the "calf staring at a new gate look" (which apparently translates nicely), and she handed me a written receipt.

Now, I realize the cost of living here is higher than San Diego, but I was more than stunned to see just how much a dinde goes for in Brussels, especially considering, from what I can tell, no one here really celebrates Thanksgiving. Perhaps if I knew what was inside the brown bag, or more correctly, if I knew in what condition whatever was inside the brown bag was in, it would have been easier to fork over the Euros.

Bottom line -- at this point, I still don't know what Dan and I will be eating for Thanksgiving, but whatever it is, it costs $36.56 in US dollars!

© 2005 Cindy Lane. All rights reserved.