Evening star., 1956-12-30
Some Reactions to America
After an Absence of 7 Years

NAS~A SSFNA yCoAo
you have q complete new skin,
they say. Well, that may be a
bit hard to prove. but one
things certain and you can
prove it by me: Seven years is
a long time to be away from
home, especially a whole ocean
and continent away.
Communications, written,
spoken and visual. are splen-
did. modern and instantaneous
but they just aren't enough to
express the real feel. Another
thing that's not enough is
three months to tour ones
homeland. two score cities of
1t; umpteen branches of ones
family; and to absorb the "in
person" quality of friendships
that built up exclusively
through the above mentioned
splendid means of communi-
cations.
But three months is some
thing else; It's a jolly long
time to be away from what
must now be classed as
home" Home being Paris be-
cause that's where the heart
is. Three months is a long
time to expect a husband to
put up with housekeeping on a
sustaining basis so three
months just had to be enough
to see America last.
And now the good and CLAM
orous steamship Liberte has
delivered me home, so my be-
lated Christmas card to you is
a resume Of the whirl; a por-
trait of all Of you as you
seemed to one who returned
with loving but not uncritical
eyes. Some things were shocks.
Some things were Europe,
please copy" items destined to
haunt my conversation for the
next seven years with the kind
of longing that will irritate
Europeans and make them
say, well, If it's so ALFRED
superior over there, why didn't
you stay?" That's a good
question and not unknown on
this side.
A Last Memory
One Of the last memories Of
the tour was Ian Forbes Fras-
er's lecture at Washington's
Cosmos Club. DR.. Fraser heads
the American Library in Paris
and was speaking in French.
Miss Carolyn Nash took me
as her guest and I went al
though one can hear DR..
Fraser most any time In Paris.
This, of course, was strictly
against my policy of stocking
up on no imports" but what's
a rule with no exception? DR..
Fraser had carefully and
amusingly explained" France
and the French to q lot of
people who we're there only
because they loved both any
way. In closing he remarked
"and now I shall return to
Paris and say just the OPP
posite to them"
American food is wonderful.
Sure, you can fall on a bad
meal in America but don't let
anyone tell you that can't be
done in France too. American
food wasn't so sophisticated
seven years ago; there we're
whole islands of our popula-
tion who were meat. potatoes,
and gravy types" But there's
room for improvement mainly
among those continental"
restaurants which get O bit
carried away.
There are two such near
Washington. One Is L'Espion-
age which considers itself
quite continental but they
ought to be told that decor
isn't enough, that wine stew
ards shouldn't be young boys
Of about 16. that walters
shouldn't have TO make three
trips to the kitchen to find out
what the sauce is. and that
in any case melted parmesan
cheese Is not q sauce.
Normandy Farms might add
TO the menu that they serve
Pate de Fol Gras" and not
''Fois Gras." which is as DIFF
ferent as beer 10 from cham
payne; and that a delicious
garlicky tomato is homicidal
10 . delicate cognac sauce on
the same plate.
A disappointment
Over seven years the unreal
btic but frequently expressed
impression had built up In my
mind that "in America every
thing works instantly at the
push Of q button" So you can
imagine my quaint disappoint-
ment the first day in New York
when I pushed the button for
an elevator and It did not pop
into sight like candy in .
vending machine.
In Chicago I went to the
Pump Room and into the pow
der room during the course Of
the evening. On leaving /
tipped the nicely uniformed
maid who displayed her ap-
proval By patting me with .
whaek and addressing me ~
Honey" BY the half way
mark Of the tour this sort Of
thing ceased 70 jar.
In Philadelphia / learned