Leaving the Renaissance Faces, the sublimely, timelessly poignant and inscrutable, and having heard about some smart-arsed photo of a woman with a plastic bag on her head, it was tempting not to bother with the annual photographic portrait exhibition next door. But it was free, and raining outside. In fact, the photo in question is beautiful, the subject's pale, Flemish face as haunting as those of her ancestors, as translucent as... well, as the plastic bag.SUNDAY 23 NOVEMBER
Soup
Eating pea soup for Sunday lunch, I remember something I never notice but suddenly noticed some months ago in a crowded silent retreat dining room. My manner of eating soup labels me - age: over fifty; social class of origin: lower aspiring (my grandmother had been in domestic service and raised her kids to ape their betters). Instinctively, infallibly, I spoon the soup away from me. Most people, these days, don't.
4 comments:
Re soup: me too; similar reasons. How surprising - not :-)
I don't think I do this soup spooning - not sure this meme made it to the part of the continent I stem from.
What about spreading your little finger during drinking though? It was a habit many people (including myself) had when I was young, but I am less aware of seeing it these days.
Used to do it - that's what my mom taught me was "proper" - but I gave it up sometime, and only do it when unsure of myself in some new fancy social setting, or with Canadian Brits in an upscale restaurant. Odd, these things.
Tell us more about the exhibition, please.
I'm not convinced the spoon positioning denotes all you have ascribed. In my Tao, I know such things as etiquette, something I gleaned from years of paying attention to "form" in the hospitality field. It was necessary information when planning events or being in the company of muckety mucks.
When I see someone employing this technique nowadays, I smile. It's almost akin to a secret handshake, do you follow? (smile)
Yes, I would also be interested in learning more about your experiences at the exhibit. Fascinating visual but, then, I am a worshipper of all things Flemish...particularly their art.
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