The Adventures of Princess Wendy

A few months ago I was working behind the cheese counter on one somewhat quiet afternoon - I think it was a Tuesday - when a young guy (early 20s or so) comes into the shop. He is French and I am happy about that, because chances are, this will be a fun interaction. My cheese-related interactions with French people have been overwhelmingly delightful; perhaps it is my French lineage that contributes to my appreciation of their very selective (okay, picky), somewhat impatient approach. Or maybe I've been in NYC too long, and that's my excuse for my own rapid dismissal of that which simply will not do. Anyway, he and I end up having a good time talking about good cheese and other food items (butter, Saucisson...) as well as music. He tells me that he is a student upstate, visiting NYC for his spring break, and the next day he is to return to his little town where good French food items cannot be found. I tell him to check us out on-line, and more importantly, to come see us next time he's in NYC. We part with a handshake, smiles, and the exchange of names. His is Claude.

Later on that evening, around 11 pm or so, my friend and neighbor Greg and I are in midtown and we are hungry. I suggest going to the Stage Door Deli and Greg says, "No, let's go to the Tick-Tock." I am not normally fond of acquiescing, but for some reason I go along with his suggestion. As we are finishing our hamburgers, grease running down our wrists, I look to the entrance of the diner and see Claude walk in by himself. I look twice to make sure - New York is a big town with lots of people - and I confirm it is him. I call to him and he comes over and joins us. He had just finished seeing a band at a nearby venue, and wanted to eat before going back to his hotel. He ordered a greasy burger for himself, and the three of us had a nice chat-n-chew. We exchanged email addresses upon parting, Claude and I, and have kept in touch.

If you believe in coincidences, you can say, "My, what a funny coincidence that you had a nice time helping him with some cheese and then you saw him later that night in a diner in midtown, where there are about 4 diners within a 3-block radius that you frequent."

If you are like me, you do not believe in coincidences; rather, you see some semblance of order and intention in the world, and you know that sometimes we need a "cheese pen-pal."

Below is the email Claude sent to me. I forwarded the link to Rob, our Fearless Leader, and he suggested it would make a good entry for the Blog. So here it is. I've added a link with similar information because a non-subscriber must pay for this archived story at this point. The link to my radio program to which Claude refers is http://wfmu.org/playlists/LH (see "Princess Wendy picks the hits"), in case you are wondering what else cheese people do for amusement.


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http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/story.jsp?story=627916

Or maybe some Americans can keep the cheese tradition for us ;)

Sun is back, busybusy like always -- where can I listen to your show online ?

Take care
~C~

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Here is the link that does not require a subscription:

http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040824-014118-7288r.htm

Okay, that's it for now.
-Princess Wendy

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Princess Wendy is a multi-talented Murray's cheese monger and was a co-founder and longtime dj at radio free brattleboro (VT). Now she occasionally show up on other frequencies...