June 2023 Newsletter (2)

Life in France

Linda and I have been in Antibes for almost a month now, and we love it!

Even though Antibes is in France and Manzanillo in Mexico, it’s amazing how much the two towns have in common. The people are friendly and laid-back, the sun shines most of the year-round, and the streets are lined with palms. But there are also glaring differences – here are a few observations.

Crazy Scooter Drivers

Not a day goes by in Manzanillo where you don’t see a moto flying down the street with a five year old jammed between mom and pop and a tyke plopped on the gas tank, gleefully clinging to the handlebars.

European drivers may not have the household strapped in, but they sure love to race their Vespas along the sidewalk should the street be clogged by lethargic traffic. I think there’s also a law that says they have to hold their cellphone in one hand and a Vape in the other while driving.

Tacos

That’s right, Diego, the ubiquitous street food of Mexico has gone big-time in France. They don’t limit themselves to boring things like tongue or BBQ brains over here, either. Our little taco joint down the block offers cordon bleu, scallops, spicy Thai sauce and fried eggs.

Fresh Ingredients

France prides itself in bio; the label on every head of lettuce and bag of spuds boasts about being grown with organic poo and no pesticides. Our neighborhood butcher, Monsieur Bardot, has Polaroids of happy calves taped to his veal display. Mexico is also big on bio, but mainly because farmers can’t afford the hormones and antibiotics for their cattle, and chickens are perfectly happy to wander around the yard feasting on ants and scorpions. Either way, you eat great.

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TV Series Review

Inside Man

Streaming on Netflix

Stanly Tucci plays Jefferson Grieff, a prisoner on death row who refuses to plead clemency for murdering his wife. He does, however, use his acute sense of deduction to solve seemingly baffling cases. Grief’s sidekick is a serial killer named Dillon (played with hilarious gruesomeness by Atkins Estimond).

Grieff is contacted by a woman who’s friend Janice has disappeared from her home in a tiny English village. Janice is, in fact, being held prisoner in the vestry basement by the vicar, who is wrestling with a moral dilemma that threatens to ruin his family and career.

The clock is ticking, and Grieff and his posse have to find and rescue Janice before a sinister fate befalls her. The four-part series is a tremendous mash-up of everything from Midsomer Murders to Silence of the Lambs, all held together by the inspired performance of Tucci. I highly recommend Inside Man!