The Ham

Over the weekend, Glenn and I had a small apero at our apartment.  We had about ten or twelve people in our place---just about its capacity---to enjoy conversation, some snacks, a glass or two of champagne, and a view of the sunset out our window.

Several people came with a bottle of champagne or a contribution to the snacks, including some truffled cheese and some delicious spicy olives.  (One guest brought a book of 20 neighborhood walks in Paris, one for each arrondissement, which I have been eagerly reading.)  We supplied toasted hazelnuts, grapes, some other cheeses, breads, dried fruit, and a whole jambon cru.  A jambon cru is the French equivalent of a prosciutto or Serrano ham, and it made a dramatic addition to the table.  

One of our guests, Katia, was understandably horrified by the way I was cutting the jambon, holding one end and trying to shave thin slices towards the holding hand.  She insisted, rightfully, that I change my technique.  (This reminded me of the time that my sister ended up in the emergency room on New Year's Eve several years ago after an attempted horizontal slicing of a whole brie, executed in a similarly ill-advised manner, for a party that we were throwing.  Trust me:  you do not want to show up in an emergency room on New Year's Eve with a knife wound on your wrist.  We all had a lot of explaining to do.)

People ate and drank and talked and watched a rather unimpressive, overcast sunset over Paris, and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously.  (We hope the others did, too!)

This morning, I received an email from Katia.  She wanted to know if I was in my office.  She rather mysteriously said that she had something to drop off for me but that I needed a coin of some type.  I was very curious.  I managed to get a 50c coin from Glenn and told her that she could stop by.  She had two packages and said that I needed to pay her for one of them, so I handed over the 50c coin.  I then opened the packages.  She had gotten me a sharp knife to slice the rest of the jambon and a set of knife-resistant gloves!  Apparently, it is custom in Russia that you should never give a knife as a gift--perhaps it's considered back luck?--hence the necessary payment of 50c.  

We still have quite a bit of the ham left.  The knife and gloves will definitely come in handy, and, with any luck, prevent any emergency visits to the doctor.