Why Can't People Be Honest? And Nice?

[bmattock]

>>I gargle Mouton and eat Brie with peanut butter <<

Art Buchwald, in a memoir about his years in Paris, recalled that a friend once gave him a case of Mouton-Rothschild. Not being a wine person, and unsure of what to do with several bottles of the world's finest vintage, he placed it in his hall closet to await inspiration or an appropriate gathering of notables. Not long after, he returned from a weekend away with his wife to discover that that their teenaged kids had thrown a house party in their parents absence and, finding the wine in the closet, managed to consume most or all of it.

A friend of mine described a visit to France as a young man of 16. A family friend of his parents had once promised to make his cottage in the south of France available to the family upon request - but he had not seen or heard from this friend in many years. He booked passage, and arrived unannounced at the man's primary home in Paris. It took several minutes to establish who he was - the man didn't remember him or the promise he had made to my friend's family. When he did finally remember, he honored his promise and gave the keys to the cottage and directions, as well as a letter of introduction, to my friend, who proceeded to hitch-hike to the cottage.

He told me that upon arrival, he explored and found a basement filled with vintage wines and cheeses in crates. He met and made friends with local youths with whom he could not communicate - neither knowing the other's language hardly at all. But they proceeded to throw party after party for a period of nearly a week, and drank hundreds of dusty bottles of wine, proceeding to smash the empties on the floor and walls. They got drunk and tore down all the curtains and paintings, tossed all the furniture out into the yard.

The capper came when the wine was all gone, all the cheese consumed or smeared on the walls, and he found cans of paint in the garage. He painted a crude US flag on the wall of the living room and departed.

He claimed to be proud of the incident. I found his behavior less than acceptable and never invited him to my house.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[Nikon Bob]

A classic example of the old saw that no good deed goes unpunished. I would not let him in my house either.

Nikon Bob

 

[VinceC]

He's beyond scum. Hope his camera breaks and he posts a naive question on PNet asking how to get it fixed. Then he'll get what he deserves.

 

[Andy K]

NMP? I must confess my ignorance.

Not My Problem.