Have you ever been the only clothed person at an orgy? Me neither. For that matter, I’ve never been one of the unclothed people at an orgy. On the other hand, I have had the disconcerting experience of being the … Read More
As anyone who has studied linguistics, or read this sentence, knows, every language contains words that cannot be translated directly into other languages with a single-term equivalent. For example, the French have a seven-letter word, frileux, that means “sensitive to … Read More
I love to make grandiose, pompous predictions. Especially if they can never be proven false within my lifetime. Here’s one: I predict that the English language will evolve nearly beyond recognition within 269 years. I picked that number because it’s … Read More
France is, in many ways, a much more egalitarian society than the United States. Wait — that’s not quite right. I’d better start over: France is, in one way that occurs to me without thinking about it much, a slightly … Read More
I’ve been living in France long enough now to become accustomed to most of its quirks and eccentricities. Some of them took me a while, like the mid-day store closures, the frequent strikes and the apparent extension of diplomatic immunity … Read More
As some readers may be surprised to learn, I have very few complaints about life in France. Generally, my adopted country’s many attributes far outweigh its foibles. But there is one area in which I wish the French would make … Read More
In Paris this past week, the elephant in the room was the elevation in the river. After the rainiest May on record, the Seine rose to alarming heights, bursting its banks in many places. At the sight of all that … Read More
One of the great things about being a writer – in fact, one of the best reasons for becoming a writer in the first place – is that when you get caught doing something weird or embarrassing you can always … Read More
When I went to Brussels just two weeks after the horrific terrorist attacks, I saw it as an opportunity to get the answers to several weighty questions: Are the people of Brussels, like the people of Paris last year, showing … Read More
Warning! I am about to venture into treacherous territory. If I can negotiate this topic all the way to the end of a 1,200-word article without triggering a barrage of indignant comments, it will be a miracle on par with … Read More
