12 December, 2006

It lingers for weeks, they said

Elsa had some friends over tonight, and we ate raclette, one of the many wonderful dishes involving potatoes and dairy products indigenous to this region. I don't remember how it came up, but a while ago Jay told me a story about raclette and how it stinks and how one of his friends had been banned from having it in the house because of how horrible it smells. I can't really say I believed him. Sure, perhaps it did smell, but real raclette can't smell that bad, 'cause why would people eat it if it did? Besides which, I'd never heard anything from the people here about how it smells.

So they all came over, bearing fixings for raclette. And then they started talking about how bad it smelled. Better close your door, they said, or the smell will get in. I didn't clean before the dinner, Elsa said, because it'll stink so bad afterwards there's no point. We don't eat it at my house, Alexia said, because my father cannot take the smell.

I couldn't really smell anything. Don't worry, they said, you can't smell it now, because you got used to it as the smell built up. But later. You'll see. The smell lingers for weeks.

It was really good, and when we were all done and all the dishes were washed and I retreated into my room I still didn't really smell anything. Elsa said she was starting to, though, so I chalked it up to the fact that I have a bit of a cold and that maybe I just liked the smell.

I just left my room to go to the bathroom. God, it reeks.

6 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

*laugh* Wonderful!
Am I correct in assuming this is one recipe you won't be bringing back to share with me?

6:42 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Please, please, don't bring it back to share with me either. No matter how good it tastes, I wouldn't be able to get past the smell. And then I'd have to, every day. I shudder just thinking about it.

7:08 AM  
Blogger N said...

But it was so yummy...

11:15 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We can figure out how to do the cooking outside!

2:47 PM  
Blogger N said...

And the smell's pretty much gone today anyway. Should I see if I can figure out how to bring some back?

2:55 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Probably not -- imagine the smell in your suitcase.... bring the recipe, and we can probably find the raclette here somehow.

6:45 AM  

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