My life in Paris part II: My battle with butter

I like butter; butter on my bread in the morning and used ever so sparingly for baked goods. It can be tasty and good for you in small doses. However, I'm the kind of person who prefers the natural taste of foods with a touch of olive oil if necessary especially when it comes to veggies. After my initial indulgence in french food, I started paying more attention to my meals especially at the numerous family dinners I attend. That being the case, I obviously can't be picky and make special requests all the time. Well..

Like I've mentioned, there are a number of people living and working in the family house. All the characters play an intricate part of the way the house functions. However, the most entertaining of them all is the crazy part-time Sri Lankan chef. He can't hear and likes to yell responses that have no relation to what your asking like, "EAT, EAT, it's good for health!". He professes to be a knowledgeable palm reader and has done some disturbing readings mostly for the nanny and au pair. He doesn't seem to like the lady of the house much though she is his boss, and ignores special notes she leaves for weeks. However, whenever Joe's dad is sick Gamini (the cheff) brings a cocktail of ayurvedic remedies for a special healing tea. His eye sight isn't the best either and there are times he bumps into walls, then runs away pretending it didn't happen. Then there is this evil, husky laugh, "Heh Heh Heh..."

I've had a bit of a silent on going battle with him over the past 6 months. Well, me and the au pair really. I understand that different cultures have different ideas on nutrition, and most of the food Gamini makes is delicious with indian spices and such. However, he seems to think that anything SOAKED (yes, dripping!) in butter (i.e. pasta, veggies, cakes) is tasty and "good for health". I'm more of a naturalist when it comes to food and prefer tasting it without a thick buttery coating. I'm not complaining as a tasty homemade meal 3 nights a week is a treat. In fact, I'm not used to sit down family dinners or personal chefs for that matter and never felt comfortable making requests. So as time went on, I started eating less and less at family dinners until finally all I ate were salads and a taste of meat provided it wasn't walking off my plate.

Finally, Joe made the request for me saying it was for my "regime", my diet. For a while, Gamini (the chef) would bring out a special plate of sides, drop the plate in front of me and announce "NOoo Butter!", then walk away laughing his evil husky laugh. I would get embarrassed feeling like a spoiled child. This lasted a month or so before it was dinner as usual. Then, the au pair started making requests. Then the lady of the house. I think all of this irritated him. I found him giving me the evil eye whenever I walked into the kitchen. I would just smile sheepishly and say, "Hello Gamini", "Thank you Gamini".

His compliance each time only lasts about a month. I'm not sure if he forgets, doesn't care, truly thinks it's healthy or is being vengeful. It's still under debate. It took me a long time to say anything, and even then it was Joe who made the request. These days, depending on his mood, the meal can be caked in butter or a healthy mix. Just last night I found Gamini cooking a cake and noticed 2 large sticks (= to 4 US sticks) of butter next to the ingredients. When I saw it baking, I asked what kind of cake it was. He proudly responded, "A BUTTER cake! Heh, Heh, Heh..."