"Tomato, Tomahto"...

How's it spelled?

Good "eclair" Friday, all bodies.

On our trip in France, we arrived in Amiens just in time for lunch. But, all we could find in the university section of the town were Burger King type fast food joints. Therese found a boulangiere called, "Nature de Pain."

It wasn't a store that fancies black leather outfits, masks, whips or chains, I found out. It was a French bakery.

We stopped and shared a salad, but I couldn't help noticing that small, soft, log-shaped pastry filled with cream and typically topped with chocolate icing. In New Orleans, there was a bakery well appreciated, especially on Sundays after mass. It was Lawrence's Bakery on Elysian Fields and they had the best eclairs I've ever had as a kid.

"I'd like that eclair," I said, pointing to the ones in the glass case. I pointed at it assuming the three college aged ladies didn't speak English. The server pointed the eclair back at me and I nodded in the affirmative.

She giggled.

"Yes, that "A-Clair!"

She pointed again and again she giggled, but this time she whispered into the other servers ears and the two other women giggled along.

"Aw, c'mon now," I said. I ain't no long tall Texan sportin' a ten gallon hat!" I said with a smirk and the best shit kickin' cowboy accent I owned.

They laughed some more as the one server bagged the tasty bit and rang me up.

"So, how do you pronounce the word, "A-Claire", I asked.

She just smiled and gave me our lunch complete with my A-Claire.

"Well, we're from Nouvelle Orleans and that's pretty much how this pastry is pronounced there."

I never did get the correct pronunciation.

"A-Clair", "E-Clair" or e'clair, who knows.

It sure was good!

Copyright 2018/  Ben Bensen III