Operation Baked Goods

Former readers of MAINLY ON THE PLAIN may be wondering if I intend to incorporate one of that blog's more popular features, OPERATION BAKED GOODS, into the current blog.



After giving the matter some consideration, I have reluctantly decided against doing so. There are two reasons for this. The first borders on the obvious. What would be the point? Since, unlike the Spanish, the French have no apparent objection to the use of butter (in copious amounts) in the production of their baked goods, the deliciousness of the result is never in question. So devoting blog space to document something that everyone already takes for granted, namely that French pastries are among the best on the planet, seems pointless, and possibly obnoxious. It smacks of gloating.



The second reason is that, in July of last year, I finally joined a local gym in San Francisco, where I made the acquaintance of Maggie, who became my personal trainer. Maggie is extraordinarily good at her job*, and during the months that followed, we have had many delightful conversations on the subject of food choices, wise and otherwise. It is with great regret that I came to the (obvious) conclusion that carrying out an extensive local investigative campaign on behalf of OPERATION BAKED GOODS would, necessarily, conflict with the more deserving objective, which might be termed OPERATION WISE FOOD CHOICES.

Because I aspire to many more years of healthy blogging from assorted foreign destinations, in the end the correct decision was obvious. I have to vote in favor of OPERATION WISE FOOD CHOICES. For related reasons, I have decided to take advantage of the special "trimestre" rate on offer, and to join the local Club Med gym just two blocks away, for the remainder of my time here in Paris. After all, when I return to San Francisco at the end of June, I can hardly waddle into my first session with Maggie looking like a total bloated mess, now, can I?

* she is what the French might call "une femme formidable".