May 2, 2013 - The Flight Over
There were two notable events on the flight from Dallas to Paris. But before I relate them I should tell you that JJ & I didn’t sit exactly together. Those who have read my blogs know that often we sit apart. Sometimes it’s more interesting, such as at dinner parties and church discussion groups; and at others, it’s the practical thing to do, such as posting in 2 different lines, or general reconnoissance. For the 9 or 10 hours over the big pond, we each opted for an aisle seat. (We never forgot the big fat woman who had obviously taken sleeping pills, inert for entire flight duration. Try climbing over that.)
I tell you this so you will understand what I’m about to tell you. JJ’s good fortune was that the seat next to him was vacant. That just means he had the luxury of a little more space. But I had a seat-mate next to the window, a 30-ish man who was keeping to himself. I couldn’t say what the ethnic diversity was among the passengers, but one thing I do know is that, as a group, these were a well brought up lot because the toilets stayed clean & no one trashed or clogged the aisles. The few small children who were on the flight were shushed soon after trying to begin a crying session. Collectively it was to be a satisfactory experience.
As #3 would say, American Airlines is just the most bare bones company possible for an overseas flight. The food is fair & the movies are not even worth renting the earphones. The flight attendants do their best with the little they have. So, maybe it’s not so much la luxe, but other things that made the trip bearable. In this case the cabin staff was down to earth, relaxed, & doing the necessary with good humor. Which brings me to the first event.
The overhead screens went out for sleepy-time. I noticed there wasn’t even one reading light. All, even the babies, seemed to be in the land of Winkin’ Blinkin’ & Nod. When all of a sudden there came a great turbulence, so very unusual when planes are obviously flying so high. There had been a little here and there, such that we should all have been seat-belted. Nevertheless, there came a huge exterior blow to the aircraft which scared the living daylights out of us all. There were no squeals or howls because we were all drowsy. But, it was a jolt which lasted about 20 seconds & awoke us all with a start which caused a flutter of low comments. But then everything calmed almost as quickly as it came. The only repercussion was that we were all wide awake, never to return to sleep for the rest of the trip which was at least another 4 hours! Even without a sleeping pill most travelers are able to nod off for a short night’s sleep, so that they can almost make it through the next waking day in Paris. The upshot for us all would be that we’d have serious some jet lag.
(When I asked an attendant about it, she told me that the captain had informed the crew to expect some serious turbulence. She admitted that it was stronger than she had usually experienced.)
The second thing was was meeting my seat-mate. The Great Jolt turned out to be a blessing because, as I said, it opened conversation. It’s my policy to refrain from intruding on a stranger’s privacy, but as we noticed the sun gleaming through the cracks of the window shutter, I wanted to see a glorious sunrise at such a great height. My seat mate lifted the shutter to take a photo of it for himself with his IPhone. I asked him to take one for me with my small camera, which he was glad to do. In such a way was the ice broken. Doesn’t take much, does it?
As it turned out my seat mate was an executive chef at a posh country club in Oklahoma City. At 38, he & his wife were expecting their 3rd child. We had a lot in common as he told me he had graduated from a Baton Rouge high school, at about the same time my eldest boys were finishing another B.R. high school. He had formed his culinary palate in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. “My sister & I always got in the kitchen & cooked for friends and family.” His formal chef’s training was in a noted Houston Institution, but he insisted that the palate had to be acquired, it couldn’t be taught. “You either have it, or you don’t. Recipes & books aren’t going to provide that.” He explained that he would be in France for about two weeks looking for new culinary ideas & fresh plating presentations from among famous French restaurants.
JJ & I have always believed that the top ranks of chefs are among those who, as my mother once said, “never had a choice.” From tender beginnings the talent manifests itself & no other direction is possible. I felt privileged to be able to “interview” this unpretentious executive chef who supervised six other specialized chefs, plus a staff of over 150. Who knows? Without the great jolt I might never have met him.
