High Five to Five Guys Burgers and Fries
This summer in St. Louis I started hearing a lot of buzz about a new burger joint, along with staggering reports that these burgers rated highest in calories per bite of any known to man. Despite the health warning, or perhaps due to it, our entourage of 8 adults and 7 kids couldn’t resist going for lunch to try it out. I have to say that the burgers at Five Guys Burgers and Fries are so special, I am happy to safely reside over 2,000 miles from the nearest location.
At the time, I thought Five Guys was local, but soon discovered that in fact, Five Guys ranked was fastest growing chain in America in 2009. Along with his sons, Jerry Murrell of Five Guys Burgers and Fries built a 570-store chain that enjoys a cult following. Even Obama’s burger run to Five Guys in D.C. made headline news. How did I miss that? While I obviously can not claim to have discovered the best burger ever at an obscure burger joint in Missouri, I am happy to pass along this great article I discovered in Inc. Magazine; How I Did It: Jerry Murrell, Five Guys Burgers and Fries.
Hungry? Sure, I’d love to have a Five Guys’ Burger right now too. But even more, I’d love to open an old fashioned All-American Diner with great burgers and fries, rollerskating servers and yes of course, a Jukebox, right here in The Netherlands! Jerry Murrell and sons are proof that there is no such thing as it’s all been done before; if you do it right!
Filed under Entrepreneurship, Just for fun | Comment (0)
Country Clubbin’ with The Jonses
At the tail end of two weeks and a few days of overindulgence in the US, ironically I caught this film on the flight back to Amsterdam. I had never heard a thing about The Jonses, and I’ll admit it wasn’t the first flick I clicked, but I was so glad I did and I urge you to watch The Jonses. (It is newly released in The Netherlands)
Demi Moore @MrsKutcher and David Duchovny star as Mr. and Mrs. Jones; and the tag line is an understatement. They’re not just living the American Dream, they’re selling it.
Without giving away the plot, we all know people caught in the consumption cycle who are destroying their lives, whether we see the destruction or not, in a never ending quest to keep up with the Jonses. This film is funny, often in a pathetic but true social commentary, and it gives you plenty to ponder about what is real in your life and in the lives of those “closest” to you, maybe even right next door.
If you are a person who can’t stop believing the grass is always greener, maybe after The Jonses you will be able to see the Astroturf next door for what it really is?
Filed under Just for fun, Social Issues | Comment (0)
The Magic of Mastering French
How do you define mastery? In language you might be tempted to say fluency, but last night I experienced a more magical moment of mastery.
If like me you struggle with languages, the very first time you were actually understood by a stranger while traveling and trying to use your high school Spanish, French or German, it might have felt like complete mastery to you. The beauty of mastery, is that you get to define your own success, individually.
I started studying French in high school and have taken lessons on and off for years. Especially just before our wedding in France, the way couples take dance lessons just for their first dance. Making my speech in French at our wedding was another big step along the way, especially since I was meeting most of the French guests for the first time. I hate to admit that for the past few years just getting by and surviving the “French Only Spoken Here” house rule during week long visits at my in-laws is the level I reached and where I lazily plateaued.
Last summer while applying for the kids’ French passports at the Consulate in Amsterdam, my husband inquired about applying for me as well. We knew I met the requirements based on the length of our marriage and year of our son’s birth, but we also knew that because we lived outside of France, there would be a French language “requirement”. Merde, I was nervous! Infinitely easier to talk on subjects of my choice rather than answer questions, I took a proactive approach and started speaking very rapidly when we met with the official.
I explained that while my French wasn’t fluent, I did my best with my parents in law and always improved after a few days in France. I told him I would be very appreciative if he didn’t mind sticking to my favorite subjects of French wine, Champagne, fromage and handbags. The official broke into a big smile and confirmed that indeed my French might not be fluent, but it was absolutely charming and he declared that it would do. I was beaming with pride! Everyone knows the French value style over substance, so I felt that charming was a great compliment, definitely trumping mere fluency!
During the past school year I challenged myself to speak with my son’s teacher in French more often because I really appreciate her and she lights up when I make the effort. (I even admitted that I demanded to know from my son which class rule he had broken, when she sent a note home about it; turned out that he had broken his ruler and needed a replacement.)
This week I passed another milestone worth celebrating on my path to mastery. My husband deposited me and the kids at his parents in Brittany and left for the week. I survived, on my own, without the buffer/translator, and without any pillow talk in English after dark!
Upon my husband’s return last night, the magical moment happened. His mother asked me to recount a story I had told her the day before about a family I encountered on my bike ride along the canal. I told her how cute it was to see this Dad and small kids vacationing and traveling by bike. My reaction turned to horror when I passed the mother a few minutes later with ALL the rest of the kids; too many to count as each parent had babies in bike trailers too! As I retold the story, she laughed so hard she cried. This is a woman I have never seen cry and only occasionally laugh. It was a rare and spendid sight.
My French is far from fluent, I still try to rephrase everything to fit in my two favorite tenses; passé composé and future proche, and I know with certainty that sometimes what I say ends up sounding like, “They is hungry yesterday.” But the ability to express yourself, connect with someone, be truly understood, and move them to laugh or to cry, or both at the same time is the ultimate. This is the magic of mastering French.
Filed under Adventure, Just Life | Comment (1)
Born in the USA
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Call my interpretation naive, but I have always taken this quite literally to mean all people, not only those residing in the 48 continuous states, Alaska and Hawaii. Born and raised in the heartland of America, I have always felt extremely fortunate, but never superior based on my birthplace.
A decade ago I burst out of the bubble that is the Midwest of the US and moved abroad. I discovered that waving the dark blue passport with the golden eagle embossed on the front opens many doors and carries significant privilege. With this passport; the choice is yours, you are almost always welcome in foreign lands, no questions asked (even when questions should be asked). Your travel dilema is, “Which destination to book on expedia.com?”, not, “Will I get a visa and will they let me in?
If you are not holding an American or European passport, you are out of luck and may be subject to endless bureaucracy, restrictions and unwarranted suspicion. Many countries are simply off limits for you. (Honestly, I never knew.) Want to guess how many South Africans would be allowed to travel to the US to watch World Cup Football? Continue reading »
Filed under Politics, Social Issues | Comment (1)
