in porcelain spoons, delicacies that were solemnly announced and explained to us by the butler as if we’d been in a gastro restaurant. This made conversation impossible, so none of us managed a peep beyond the occasional vague “how interesting!”—until Georgina burst out with, “Oh, for a nice roast chicken with oven-browned potatoes!”
Her exclamation triggered an avalanche of passionate culinary desires.
“A piping-hot, crusty gratin dauphinois! Or how about a meltingly tender leg of lamb?… Me, I just love boeuf Bourguignon and frogs’ legs … Well, my favorite is a savory pot-au-feu … Oh, no, I prefer a blanquette de veau … And a good old chicken stew?… Don’t all shout, please; I vote for a spicy andouillette sausage!… For me, duck confit, and coq au vin … My personal weakness? Spring lamb casserole … What about poached eggs in red wine sauce? You’re forgetting oeufs en meurette!… Yes, but in that case, why not include a juicy boudin aux pommes? The apples are so perfect in the pork sausage …”
Jean-Claude tried to reconcile us all. “The paradox is that one cannot find such dishes anywhere nowadays, except in restaurants patronized by rich Americans, places like L’Ami Louis or Le Voltaire, which luckily have never changed their décor. ”
“Speaking of rich Americans,” added Alvin, “you know they are often patrons of the arts, philanthropists …”
“Yes, and so generous, I find that impressive,” said my father.
Odon could not help favoring us with some of his encyclopedic knowledge gleaned, in this case, he informed us, from a book by Bill Clinton: “Did you know that in the Jewish tradition, tzedakah, charity, is an obligation that should entail the donation of at least ten percent of one’s income? Islam as well requires zakat, which corresponds to two and a half percent of one’s income, and sadaqah, a voluntary donation from well-to-do Muslims, who are morally obliged to give generously. As for Christians, they are supposed to give ten percent of their income to the church and to love their neighbors as themselves.”
“Without forgetting the Buddhists,” added Alvin. “They believe that giving to others is an essential step on the path to illumination.”
“I find it surprising,” continued Odon, “that no one has thought to write a history of philanthropy in the United States since the Civil War. These donors are, in their way, very Greek, because in ancient Greece, the wealthy citizens would meet to divide up cultural expenses and thus relieve some pressure on their city-states.”
Then he went on to describe the Clark Library in Los Angeles, where William Andrews Clark had commissioned ceilings crowded with naked ephebes without anyone batting an eye. Thus inspired, my father evoked the Sapphic ceilings of the Fondation Singer-Polignac, and the dining room of the French Senate, where diners break bread under some truly imposing asses. He then voiced his amazement that no one ever shows much reaction to the insane eroticism of artworks, as if time or the artistic setting had desensitized any sensual effect.
Alvin returned to the charge, however, emphasizing the Buddhist tenet that the practice of charity is essential, “because whether we’re religious or not, we all live in an interdependent world. And our survival is linked to an understanding that our collective humanity is more important than our differences.”
I wasn’t sure where he was going with this, but I soon found out.
“I’m involved with a foundation that finances marine expeditions to study the deep ocean and evaluate the condition of the planet. The foundation also builds solar housing and educational programs to make schoolchildren aware of ecological problems …”
I then realized that Alvin had come to L’Agapanthe only for that, to put the bite on us. Which wasn’t surprising. Because everywhere in the world, foundations and organizations draw up lists of potential donors for museums, opera houses, botanic gardens, châteaux, schools, universities, hospitals, or to provide assistance to disadvantaged children, the dying, the victims of war, of AIDS, hunger, sexual crimes, genetic diseases … And they ask all their donors to spread the word, to proselytize creatively to recruit new benefactors. In that way, hunting the rich had become an activity that expands exponentially. And it was only to be expected that any encounter among wealthy individuals might turn into an ambush. In short, the charity business was a reality we had learned to deal with. Which did not mean that my parents, discreet and generous donors, were not occasionally taken by surprise, as when I would see them returning somewhat disappointed from a