Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Remember Me as Lemon

living in France French village church

 

The church in our village is halfway between my home and Annie's. I pass by it often each time I do I think of my father I took a photo of him by the fountain. Funny how certain things remind us of certain people.

 

 

almond blossom

 

On my morning walk, I promised Alice I would walk everyday, I admired the wild almond blossoms. Whenever I see almond blossoms I remember the drive between Willows and Chico…

 

 

olive trees in France

 

A view from my morning walk, not far from my home; The rolling Provencal foothills, olive orchards, tile rooftops…

 

French tiled roofs

 

 

I love this view. Such a classic Provencal scene… A pair of cyprus trees standing by an old tiled roof house in the middle of a field. Tiled roofs remind me of my cousin Doug who made the tiled roofs for his home in California.

Hub caps remind my brother Marty of me, or at least that is what he told me years ago:

Hub Caps.

Each morning when I wipe my eyeglasses with my bath towel I remember my cousin Gene who told me that is what he does. Better to be remembered by something useful than nothing at all right?

Hub caps.

 

a lemon

 

The other day there was this gadget. You know the kind that promise the moon and end up giving you a lighter wallet. I knew the gadget was a joke. It was so not going to work, but I thought, "What if it does?" 

 

I rarely buy gadgets, I would say never, but as you are going to see I bought a dandy of a gadget.. it was two dollars.

You need a lemon and a knife.

 

a lemon

 

The instruction said, "Cut the top off the lemon."

I did it,  e  x  a  c  t  l  y   like it said. 

So it wasn't my fault if it didn't work.

 

 

IMG_2323

 

This is the gadget: A Lemon Juice Sprayer.

Write: DING DONG Sucker.

The instructions said, "Insert the juicer into a lemon, and spray!"

You know that didn't work.

If you wiggle it around juice does drip out.

I had a good laugh. Now will you remember me each time you see a lemon?

 

 

IMG_2324

 

The lemon in more ways than one.

 

 

the lemon gadget

 

What gadget have you bought recently?

 

Comments

34 responses to “Remember Me as Lemon”

  1. Linda R.

    Your lemon story is funny. : ) I love your photos and think of you walking down your country lane while I look out at a beautiful snowy morning. The only walking I do is at the local civic center while the streets are so icy. I’ll go outside soon to shovel the walkway. The clear blue sky is deceptive – I know we’re in the minus temperatures this morning but- hallelujah – there’s no wind (which is what we are famous for, along the northern front of the Montana Rockies.) I’ll remember you for much more than a goofy lemon gadget, but in the meantime it brings a smile. We’ve all been there.

    Reply
  2. RebeccaNYC

    No more gadgets for me, thanks. But here’s an idea….why don’t you roll the lemon around (using some force) on the counter first to sort of “juice” the lemon before you put the spray mechanism in it? Maybe, maybe that would work?
    I love your walk. I have the same experience of seeing a place and associating it with people/events in my life.

    Reply
  3. The Bold Soul

    The gadget we got most recently was this Williams Sonoma Avocado Cuber, which I bought for my husband as a Christmas gift after he had been nervous about chopping avocados ever since he badly cut his finger last winter. It works great and he loves it, and now he’s back to buying avocados and easily dicing them (with the gadget) for our salads!
    http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/avocado-cuber/
    Williams Sonoma now ships to France and other countries, by the way.

    Reply
  4. Shelley Noble

    You are like a lemon! Lushly rounded, amazingly juicy, a little fruity, but with a zippy tang and strong bite that is one of a kind on earth. You make everything taste better.
    *Try screwing the gadget into another lemon, all the way down, like it was a corkscrew. Don’t stop twisting it into the fruit until the lip of the stem is flush against the pith. Then roll the lemon to break the citrus cells and get the juice flowing. Pump a lot to fill the sprayer. Maybe that will work?

    Reply
  5. Tongue in Cheek

    Hi Lemon Juice Expert,
    I DID ROLL the LEMON AROUND.
    BONK!
    DID not do much to help.
    Signed,
    Lemon Dud

    Reply
  6. Tongue in Cheek

    Dear Shelley
    I tried. Instead Juice came out of the hole which was a nice consolation to the juice sprayer attempt.
    Signed
    Lemon Dud

    Reply
  7. Janet with Eiffel

    Have not purchased any gadgets in quite some time.
    Yes, stuff does remind me of people.
    The smell of condensed milk, for instance,
    reminds me of summers with my Great Grandmother.
    She let me have it on my morning porridge.
    I was a very chubby little girl and no
    one else would let me have such decadent
    things to eat.

    Reply
  8. Chris Wittmann

    I’ve been away from your wonderful blog too long Corey…this made me laugh…a lemon of a lemon sprayer! I must admit, I’ve never been one for gadgets and so cannot recall when I last bought one. Give me those old depression era juicers that you have to manually maneuver any day! May be a bit hard on the hand and wrist but the juice comes out fine. I guess you could then put it into a spray bottle….least you didn’t spend much!

    Reply
  9. Kathie B

    If only the lemon gadget had worked as advertised, because the concept is great (just not the execution)!
    Last kitchen gadget we bought? A new Cuisinart, because we actually wore out the motor on our first one; this one should last the rest of our lives.

    Reply
  10. Kathie B

    Speaking of cooking, I looked up the yummy-sounding Tiramisú recipe that Corey posted the other:
    http://www.marmiton.org/recettes/recette_tiramisu-recette-originale_12023.aspx
    Since the recipe calls for raw eggs, Americans might want to use PASTEURIZED eggs in the recipe, in order to avoid the risk of Salmonella poisoning from raw eggs. I don’t know whether this is as much of a problem in other countries, but think it might be worth the additional expense to escape an avoidable illness.

    Reply
  11. Franca Bollo

    This: http://tinyurl.com/ltstyr5
    Best money ever spent. Ever.

    Reply
  12. Bonnie Oliver

    I just purchased a French MIU mandoline from the Goodwill online shop for pennies on the dollar. Most would not call this a gadget because it is a tried & true chef’s tool. But, my family sees it as a gadget. I’ll change their perception with each dish they savor. As for lemons, every morning I use a plain old wood lemon reamer. But, I like the concept of a sprayer. Worth the $2.00 for the conversation.

    Reply
  13. Kathie B

    P.S. My father was lucky enough to have a generous next-door neighbor with both a lime tree and a Eureka lemon tree, as well as a help-yourself open-gate policy for him. Fresh-squeezed juice was his favorite seasoning for so many foods, including steamed vegetables, baked fish and homemade soups.
    His sister (my aunt) who lived across town had a mature Meyer lemon tree, so would pick and deliver its produce by the paper bag-ful to him. I’d also take a huge sack-ful of them home with me on the plane, in a box along with extra-sour sourdough French bread, 2-lb. bags of baby artichokes and extra-sharp Oregon Tillamook cheese, as my allotted 2nd piece of checked luggage (those were the days!).

    Reply
  14. Tongue in Cheek

    Hi Kathie B.
    Thought you might like this:
    http://www.forbes.com/sites/nadiaarumugam/2012/10/25/why-american-eggs-would-be-illegal-in-a-british-supermarket-and-vice-versa/3/

    Reply
  15. Kathie B

    P.P.S. When inundated with more lemons than he could possible use before they’d spoil, my dad would squeeze all the extras, then pour the juice into ice cube trays and freeze solid, then store the cubes in air-tight freezer cartons till ready to use (already measured out in handy soupçons, and quick to thaw!).
    I was so inspired by my dad that I went him one better — not only freezing the juice once I got home from California, but also grating the zest then freezing it in a small freezer bag. When ready to use zest, the block of frozen zest can be whacked gently on the counter to loose enough to measure out for the recipe one oi using (especially in baking).

    Reply
  16. Kathie B

    Thanks, Corey — great article! As you might imagine, Farmboy Husband is pretty knowledgeable on the topic of Salmonella and other food-borne diseases, so is conscientious (to put it mildly) about kitchen sanitation.

    Reply
  17. LeighNZ

    Hi Corey,
    My mother has one of these lemon/lime sprayers and it works perfectly!! She said to tell you that before cutting the lemon roll it around to soften the insides then cut a very small hole at the top…your hole is too big. When inserting the spray device twist it into the lemon until it is flush instead of pushing it down, pump the sprayer a bit and you will have a perfect lemon sprayer. Let us know if it works next time and good luck.

    Reply
  18. Margaret

    I’m glad you just saved me some money. I, too, was sorely tempted by this very same gadget. LOL.
    The next gadget I want to get is a Pampered Chef can opener. I think it cuts off the top completely and doesn’t leave any sharp edges on the can or lid.
    I’m actually not a PC groupie, but someone gave me one of their fly swatters. It’s made of a quite stiff plastic and has plastic bristles on the end of the swatting side so after you swat the fly, you can pick it up with the bristles. If that doesn’t work you pull out the plastic tweezers from the end of the handle and pick up the fly that way. I love my swatter!

    Reply
  19. Debra

    I bought a peeler that fits on your middle finger. Purchased it for a couple bucks cuz my daughter said all the TV chefs use them. So far, the peeler is sitting on the counter unpackaged as we all make some comment on the peeler as to predicting whether or not it will work. Sort of funny that so much discussion is going on before we use it.
    And, I will never think of you as the lemon dud.

    Reply
  20. Marilyn

    Now I will smile everytime I see a lemon
    so there will be alot of smiling, as I usually have a lemon in my kitchen. Love them!

    Reply
  21. LauraInSeattle

    I *might* remember you as “lemon” but I think I’ll remember you as loving, beautiful, soulful, welcoming, generous beyond belief, kind, brave, strong and talented.

    Reply
  22. carol

    I hope the tip from Leigh works, because it sounds like a great gadget.
    I’m not a gadget buyer. However, my husband many years ago purchased a gadget called a Noc from one of those inserts that was in a Texaco statement. It was supposed to be like binoculars, but only for one eye, lol. In fact, for some reason it sounded so wonderful, that he ordered one for each of us. When they arrived, of course, they were totally worthless! The good thing is that the mere thought of them always gives us a great laugh.
    Lemon sounds infinitely better than hub caps.

    Reply
  23. Pam

    I loved your photos of your stroll. I get chills every time I think of what it must be like to live in a place that looks like a movie set, or my dreams. You live a charmed life for sure, and the life I can only dream of. Thanks for blogging everyday and for sharing your wonderful French life with your readers. You make me laugh more, think differently, and appreciate unique beauty with every post.

    Reply
  24. Lemon Tree Tami

    I have the Pampered Chef can opener and it’s fantastic! In fact I miss it when we travel in the RV. Guess I have to find a rep somewhere and order another one.

    Reply
  25. Patti L

    The almond trees in California are in full bloom right now. I think from now on when I see almond blossoms I will think of you. It beats lemons and hub caps, don’t you agree?

    Reply
  26. Kit

    Too funny, Corey! I’m sure there was nothing wrong with the gadget, it was just the wrong sort of lemon…!
    My gadget failures are usually tin openers that turn out to be useless. So hard to get a really good one that actually works without chowing the tin and being painful on the fingers!

    Reply
  27. Tongue in Cheek

    Hi Leigh NZ
    Okay I will try it again as you said. I did roll it, and a few meager sprays came out… I will try it again. Thanks!
    C

    Reply
  28. Kiki

    This made me chuckle. My dad (RIP)used to drive mum crazy when he came home with a useless gadget from a market…. and he did EVERY TIME – and we didn’t have ANY spare money – and he KNEW it wouldn’t work…. So, every time I’m tempted by those silly bits on sale, I think of my darling father – – – – and then I buy it (maybe!!!)
    My last gadget is a sort of peeler – I actually bought it for an orange-crazy friend but at home I realised it was a horribly sharply honed ‘grater-peeler’….. I kept it to myself and occasionally add the thinnest and most elegant carrot ‘vermicelles’ to my winter salads…. or cucumber ‘worms’….. or once I tortured a hard pear that way and it looked rather unpleasant, those quickly brown turning strings!

    Reply
  29. 24/7 in France

    The last gadget commercial I saw while visiting the US was for a “Wow cup” – a self-sealing kids drinking cup. Seemed like a good idea, as most gadgets do…

    Reply
  30. Candy

    I can’t get past the almond blossoms and trees. It’s amazing to see this here because recently I have been wanting an almond Walkingstick. I got that in my head somehow and can’t get it out. Is that something that is possible to attain? I guess I’m obsessed with the idea because my middle name means Almond and I was named after my grandmother and I’ve been thinking about her a lot lately.

    Reply
  31. Shelley

    A few years ago, I purchased a pewter lemon juicer from the turn of the century (last century). It’s so stupid simple and works beautifully. About half the size of a rolling pin with a crank on it, it presses and pits the lemon then you pour it through the spout. Brilliant, beautifully simple, and old. All my favourite things in one.

    Reply
  32. Brother Mathew

    So why hub caps Marty?

    Reply
  33. Andrea

    Speaking of things that make you remember someone. Gadgets, all gadgets, remind me of my dad. He loved gadgets and collected them. Guess who has them now? My favorite is a thing with spokes that opens up to look kind of like a wheel. You put put a potato on each spoke to conduct the heat as you bake the potatoes. I know, I could use a nail, or nothing, but my dad bought this years ago and I treasure it. Whenever I travel, I visit hardware stores in search of gadgets. Makes me feel like my dad is with me. I also carry his passport with very, very old photos from his travels as a musician on ocean liners (pre-cruise ship days). Love him dearly. Miss him always.

    Reply
  34. Ann

    Funny gadget…best part is you aren’t out a lot of $. We have a lemon tree that gives a lot of lemons each year, I squeeze and freeze for lemonade. Also, cook with lemon juice, make lemon ice cream, lemon facials, lemons in bath water. I love Lemons!
    The last gadget we bought was a pair of kitchen tongs. The one we had I used in the garden. So I bought a replacement and it was too big then I got another and it was fine but the one I used in the garden was the best.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Privacy Policy - Terms and Conditions