We bet on the World Cup soccer matches at the three star restaurant I cook at in Paris. It keeps the twelve hour day exciting. Not that cooking with thirty-six hormonally challenged young men isn’t exciting on it’s own – but I am a married woman and there are limits.

Arc_4 Champs Elysée after the match

France played Portugal on the 5th of July which was and is a very special day for me. First of all it’s my wedding anniversary, secondly my husband’s parents flew in to be with us, and thirdly I placed the winning bet. That’s right! Ha!!! I cleaned hoooooooouuuuuse!!!!

The Chef de Cuisine let me go early so I could be with my husband and family – an unusual show of tenderness. I did mention to him that I haven’t seen my family in seven months. I also mentioned that I never see my husband because he’s always travelling and I’m always working and we don’t even get to faites l’amour anymore. This he understood. No one at the restaurant has time for love – it’s a sad painful fact. Especially when you are surrounded by sensual smells and tastes all day long. Starving, really, if you know what I mean…

I placed my bet 1 – 0 France with the first goal by the Coq’s in 23 minutes. Everyone scoffed at my early goal estimate. But when I got home to watch the game with my husband, family, and friends I caught the first goal by Zidane at 33 minutes!

It wasn’t exactly a romantic anniversary, but it was great to be with family, eat shish kabobs, and drink beer and not be in slaving away in a hot hot hot kitchen.

I felt bad receiving my lump of cash the next day. There I was the little American girl who knows nothing about soccer, or cooking for that matter, collecting wads of euros. I could tell there were some bad feelings. Oh well! You win some, You loose some!

I’m betting France 2 – 0 for the final Sunday game with the first goal in 17 minutes. Any takers?