Hank Hill Does Not Approve

Le Professeur, my landlord, got a new top-of-the line Weber Genesis gas grill for his 60th birthday. He was a little surprised when I congratulated him on such a fine American grill; he thought they were German-made (Weber grills are very expensive here, and something of a status item. You know the Germans make good stuff.). The good news for me is that he gave me his old one, a triple-burner job with workspaces on both ends. In need of some cleanup but otherwise in good working order [photo]. Just in time for Memorial Day I dragged it up to my little terrace, where it sits ready to receive steaks, beer brats, shrimp kebabs, and whatever veggies I can find in-season at the marche.

But get this: Unlike civilized countries such as the United States and Texas, French grills use butane instead of propane [photo]. As Hank Hill would say, "Dangit, Bobby, butane is what we call a bastard gas." Bastard gas or no, butane is commonly used in France [link warning: chatty Francophone blue bear muppet mascot] not only for grills but for gas ranges in homes as well, especially in very old buildings or small villages out in the countryside where there are no gas pipelines. Fortunately the gas company will deliver butane tanks chez vous, so when this current tank runs out I won't have to bring home a new one on the metro.

[Hmmm. I wrote this post about a month ago, but it looks like I never actually posted it. Oh well. Sorry if you've read it twice.]