"No Sank You"

My mother-in-law grew up in France and was friends with a few large local families. She always seemed to be getting a letter from one of the Rivières, Tommy Martins, or Letourmys. They were kind of extended family to the Kilmers.

So when Denys Letourmy (I think I have the name right) came to the US in 1980 or so, he visited us at our apartment in Connecticut. We took him to see the notable local sights, such as the Mark Twain house in Hartford. Denys was a photographer, as I recall, and he raved over the beautiful blue sky and fluffy clouds. Apparently that is uniquely American. Who knew?

It occurred to us that Denys might like to experience something else that was uniquely American. We were young and poor but well educated, and we knew that peanut butter was not just delicious but also very nutritious, so we always had it on hand. Surely Denys would like to have some, right?

Not so much! Denys took one look at it and turned a little green. Always polite, though, he managed to mutter “No sank you” while backing away.

I guess it looks odd if one isn’t used to it. Maybe it even looks nauseating. And it does have a strong smell that might turn some people off. Poor Denys! He didn’t know what he was missing!