A French Toast

Choose this day whom you will cheer for. As for me and my self, I will root for France.

I appear to be in the minority on this decision, but what else is new. Even here in Austin I've found few fellow France-sympathizers. Yesterday I had a World Cup display with stacks of Peroni (Italian beer) and Kronenbourg (French beer) at Central Market. Peroni outsold Kronenbourg 10 to 1. And, trust me, Peroni is not a superior beverage by any means.

I've had an intriguing interaction with customers in relation to France ever since I started working in beer and wine. There is that occassional middle-aged woman that will respond assertively when I suggest a French wine with, "Oh, no! I'll never support the French again. You know, after the way they treated us when the war with Iraq began and all." But for every staunch anti-French customer I encounter, there are five who are all the more eager to buy French wine simply to counter what they feel is a tremendously smug and ingnorant political posture. "I'd certainly rather support the French economy than Napa Valley's."

[This isn't much of a choice, economically speaking, if you ask me. Supporting some mousy French guy who did nothing special other than inherit a chateau the size of Travis County versus helping a vineyard that is inevitably attached to some fading celebrity (i.e. Coppola, Andretti) or business tycoon with too much time on their hands leaves much to be desired.]

I myself attribute much of my new openness to France to the adopting of Martin of Tours as my "saint of inspiration" on the occassion of taking the Oaken Oath last month.

But in terms of soccer / football, the choice to pull for France today is almost entirely about these particular teams. In my viewing of the games this year I have found that there may be at least a little something to the reputation the Italian team has for "diving." Granted, their goalie and defense has been outstanding, but their overall play hasn't been particularly impressive to me. And the fact that measely Team USA managed to outplay them doesn't help their cause with me either.

Then there's Team France. Although they weren't stellar out of the gate, they have been uber-solid in the elimination games. The way they exposed Brazil as the Emperor with no clothes was brilliant. Watching all those long-haired Brazilians whimper, even when they got multiple "Michael Jordan" calls in the last 10 minutes was like a brief portrait of the apocalyptic vindication I long to see on That Day. And France's shaven-headed veteran leader has outshown the showmanship of so many of the South American flamboyants. When it comes right down to it, I'd still take a Larry Bird over a Kobe Bryant any day. A leader who knows himself, what his is capable of, and how he can make his team excel will always grab my allegiance.

And so, with only 90-ish minutes until game time, I say, along with the menu at IHOP, "Vive La French Toast."