Dear Diva Readers,
In honor of Thanksgiving today, I’m re-posting my favorite tongue-in-cheek article on Thanksgiving, written by Art Buchwald, explaining this very American holiday to his French readers.
This column first appeared in the International Herald Tribune many, many Thanksgivings ago! Each year, the IHT reprints his article, much to the delight of readers everywhere!
Happy Thanksgiving! Bonne “Jour de Merci Donnant”!
The Antiques Diva™
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One of our most important American holidays is Thanksgiving Day, known in France as le Jour de Merci Donnant.
Le Jour de Merci Donnant was first started by a group of Pilgrims (Pèlerins) who fled from l'Angleterre before the McCarran Act to found a colony in the New World (le Nouveau Monde) where they could shoot Indians (les Peaux-Rouges) and eat turkey (dinde) to their heart's content.
They landed at a place called Plymouth (now a famous voiture Américaine) in a wooden sailing ship called the Mayflower (or Fleur de Mai) in 1620. But while the Pèlerins were killing the dindes, the Peaux-Rouges were killing the Pèlerins, and there were several hard winters ahead for both of them. The only way the Peaux- Rouges helped the Pèlerins was when they taught them to grow corn (maïs). The reason they did this was because they liked corn with their Pèlerins.
In 1623, after another harsh year, the Pèlerins' crops were so good that they decided to have a celebration and give thanks because more maïs was raised by the Pèlerins than Pèlerins were killed by Peaux-Rouges.
Every year on the Jour de Merci Donnant, parents tell their children an amusing story about the first celebration.
It concerns a brave capitaine named Miles Standish (known in France as Kilomètres Deboutish) and a young, shy lieutenant named Jean Alden. Both of them were in love with a flower of Plymouth called Priscilla Mullens (no translation). The vieux capitaine said to the jeune lieutenant:
"Go to the damsel Priscilla (allez très vite chez Priscilla), the loveliest maiden of Plymouth (la plus jolie demoiselle de Plymouth). Say that a blunt old captain, a man not of words but of action (un vieux Fanfan la Tulipe), offers his hand and his heart, the hand and heart of a soldier. Not in these words, you know, but this, in short, is my meaning."
"I am a maker of war (je suis un fabricant de la guerre) and not a maker of phrases. You, bred as a scholar (vous, qui êtes pain comme un étudiant), can say it in elegant language, such as you read in your books of the pleadings and wooings of lovers, such as you think best adapted to win the heart of the maiden."
Although Jean was fit to be tied (convenable à être emballé), friendship prevailed over love and he went to his duty. But instead of using elegant language, he blurted out his mission. Priscilla was muted with amazement and sorrow (rendue muette par l'étonnement et la tristesse).
At length she exclaimed, interrupting the ominous silence: "If the great captain of Plymouth is so very eager to wed me, why does he not come himself and take the trouble to woo me?" (Où est-il, le vieux Kilomètres? Pourquoi ne vient-il pas auprès de moi pour tenter sa chance?)
Jean said that Kilomètres Deboutish was very busy and didn't have time for those things. He staggered on, telling what a wonderful husband Kilomètres would make. Finally Priscilla arched her eyebrows and said in a tremulous voice, "Why don't you speak for yourself, Jean?" (Chacun à son goût.)
And so, on the fourth Thursday in November, American families sit down at a large table brimming with tasty dishes, and for the only time during the year eat better than the French do.
No one can deny that le Jour de Merci Donnant is a grande fête and no matter how well fed American families are, they never forget to give thanks to Kilomètres Deboutish, who made this great day possible.
Art Buchwald. This column first appeared in the IHT many, many Thanksgivings ago.
On that note, dear Diva Readers, Happy Plundering!
The brains and beauty behind Inglenook Décor, choreographing the charmingly eclectic inventory, is the darling Maureen. A physical therapist in private practice, Maureen dreams of “traveling the world à la Samantha Brown, checking out the world of design & decor”. She confesses impishly that she “longs to be an interior designer to entertain her creative side….” And speaking of entertaining a creative side, that is exactly what she does for me with both her online shop and her blog!
Oh, did I forget to mention - not only does Maureen run an online boutique (with a store website chocked full of useful decorating nuggets of wisdom) but she also writes a blog called 
To find inventory, Maureen started subscribing to trade magazines and checking importers from her home country – the Philippines - as well as going to several markets in the US. And Maureen explains, “Of course, (I go) antique and flea market shopping. This can be tricky, you have to separate the trash from real great finds. A little self-serving but some of it, I kept for me.... As for my archetypal customer? Highly independent, confident and creative individuals that thrive on making all of their choices definitely unique and their own. I picture them as sophisticated men and women who totally agree with one of Coco Chanel's famous quotes: ‘An interior is the natural projection of one's soul.’ A little frivolous for these times perhaps, but they realize that a beautiful surrounding inspires.”
Holland, France, Belgium, Germany, Holland again, and again… I’m racking up more miles on the Merc than we ever thought possible! In the last month and a half I’ve slept more nights in other people’s houses and hotels than in my own bed! Needless to say, my poor husband who’s been left at home has suffered the consequences of Diva Tour’s success and has not only learned to cook for himself but he’s taken up ironing as a hobby!!! So today’s blog is devoted both to THE ONES I LOVE & a CALL OUT to some SPECIAL PEOPLE!
Thanks for putting up with my recent prolonged travels! I love you dear! We recently realized that in 6 months I will have spent half my life in his arms – and it’s been the best 18 years of my life!
Psst… If my Parisian host looks familiar it might be because this isn’t the first time she’s appeared on my blog! Remember the Guest Post, 
Marlene seen above waving an antique toy bowling pin in 
Lucretia seen here at W. Angevaren Oude Kunst en Antiek in The Hague while taking clients on a Diva Tour.
She embodies in one person my 3 European lives! I first met my German friend Sylvia when we were both living in Holland, though it just so happens she’s lived the better part of the last 2 decades in France, speaking French so flawlessly that everyone who meets her is awed it’s not her native tongue!
NOTE: THIS IS NOT A PHOTO OF LA MOM, BUT INSTEAD A STOCK PHOTOGRAPH LABELED INCOGNITO… I thought it was an appropriate filler since La Mom’s TRUE IDENTITY is SAFE WITH ME (and those Diva Clients to whom she revealed her true identity!)
Kim P, The Diva and Chantal
Readers, please ignore the fact that I’m wearing the same outfit on 2 different tour days - it’s a career casualty when living out of a suitcase! Back to the mirror - I paid a mere 125 Euro for this fab French mirror! When concerns arose that it might not fit into the back of my station wagon, Jessica graciously agreed to buy it off of me (for an additional 10 E discount off what I originally paid – LOL!) but perseverance paid off and it eventually (with a lot of pushing and shoving by Jessica and me) fit into my car! Until our next shopping adventure - Thanks for everything Jessica! 
In addition to covering antiques, I often write about home décor and art galleries and that’s where Agudo comes in! Not only is Agudo a talented writer, but she is also a photographer with her art work appearing currently in an Amsterdam art gallery! From Nov 7-Dec 5 you can view Agudo’s current series at 
Dear Diva Readers,
The concept behind 
“They bought souvenirs and these souvenirs became known as Grand Tour Souvenirs” – purchases made with an express purpose Robert explains, “of illustrating their knowledge and symbolizing their refined tastes. On their return home, these travelers exhibited the souvenirs as objects for study and discussion”
Don’t we do the same thing today when we antique shop abroad? A tour through my Berlin apartment is to tour through my travels. I sit in a bergere bought in Paris, sit my drink on a side table picked up in Budapest, Holland contributes the lighting, while the object d’art is pure Italian! Germany, Czech and Austria come into play in other rooms, as does Spain and Portugal, Tunisia and Greece… Each room I display souvenirs of where I’ve been which is a direct correlation with who I’ve become – the more I see and do, the more I train my eye, the more I change as a person. I’m slowly amassing my own personal grand tour collection….. and perhaps that’s why I’m so enchanted with Robert Schreuder Antiques – their Grand Tour collection isn’t just about my own personal memories, it goes beyond them, creating layers to the story, weaving through the annals of time.
On my antique shopping tours, I always ask clients why they buy antiques. The responses are often the same: they buy them because they think antiques are better made than modern pieces, because they like their lines or their patina, because they want to have home décor different than their friends, for eclectic style and because they transport us to another place and another time. The common denominator among all my clients is that they buy antiques because they are buying stories, pieces with a past and a personality. In Robert Schreuder’s Grand Tour collection, the past comes to life, bringing “black and white” to true “Technicolor”, vividly layering my present passion for antique “souvenir” shopping while living abroad like a delectable gateau “
