CSP
Paraphrase and Summary of The Luncheon
I was living in Paris at that time. I had a small apartment in the Latin Quarter, which overlooked a cemetery. I did not earn much and could barely manage my living expenses.
One day, I received a letter from a woman. She had read one of my books and wrote to me about how much she admired it. She told me she would be passing through Paris and wanted to meet me. She asked if I could take her to lunch at Foyot’s. Foyot’s was a famous restaurant where French senators went to eat. It was far too expensive for me, and I had never even thought of going there.
I was young then and flattered that someone wanted to meet me because of my writing. I didn’t know how to say no to a woman, especially when she praised my work. I wrote back to her and agreed to meet her at Foyot’s on Thursday at half-past twelve.
When Thursday came, I arrived at the restaurant on time. She was already waiting for me. When I saw her, I was surprised. She was not young, as I had imagined. Instead, she looked imposing and serious. She wasn’t beautiful, but she had a confident and commanding appearance.
We sat down at the table, and the waiter brought the menu. When I looked at the prices, I was shocked. They were much higher than I had expected. I realized I would have to be very careful about what I ordered.
She told me that she never ate much for lunch. She said she usually only ate a light meal, which reassured me. I ordered a small chop, which I thought would fit my budget. But then she began ordering for herself.
She started with oysters. I was surprised but didn’t say anything. I told myself that they were only a starter and wouldn’t cost too much. After the oysters, she ordered caviar. Then she ordered a piece of salmon, which was more expensive than I could afford.
She continued talking about food. She said she never ate anything heavy but had a delicate taste for fine things. I noticed that she ate very slowly, enjoying every bite. I felt nervous because I could see the cost of the meal rising with every dish she ordered.
Then, she decided to order asparagus. It was out of season and very expensive, but she wanted it. I felt helpless because I didn’t know how to stop her. She ate the asparagus with her fingers, which I thought was strange.
She also wanted champagne, saying she always drank champagne at lunch. I was shocked because champagne was costly, but I couldn’t refuse her. She drank it slowly, savoring it. I sat there, calculating how much the meal was going to cost me.
While she ate, she talked a lot about food and how important it was to eat well. She said that she loved simple, natural flavors. I nodded along, pretending to agree with her, but I was growing more anxious with every passing minute.
When the waiter brought the dessert menu, I hoped she wouldn’t order anything else. But she did. She wanted peaches. They were also out of season and incredibly expensive. I didn’t know how I would pay for everything, but I didn’t say a word.
At the end of the meal, the bill arrived. It was much higher than I could afford. I had just enough money to pay the bill but nothing left for a tip. I felt embarrassed and upset, but I pretended to stay calm.
Before we parted, she thanked me for the lunch and said she had enjoyed it. She told me that I should never eat more than one thing for lunch. She added that my chop must have filled me up too much.
Years later, I saw her again. By then, I had become more successful, and my financial situation had improved. She was much older, and her confident appearance had faded. As we talked, I remembered that lunch and how much it had cost me.
I smiled to myself because I had finally gotten my revenge. At that time, I could not afford to spend so much money, but now it didn’t matter anymore. I realized that the memory of that meal had stayed with me all these years, and I could finally laugh about it.