March 31, 2006

C'EST SI BON, C'EST SI GONE -- by Steve Nadis

I got a scone the other morning at a Harvard Square establishment after dropping my daughter off at her preschool. I'd been going to the place (it actually was called "C'est Bon"; I added the "Si" for poetic reasons) for years, about once a week and sometimes more, especially during the past five years my girls have been at the aforementioned preschool. So I was surprised to notice a small sign indicating they would close on March 29, 2006, which happened the day I was there.

You might expect the usual sob story about another historic Harvard Square establishment biting the dust, but I can't claim this place was "historic" in any grand sense. Nor can I protest its closing too forcefully, as it's making way for a bagel place that, in turn, is making way for a restaurant that a friend is opening. So I'm not lamenting the demise of my scone hut but am, instead, using its passing as a chance to reflect on all the scones I've consumed from this place in the past five years. Somewhere between 300 to 400, I'd estimate. That's a lot of fat, a lot of calories, and probably at least $500 spent on scones--$500 I could have just as easily given to panhandlers, to folks selling "Spare Change" (the homeless newspaper), or to the guy collecting for "Wheelchair Basketball." Instead, I elected to gorge myself on (conservatively estimated) 150 pounds of raisin or blueberry scones.

The question now is will I use this momentous occasion as an opportunity to break my scone addiction or will I simply find another means of fueling the habit? It's too early to say. For now I'll guess we'll just have to take it one scone at a time.

Posted by Snake at 11:15:28 | Permanent Link | Comments (15) |
Comments
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1 - I have a weakness for Baby Earth Teething Biscuits. (It is an adult woman writing here. I don't know why; maybe like Proust's scone the biscuits harken back to happy memories of childhood...) Anyway, on average, I consume 2.33 boxes of Baby Earth Teething Biscuits every week. At $2.39 a box, I decided to do the math. And of course it led me to pondering: what would I rather have: the Baby Earth Biscuit, or a rountrip plane ticket to Florida? Of course the rountrip plane ticket would appear after a year of Baby Earth abstemption while the Baby Earth biscuit sat there on the table in front of me waiting to be eaten. Need I say more. I'm taking it one Baby Earth biscuit at a time. (Comment this)

Written by: Molly at 2006/03/31 - 11:51:53
2 - Thanks Molly, I see your dilemma. (Comment this)

Written by: Snake at 2006/03/31 - 12:05:57
3 - Is the convenience store closed too, or just the bakery? Please tell us more about the bagel place and the restaurant, too. (Comment this)

Written by: Ron Newman at 2006/03/31 - 14:19:53
4 - Hi Ron -- thanks for the note. The convenience store is still there. Finagle a Bagel is taking over C'est Bon's space. And the restaurant I mentioned [I don't know the name] is moving into the Finagle space; it should be an excellent addition to the Square. This chef knows his stuff. (Comment this)

Written by: Snake at 2006/03/31 - 14:41:30
5 - Farewell, slightly-suspect "Jamaican" beef patties. But damn, were they good.

What sort of restaurant is your friend opening?

(Here via Universal Hub. Hi!) (Comment this)

Written by: Lynne at 2006/03/31 - 15:11:37
6 - That's quite a reduction in space for Finagle. (Then again, I never understood why they needed two floors.) (Comment this)

Written by: Ron Newman at 2006/03/31 - 15:17:53
7 - Hi Lynne -- thanks for the note. I never tried those patties & it appears I'll never have the chance. I don't know much about the restaurant but I'm pretty sure it's going to be good quality food at a pretty reasonable price, which should make it a good place to have in the square if they pull it off. (Comment this)

Written by: Snake at 2006/03/31 - 15:19:07
8 - Perhaps you can explain the popularity of the American scone to me. Dry and tasteless, yet loaded with calories. What is the point? The English version isn't much better, but has the advantage of being smaller, so at least you get fewer calories. And, of course, you schmear (that's a British term) it with jam and clotted cream, and one of my sneakers would taste good with that stuff on it. (Comment this)

Written by: Turd Blossom at 2006/03/31 - 17:54:43
9 - she is right. that money could have bought that panhandler a few rocks of crack or nips of blue label shmirnoffs. very insensitive (Comment this)

Written by: asdf at 2006/03/31 - 19:19:08
10 - Well put, asdf. I was insensitive, putting my gluttony first like that. And hello, TB. I've never really had the English version of a scone so I guess I don't know what I'm missing. As for the appeal of the American version, I think that, given the tenor of your note, that's gonna' be a tough sell. (Comment this)

Written by: Snake at 2006/03/31 - 22:45:31
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