A series of anecdotes with or without any connection to the running of a restaurant.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Papa's Raising Sultans...

Vit has just written a post on family trees and illustrated how hard it is to unravel branches and roots, etc...
I really do admire all those people who spend long years in libraries and record offices, meticulously sifting through mindnumbing archives in an attempt to trace their ancestry.

The BBC's popular series "Who do you think you are?" prompted many viewers to begin their own dig.

A few months ago, when I phoned him to enquire about the price of eggs in Algeria and how he was keeping, Papa, in his infinite wisdom calmly claimed:
"We are descendants of the last Sultan of Granada, you know!"
I was truly taken aback. Papa does not drink and he is a very rational man. It usually takes him days to mull over an idea before saying anything.
He is the kind of guy who would spend hours and days trying to repair a watch, stowing it the bathroom cabinet for months "just in case" before finally admitting defeat and discarding it.

I put his fantastic claim down to his 86 years and tried to humour him.
"I am telling you it's true! Why don't you check on your computer?"
What is the world coming to? Papa has heard of computers!

As soon as I got off the phone, I Googled and found out that our family name and that of this Moorish Sultan are uncannily close but for a spelling variation.

It sounds absolutely outlandish but could Papa be right?
Come to think of it, didn't the Alhambra car park attendant direct me to a well shaded spot when I visited in February?

But perhaps I should keep quiet about this... While Googling I came across a fundamentalist website blaming the Sultan for the fall of Andalucia and the demise of the Moors...

Could this be my new abode?

























Papa is 87 on Saturday!


...

Labels: , ,

24 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

hmmm, perhaps he was wise not to tell you... all the same, if you decide to reclaim what is rightfully yours, cream, don't forget to invite me to stay, will ya?

24/8/07 8:16 PM  
Blogger neena maiya (guyana gyal) said...

Not only does Papa know about computers, he knows you can check out your ancestors on your computer!

So, descendant of the Sultan, will you be throwing parties with silk cushions and so on in your new abode?

Tomorrow's Papa's birthday? Please give him our salaams and wish him happy birthday. Tell him the WHOLE WORLD knows about him, he's famous.

24/8/07 8:41 PM  
Blogger Cream said...

Marcos, you are welcome to visit anytime, as soon as I get the keys to the palace.

Gigi, I really couldn't believe he knew about computers.
Silk cushions filled with the softest feathers you can imagine.
Thanks, Gigi, I will be ringing him and passing on the World's greetings...

25/8/07 12:09 AM  
Blogger Hayden said...

add my good wishes to GG's!

ahhhhhh.... a palace. good choice.

I always wonder - if it were true that we choose our lives, wouldn't we all be the descendants of kings?

25/8/07 4:49 AM  
Blogger Mary said...

Happy Birthday to your Papa!
Now if that is your new abode could I please have an invite? Papa can't be wrong.

25/8/07 6:05 AM  
Blogger Christine said...

Happy Birthday to Papa!! Everyone loves a good Papa story. Oh yes I can imagine myself looking out from that balcony. You'll have to take me by the arm and show me the grounds and your palace. :D

25/8/07 7:08 AM  
Blogger SpanishGoth said...

Today is Saturday, so:

Feliz de cumpleaños y puede la guía de la sabiduría usted para siempre

el anciano

25/8/07 8:00 AM  
Blogger Mélanie said...

Today is your Dad's birthday : So happy birthday to your Dad .
عيد ميلاد سعيد I hope I haven't done any mistake
Great story about your roots !!!

25/8/07 9:31 AM  
Blogger Akelamalu said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUR PAPA

Family Tree's are fascinating. MWM is researching his/ours which is why we visited The National Archives recently.

Love the picture of the Alhambra Palace it's such a beautiful place I remember it well.

25/8/07 9:40 AM  
Blogger Cream said...

Hayden, you could be right there. Not many would choose to be descendants of paupers.

25/8/07 11:09 AM  
Blogger Cream said...

Mary, Papa is never wrong, so I am going to start printing the invitations...

25/8/07 11:12 AM  
Blogger Cream said...

Christine, make sure your bring the kids. They'll love it!

25/8/07 11:25 AM  
Blogger Cream said...

Muchas gracias, Anciano! Pasaré sus deseos a mi padre.

Mélanie je te remercie pour the souhaits en arabe.
100% Correct.

Akela, Thank you very much!
Yes, Alhambra is beautiful even in the February rain.

25/8/07 11:32 AM  
Blogger zoe said...

happy birthday to your papa!

i think you had better start ordering some new business cards including all your many titles etc etc. at least i'm mixing with the right sort of blogger here.

can we still call you 'cream' though ?

25/8/07 2:59 PM  
Blogger Cream said...

Thanks, Zoe.

You could always call me...Suntan Cream!

25/8/07 4:49 PM  
Blogger Merisi said...

Happy birthday to your dad, Cream!
Tell him that I said you are one incredibly lucky guy not only for having had him around all those years, but slowly getting to know his hidden sides. :-)

25/8/07 7:11 PM  
Blogger valerie walsh said...

I think you will fit in quite nicely! This place could fit all of your blog friends and your family and then some... I'm sure this new show will come here because all of your tv shows become our tv shows. An interesting aside one of the neices of the deposed Shah of Iran can here to Los Angeles when all of that was going down and she married an artist in Topanga and lives here today. There's royalty among us and now you are one too!!!

25/8/07 8:02 PM  
Blogger Lucy P said...

happy birthday to papa! and I'm going to find that I'm related to you and papa and the grand sultan of granada, somehow, somewhere... I'm determined.
I found an eighth of me that is russian yesterday that I didn't know about. which was nice.

26/8/07 12:55 PM  
Blogger la bellina mammina said...

Happy birthday to your PAPA!
Hmmm, I have a royal blogging friend?? How honored I am! Don't forget me on your invite list!;-)

26/8/07 2:32 PM  
Blogger Daphne Wayne-Bough said...

That makes your cousin's riad in Marrakesh look like the garden shed, your Royal Creaminess. Belated greetings to Vava, did you buy him a computer for his birthday?

28/8/07 10:04 AM  
Blogger Cream said...

Thanks, Merisi.
He comes up with something new everytime I phone him.

Wow, Val! Mingling with royalty!
Yes, it is a good show and sometimes the featured celebrities discover amazing facts about their families...

Welcome Lucy P. You never know, we might be distant cousins.
What eighth of you is Russian?

28/8/07 10:35 AM  
Blogger Cream said...

Thanks Bella.
You will be on the top table.

Hahaha, Daphnée! A computer for Papa! I don't think he'd be impressed. He's just started fathoming out rechargeable shavers.

28/8/07 10:38 AM  
Blogger Romeo Morningwood said...

Your Highness please allow me the honor of being your ambassador to the Americas...and let me have an Embassy in New York, Vegas, and LA.
Hmm, should we invite Salma to the grand openings...why not!
We'll call it Rockin' the Casbah!

29/8/07 5:25 AM  
Blogger Cream said...

Yes, HE, Salma should be at the great opening.
And then invited to become part of the harem.

29/8/07 9:34 AM  

Post a Comment

<< Home