“Bring me the victor!” – Feydeau

French dramatist, George Feydeau, during the Belle Epoque

Georges Feydeau, French writer of farces, ordered lobster at Maxim’s, one of the most famous Parisian Belle Epoque restaurants and center of French Cyprianism during that period (also, the current home of the Art Nouveau Museum which is in La Belle Otero’s apartments upstairs). When the dish was served, the playwright noticed that the lobster had only one claw. The waiter was summoned and explained that lobsters were very combative and often got into fights in the tank.

“Take this one away,” Feydeau told the waiter, “and bring me the victor!”

This anecdote is a fun example of the Liberty of Privilege:

“Embraced by Beauty
Released of gentle decency
Permitted by Privilege to Liberty
And by Liberty to Privilege
I consent to Life pursued
Unimpeded by what is acceptable” – The Seed