Not one of the burning issues of the day, but something I’ve wondered about on occasion at your fancy restaurants. Why do master chefs wear those tall white hats? Something so silly must have a logical reason for being. –John Rawls, Atlanta
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When you get into these how-did-that-get-started things, John, you realize the formula works like this: silly hat, silly reason; sensible hat, silly reason too. Here’s the story I’ve heard, which sounds so cockeyed you know it’s got to be the truth. Lay scholars who took refuge in seventh-century Byzantine monasteries during persecutions adopted headgear based on that of their clerical hosts. You’ve seen pictures of Greek Orthodox priests with those crowned black hats with the high band, right? Well, that’s what the lay scholars wore, only their version was white, so as not to confuse the faithful.
Why can’t Prince Rainier become a king? You will probably find this question really stupid, but no one can tell me. –L. Cord, New York
The solution then was to close a few tax loopholes. The bigger deal long-term is a 1918 treaty with France: if the Grimaldis don’t produce an heir, Monaco becomes an “autonomous state under the protection of France.” (Probable translation: everybody pays French taxes.) It’s only a guess, but if Rainier suddenly started taking on kingly airs, Monaco might find itself incorporated into its larger neighbor a little sooner than expected.
