let's almost mayor gavin newsom and ms. alice waters. [applause] >> after you. all right. the carpet even is soft and cuddling. thank you, all of you and to our great librarian, thank you very much for helping organize this and hosting this and for your kind introduction, and alice, welcome, to what i hope and expect will be very painless. but nonetheless, a very important conversation. before we get started, just logistically, about 15 minutes before our time expires, i would love to take your specific questions, send them down to the end and we'll get as many questions, your specific questions in by the end of the hour, depending, i'll gauge the room to see how uncomfortable the room is looking, thank you and welcome for being here. now the question is, what is a new jersey born, berkeley graduate doing in 1971 opening up a restaurant with no restaurant experience? >> well, that is a good question. [laughter] a really good question. um -- i just wanted to live in a different way. i went to france. when i came back i wanted to eat differently. i wanted to be in the world

nell, her sister, ms. alice, and the many others who inspired this story, our country offers the warmest congratulations and love on this occasion. no doubt for generations to come, there will also be touched and inspired by this timeless story. mavepls, i urge all the members to support h.res. 1525, and i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves the balance of his time. the gentlelady from the district of columbia is recognized. ms. holmes: one further word on this resolution. i commend the gentleman from alabama for coming forward with this resolution a honoring one who is perhaps the most esteemed constituent he or any before him have had in his home state, harper lee's novel teaches us something about the american novel and indeed about fiction throughout humankind. that fiction often tells us what history books cannot convey. this is what harper lee managed to do at a time when writing about her subject was anything but popular. until she had put it on paper. in which