About Us
My grandfather ate duck every April 30th until the day he died.
All because of a Russian soldier named Boris: a man he befriended through a fence in 1945.
My French grandfather spent most of World War Two as a prisoner of war in various camps in Germany. In the last camp, the French section bordered the Russian section. Through the fence, he befriended Boris over a shared love of Esperanto. They had almost nothing, so they traded what they could: my grandfather gave fish he caught to Boris. Boris made him a cigarette box with inlaid straw that my family still treasures today.
When the camp was liberated on April 30th, 1945, the prisoners scattered to find food. My grandfather could not go because he was bedridden with tuberculosis.
Boris came back. With a cooked duck.
My grandfather was so moved by his gesture that he ate duck every April 30th until the day that he died, in memory of a man he had met through a fence, and never saw again.
My children never got to meet my wonderful grandfather because he passed away before they were born.
But they do know the story of Boris and the duck. We still carry on the tradition today by eating duck every 30th of April.
This story is part of their identity: they understand the importance of kindness and loyalty to friends and strangers, especially when it is the darkest.
I created The Golden Thread to help families transmit character, values and identity across generations, by uncovering and sharing similar stories.
Not dramatic war stories necessarily; they can be the small, formative ones. The ones your grandmother never told because the right questions were never asked. Most of the time, we only scratch the surface:
How was school?
Are you getting those good grades?”.
Try asking instead:
How did your bedroom look and smell when you were 10 years old?
Tell me about a trip you took that changed how you see the world.
What is a truth you used to believe firmly that you no longer believe at all?
These questions don’t normally get asked at dinner but they help unlock the memories and let the stories flow. The real deal.
Your family probably has a Boris. The question is whether you’ll hear his story before it gets lost.
— Laurent, Founder
New York