Julia Frey's Blog – June 2009 Archive (8)

Amuse-Bouche No. 9: What does un intello do for fun? “Partying With Intellectuals”

Amuse-Bouche No. 9 Partying With Intellectuals

by Julia Frey

What does un intello do for fun?

Every year, Jean-Pierre and Florence (Jumpy and Flo-Flo to intimates) have a fancy pique-nique for their anniversary. And every year it rains.

Jumpy’s whimsical invitation asks guests to bring totally imaginary dishes like terrine de kâ à la tetragone. Quoi? A kâ (kaon), as only a serious Scrabble player would know,… Continue

Added by Julia Frey on June 25, 2009 at 12:21pm — 2 Comments

Amuse-Bouche No. 8: Pardon My French

Amuse-Bouche No. 8: Pardon My French

by Julia Frey

As Anne and Sylvie arrive for dinner, Auguste, recovering from a bad cold, greets them with exquisite politesse: “Pardonnez-moi si je ne vous baise pas, mais j’ai un rhume” (Forgive me if I don’t f**k you, but I have a cold). Quoi? This provokes a generalized fou rire (uncontrollable laughter). Although my Dutch husband speaks French fluently—well enough to teach his university… Continue

Added by Julia Frey on June 20, 2009 at 4:09am — 6 Comments

Amuse-Bouche No. 7 "I Love You, May I Call You Tu?"

Note: My Policy for these posts: if somebody comments on a post, I'll post a new one. No comments, no new posts. Why bore people? But people commented on No. 6, so here's No. 7:

Amuse-Bouche No. 7: "I Love You, May I Call You Tu?"

by Julia Frey

In Survival French, you learn that tu (“you” singular, called the familiar) is used with intimates, and vous (also “you” singular) with people you don’t know well. But whether to tutoyer or… Continue

Added by Julia Frey on June 15, 2009 at 3:23pm — 5 Comments

Amuse-Bouche No. 6: Le Vélib’ -- trying out Paris’s bike rental system.

Amuse-Bouche No. 6: Pourquoi Faire Simple?

by Julia Frey

Taking the Vélib’ for a spin.

Grève générale des métros! It’s the biggest Paris transit strike in 10 years. Perfect time to try out the Vélib’. I’ve never used it before, so I’d better démarrer sur les chapeaux de roue (“take off on the hubcaps,” i.e., at full speed). I go down early.

7H02—There’s already a line. The (almost) free bike rental system inaugurated… Continue

Added by Julia Frey on June 14, 2009 at 10:39am — 9 Comments

Amuse-Bouche No. 5: What’s Litotes? -- Understanding Understatement

Amuse-Bouche No. 5: What’s Litotes?

by Julia Frey

When is an insult not an insult?

Isabelle has invited les copains (pals) to dinner. She brings in the entrée (“appetizer,” not “entree”) hot from the oven, gives each of us a slice, watches to see if we like it. François-Noël swallows his first bite and announces,“Ça se laisse manger” (“It lets itself be eaten”—i.e., it’s edible). Quoi? He’s using une litote (lee… Continue

Added by Julia Frey on June 11, 2009 at 12:28pm — 2 Comments

Amuse-Bouche No. 4: Nissarts and Ch'tis -- Separated by Language

Amuse-Bouche No. 4: Nissarts and Ch'tis -- Separated by Language -

by Julia Frey

The French tend to ridicule all regional accents but their own.

We are exploring PACA (Provence–Alpes du Sud–Côte d’Azur), our new neighborhood, and I discover that les Provençaux speak French so you can understand them! They pronounce all the letters, including some that aren’t in the word. And they’re volubiles. In Vallauris (pronounced valorisse), it’s no use… Continue

Added by Julia Frey on June 8, 2009 at 9:51am — 2 Comments

Amuse Bouche No. 2: What's in a name? (bis): Le Name Dropping

Amuse Bouche No. 2: What's in a name? (bis): Le Name Dropping

by Julia Frey

Even as they dump conventional first names (see Amuse-bouche No. 1), the French remain obsessed with le nom de famille

Camille’s bobo (bourgeois-bohème) parents never got around to getting married. Déclarée (legally recognized) by her father, she bears his surname (not surnom -- which means nickname). But seventeen, and… Continue

Added by Julia Frey on June 6, 2009 at 8:00am — 3 Comments

Amuse-Bouche: Explaining French to Americans -- What's in a Name? Naming your baby in France gets easier and riskier...

I had to ask France Aimée where she got a patriotic name like Beloved France. (What if my parents had named me Beloved United States?) Not patriotism, she said. Her mother is Aimée; her grandmother was named France. Well, I observed, her grandmother was born in 1915. Another friend was named France during the German occupation in 1940. France…