The good life

May 31, 2009 23:43

I may not know much French, but I think I am now fluent in the phrases one needs for an interaction with a clerk at a tea shop, chocolate shop, and bakery. (Really, what else does one need?)

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Comments 5

oxeador June 1 2009, 02:14:39 UTC
Are you in France now? Visit a bakery and get a "croissant aux amandes". They have nothing to do with anything you have known by the same name before.

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arrowedumbrella June 1 2009, 05:48:22 UTC
I can imagine! I don't think I will ever think of croissants and brioches the same way again. Being in Paris has been a transformative experience.

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secret_panda June 1 2009, 02:40:57 UTC
Je ne suis pas d’accord avec oxeador - je préfère les pains au chocolat. Si j’étais en France, j’aurais aussi besoin de la phrase « quelle sorte de oiseau/fleur/arbre est-ce ? », mais pour la nourriture, oui, thé, chocolat, et pain/pâtisseries suffisent, si on n'aime pas des fromages.

(With apologies to those who cannot read French, as well as apologies to those who can - likely I mangled multiple grammatical structures.)

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secret_panda June 1 2009, 16:00:12 UTC
When I was in France, I drove my host-sister nuts trying to get her to identify the birds for me. I came prepared - a copy of The Birds of Europe, in (British) English, and a copy of The Birds of North America, in (Quebecois) French - but alas, it was no use. (In fairness, when she was in the US she drove me nuts asking about the English words for various trees - she was a huge fan of the word for "arbuste," for obvious reasons.)

But, I mean, in general, it is quite useful to be able to inquire about the natural world around you, once you're done discussing the pastries and the tea. It's a nonthreatening but amusing conversation starter and uses simple vocabulary.

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ultrawaffle June 1 2009, 18:43:33 UTC
What about those that don't speak French but could read that?

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