Now I'm back to the mundane and banal existence of everyday life.
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label France. Show all posts
June 09, 2007
France
A week ago I was in Paris. Here are some of the highlights of the trip.
Token picture of the Eiffel Tower
Le temps des ceries
Cheese, glorious cheese
Val de Loire
Chateau de Chenonceau
St. Emilion
Sunset over the Atlantic
That's one big dune
Sète
Now I'm back to the mundane and banal existence of everyday life.
Now I'm back to the mundane and banal existence of everyday life.
July 19, 2005
J'ai deux oeufs sur le plat
The LA Times had an article last week about French food idioms. Given how serious the French are about food, it makes perfect sense.
Some serious sorrel (de l'oseille): Plenty of money.
I could eat a parish priest rubbed with garlic (Je pourrais manger un curé frotté d'ail): I could eat a horse.
Oh, mashed potatoes! (Oh purée!): Darn it!
I can eat my soup on your head (Je peux manger ma soupe sur ta tête): I'm a head taller than you.
Zucchini (courgette): Head.
Coffeepot (cafetière): Head.
She's working from her coffeepot (Elle travaille de la cafetière): She's a bit out of it.
Worry about your own onions (Occupe-toi de tes oignons): Mind your own business.
Onions (oignons): Buttocks.
Make fried marlin eyes (Faire des yeux de merlans frits): Make goo-goo eyes.
Your rear end is surrounded by noodles (Tu as le cul bordé de nouilles): You're extremely lucky.
Go ahead, tall unhooker of sausages! (Va donc, grand dépendeur d'andouilles!): Go ahead, you big lug! (The guy who unhooks the andouilles from the ceiling must be very tall and not very smart.)
You're turning my blood into blood sausage (Tu me fais tourner le sang en boudin): You're worrying me.
To have two eggs on the plate (avoir deux oeufs sur le plat): To be flat-chested.
She has the banana (Elle a la banane): She's got a big smile.
That puts the butter in the spinach (Ça met du beurre dans les épinards): That's icing on the cake.
You want the butter and the money of the butter (Tu veux le beurre et l'argent du beurre): You can't have your cake and eat it too.
He's sugaring his strawberries (Il sucre les fraises): He's old and senile, one foot in the grave.
Fall in the apples (tomber dans les pommes): To faint.
To be a cooking oil (être une huile): To be high-ranked, a big cheese.
Land a peach (mettre une pêche): Punch someone in the face.
Ears like cauliflowers (des oreilles en chou-fleur): Big ears.
Make some salads (faire des salades): Tell tales out of school.
A veal (un veau): A sluggish car.
Push on the mushroom (Appuie sur le champignon): Step on the gas.
Make a total cheese (en faire tout un fromage): Make a big deal out of something.
She pedals in the sauerkraut (Elle pédale dans la choucroute): She doesn't understand diddly squat.
A noodle (une nouille): An idiot.
Right in the pear (en pleine poire): Right in the face.
Make the leek (faire le poireau/poireauter): Wait impatiently for someone.
Send the sauce (envoyez la sauce): Make an effort.
He has some brioche (Il a de la brioche): He has a potbelly.
She has the heart of an artichoke, she has an artichoke heart (Elle a le coeur d'artichaut): She's sentimental.
A big asparagus (grande asperge): A tall person.
Spitting in the soup (cracher dans la soupe): Being overly critical or ungrateful.
Send a chestnut (envoyer un marron): Punch someone in the face.
That's turning to vinegar (Ça tourne au vinaigre): The situation's out of hand/going badly.
He's not in his plate (Il n'est pas dans son assiette): He's not himself.
The carrots are cooked (Les carottes sont cuites): It's too late to do anything about it.
The end of the string beans (la fin des haricots): The biggest deal possible, in a catastrophic way.
Some serious sorrel (de l'oseille): Plenty of money.
I could eat a parish priest rubbed with garlic (Je pourrais manger un curé frotté d'ail): I could eat a horse.
Oh, mashed potatoes! (Oh purée!): Darn it!
I can eat my soup on your head (Je peux manger ma soupe sur ta tête): I'm a head taller than you.
Zucchini (courgette): Head.
Coffeepot (cafetière): Head.
She's working from her coffeepot (Elle travaille de la cafetière): She's a bit out of it.
Worry about your own onions (Occupe-toi de tes oignons): Mind your own business.
Onions (oignons): Buttocks.
Make fried marlin eyes (Faire des yeux de merlans frits): Make goo-goo eyes.
Your rear end is surrounded by noodles (Tu as le cul bordé de nouilles): You're extremely lucky.
Go ahead, tall unhooker of sausages! (Va donc, grand dépendeur d'andouilles!): Go ahead, you big lug! (The guy who unhooks the andouilles from the ceiling must be very tall and not very smart.)
You're turning my blood into blood sausage (Tu me fais tourner le sang en boudin): You're worrying me.
To have two eggs on the plate (avoir deux oeufs sur le plat): To be flat-chested.
She has the banana (Elle a la banane): She's got a big smile.
That puts the butter in the spinach (Ça met du beurre dans les épinards): That's icing on the cake.
You want the butter and the money of the butter (Tu veux le beurre et l'argent du beurre): You can't have your cake and eat it too.
He's sugaring his strawberries (Il sucre les fraises): He's old and senile, one foot in the grave.
Fall in the apples (tomber dans les pommes): To faint.
To be a cooking oil (être une huile): To be high-ranked, a big cheese.
Land a peach (mettre une pêche): Punch someone in the face.
Ears like cauliflowers (des oreilles en chou-fleur): Big ears.
Make some salads (faire des salades): Tell tales out of school.
A veal (un veau): A sluggish car.
Push on the mushroom (Appuie sur le champignon): Step on the gas.
Make a total cheese (en faire tout un fromage): Make a big deal out of something.
She pedals in the sauerkraut (Elle pédale dans la choucroute): She doesn't understand diddly squat.
A noodle (une nouille): An idiot.
Right in the pear (en pleine poire): Right in the face.
Make the leek (faire le poireau/poireauter): Wait impatiently for someone.
Send the sauce (envoyez la sauce): Make an effort.
He has some brioche (Il a de la brioche): He has a potbelly.
She has the heart of an artichoke, she has an artichoke heart (Elle a le coeur d'artichaut): She's sentimental.
A big asparagus (grande asperge): A tall person.
Spitting in the soup (cracher dans la soupe): Being overly critical or ungrateful.
Send a chestnut (envoyer un marron): Punch someone in the face.
That's turning to vinegar (Ça tourne au vinaigre): The situation's out of hand/going badly.
He's not in his plate (Il n'est pas dans son assiette): He's not himself.
The carrots are cooked (Les carottes sont cuites): It's too late to do anything about it.
The end of the string beans (la fin des haricots): The biggest deal possible, in a catastrophic way.
July 14, 2005
Bastille Day
I was in France last year on Bastille Day, or as the French call it, le 14 juillet. The French really know how to throw a party. The night before, I went to the bal des pompiers and got back to the hotel at 3am. In the morning, I went to watch the parade down the Champs Elysées. At night, I was picnicking on the Champ de Mars watching the fireworks at the base of the Eiffel Tour.
Vive la France!
Photo courtesy of Happy.
Vive la France!
Photo courtesy of Happy.