Bonjour,
I hope that you simply and yours are nicely.
I’m simply again house after a superb cruise on the Seine – I’ll share an article about it within the subsequent situation of The Good Life France Journal which shall be out in September. In case you’re not already subscribed – it’s free – you may pop your particulars right here and I’ll ship the journal direct to your inbox! It’s nearly able to publish and I believe you’ll prefer it – it’s a lovely version!
And in a couple of weeks time I’ll head to the Loire Valley the place I’ll be exploring castles, vineyards and historic cities and villages like Sancerre and Bourges – and naturally you might be welcome to include me by way of Instagram!
I learn that 16 August is Nationwide Inform a Joke Day (within the US) and it jogged my memory of a time after I advised Bread Man (who delivered the bread to our village, he’s not manufactured from bread!) an English joke in regards to the French.
“Why do French folks like snails?” I requested him. And in all seriousness he mentioned “as a result of they style good with garlic butter” and laughed. “Nope” I mentioned. “it’s as a result of they don’t like quick meals.” He didn’t chortle.
“That’s not humorous” he mentioned. “Many French folks like quick meals.” Which is definitely true, there are apparently extra McDonalds branches in France than every other nation other than the US.
“What’s humorous” he advised me, “is that I ship bread to a British couple in a village close to right here, and she or he’s known as Jenny and he’s known as Brian. And after I go there, she all the time says, are available and be a part of me and Brian within the kitchen for a espresso!” And he roared with laughter, setting my canines off barking, which sparked off the canine subsequent door and created a sequence response of woofs all through the village.
Now it was my flip to not chortle. ‘Why is that humorous?’ I believed to myself, racking my mind for what I’d missed. Bread Man finally pulled himself collectively, gave a Gallic shrug at my confusion and headed off to ship Madame Bernadette’s baguette as she was waving impatiently from her gate on the backside of our highway.
A little bit of investigation revealed that when French youngsters discovered English in school a couple of years again, they chanted phrases by rote “The place is Brian?” “Brian is within the kitchen.” “The place is Brian’s sister Jenny?” “Jenny is within the toilet.” And French youngsters, who’re additionally taught philosophy in school, puzzled if Brian ever got here out of the kitchen and why Jenny was all the time within the toilet. A well-known French comic made a vastly well-liked stand-up routine in regards to the ”existential query” all French folks relate to: “The place is Brian?” which is now a widely known cultural catchphrase in France!
In case you go to France and get chatting to a French individual they usually realise you’re an English speaker – you might even be requested “the place is Brian?” And if that occurs, the reply is all the time “Brian is within the kitchen” – I assure you, the consequence shall be absolute hilarity.
Bon weekend from humorous France
Bisous
Janine
Editor
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