Harvesters' Hands: Jacqui (left) and Denise (right). More, in today's story column written by Denise.
main (mahn [silent "n"]) noun, feminine
: hand
My dictionary has one full page of definitions and expressions for the French word "main"… I will need your help, today, in listing those "main" (hand) terms and idioms that you know. How about if I start… and you continue the list? Here goes:
un coup de main = a helping hand
…Your turn to add a definition or expression via the comments box. Merci!
Audio File & Example Sentence: Download Wav or Download MP3
I will need a helping hand for finding French expressions.
A Day in a French Life…
by Kristin Espinasse
Sun-shiny faces greeted me this early morning as I headed out to my car, to take the kids to school.
"How's everybody doing?" I asked our volunteer harvesters, who were walking up the dirt driveway, sack lunches in their hands, beat-up shoes on their feet (I guess they'll have to toss their tennies when they return home). These, our American harvesters, were on their way to the kitchen, to put their food into the refrigerator before returning to the cellar to take orders from my husband, Chef Grape.
"Everything going okay?" I prodded.
"Très bien," they assured me and, unconvinced, I searched their faces for truth or fiction.
The women, who had arrived over a week ago, mascara and lip gloss intact, were now wearing nature's glow, solo, on their bare faces, which I try tirelessly to read (Are they really doing okay? Do they want to abandon the grape ship… and swim to St. Rémy, to shop, instead of clip? Will they ever come back to see us again after working 8-hour days in the fields, amid mud, beneath the wet sky, racing against lighting's specter on high?).
One person's treasure… is another's tribulation
I realized this morning that, just as I am guilty of judging people, I am also coupable of judging people's experiences. In either case, I often get it all wrong.
Read about the transcending experience of one of our harvesters who, having pushed her digits to the limit, has a newfound respect for the humble hand, forget intellect. Professor Denise is back to share another installment of her grape experience.
M E S M A I N S
by Denise Lavoie
While weather conditions have certainly dominated conversation among both harvest workers and vigneron (can anyone say scorching heat or torrential downpours?), I have been preoccupied with more immediate matters — namely, my hands.
In my routine life back in the States, I don't give my hands much thought. They lead, if truth be told, a relatively sheltered existence. From plenty of warm water and soap, to hand cream and the occasional manicure, my hands want for nothing — and it shows. They lack callouses or any other marks that might indicate manual labor; in fact, they deal mostly with information processing and dissemination, in one form or another. They are classic, urban, 21st century hands.
Enter, then, the Provençal harvest. My hands have, literally, taken a beating. They are dry, grape-stained, cut, blistered — they are no longer sheltered. Just as grapes seek the canopy of leaves, my hands are searching for shelter and renewal.
Yet, I am proud of my hands. No matter their outward appearance, they are withstanding this agricultural test. And, just like the grapes they are harvesting, my hands have dug deep and found an energy source they didn't know existed.
My hands — as well as the rest of me — are in the meaty middle of harvest.
***
Denise Lavoie, an American with Quebeçois roots, drinks wine and studies it via a small wine technology program in the Pacific Northwest. She also instructs at the college level. This is her first time visiting France. She met the Espinasses via an introduction from Robert Camuto, after reading his book Corkscrewed.
She can be reached at deniseworld@juno.com — or leave her a note in the comments box.
Note (correction): In Denise's last article I mistook the word "mark" ("indelible mark") for "mask". If you missed that story, please take a minute to read it here.
Puppy Update
The Three Musketeers: They're fierce and mighty… especially with the help of Mother's milk!
Shop for books and more at Amazon and help support this free French word journal:
Vis-à-vis: Beginning French
Horizons French text book (with Audio CD)
English Grammar for Students of French: The Study Guide for Those Learning French
Clean Provence. Eau De Parfum Spray
Sweatshirt "Provence-Alpes-Cote D'azur"
Sea Salt by La Baleine — a classic on every French table
Discover more from French Word-A-Day
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
How about “la main d’un homme”
Or is that something we made up? I’m really not sure!
p.s. J’ai voulu chercher la phrase “avoir la main verte”, mais je n’ai pas de dictionnaire sous la main. : )
When les vendanges are completed you will have “mis la dernière main à l’ouvrage”.
Oops … thought I had posted something earlier, thus the p.s. My main thought was that I love to give and receive gifts that are fait à la main. My mom and grandmother were excellent gardeners, and I always admired their ‘green thumbs’. I was told the French equivalent would be avoir la main verte.
– Ils peuvent se donner la main! –> They’re as bad as each other!
– les mains en l’air!, haut les mains! –> Hands up!
– Se faire la main –> To practise
– Perdre la main –> To lose one’s touch
– Elle m’a refusé sa main –> She refused my offer of marriage!
– Petite main –> Apprentice
– Fait à la main–> Hand-made
“Yet, I am proud of my hands. No matter their outward appearance, they are withstanding this agricultural test. And, just like the grapes they are harvesting, my hands have dug deep and found an energy source they didn’t know existed.”
Denise, mercis for sharing your thoughts and your hands with us today. My hands get “beat up” all the time both indoors and out, but at the end of it all, I will be glad to know they have been used up and worn out, attesting to getting down and dirty with whatever…gardening, painting, building or maybe tearing down–whatever activity that allows self-expression with our hands. A gift.
Good luck to you and your fellow harvesters as the days continue. Worn hands and warm memories, n’est-ce pas? I slather olive oil on my hands all the time. Really works for me.
Good morning Kristin,
You are right that one man’s treasure might be another’s tribulation or vice versa. I would trade my day for a day of harvest even though I am not sure how many days in a row I would last. : )
I am not good with expressions so nothing at all comes to my mind right now. : (
And Denise, you have lovely hands, grape stained and scratchy and all. It looks like you were trying to make grape jam! Enjoy the harvest days chez Espinasses!
Have a great day or evening!
xo
To Noon Qaaf: Vos expressions idiomatiques ( sur le mot “main”) sont formidables! Merci beaucoup.
la main dans la main – holding hands
le sac à main – handbag
se serrer la main – to shake hands
à portée de main – within easy reach
faire signe de la main – to wave hello
Thanks so much for the kind words Pat – yes, warm memories indeed! I am already trying to avoid the last day here. (NB: I, too, paint; it’s definitely a creativity thing with me.)
I have also loved everyone’s “main” idiomatic expressions – I have learned some new phrases, and you have added to my French vocabulary – merci!
And Mona, thanks also for the kind words; however, things are definitely going downhill with my hands. 🙂
C’est la vie!
Dear Noon and friends: thanks for the great expressions!
Chère Denise: thanks again for your stories and for the help with the photos 🙂
Nice writing, Denise!
I am very surprised that grape harvesters do not wear gloves!
I agree – gloves are the way to go. For years I never wore them for any task, because they made my hands hot and/or sweaty. But then I started getting little cracks on my fingers, which are medically not serious, but very painful, to the point they discourage me from doing things with my hands. So I wear rubber gloves for dishes and certain household tasks, and a variety of other gloves for outdoor work. I have nearly-waterproof ones for digging in wet soil, and very thick leather ones for pulling up plants with thorns. I recommend that everyone wear gloves for grape-picking, which appears to be much harder on the hands that I thought.
Hi Denise,
I love your post on “hands”…what a great idea for stories of the harvest. I send you all of my prayers and support for I know it will take you another month to realize all of the benifits of BOOTCAMP. One thing I know for sure you are learning about strengths you never dreamed you possessed. The reason I know your story was great was that I was still thinking about it this morning when I woke up…and I remembered the French word. You are a great teacher.
XOXO
JULES
I just have one question: Did Jacqui’s nails look that good after she was done harvesting?
Jules! Your presence is felt here at the harvest. Thanks for your message I am positive it will take some time to fully process what is definitely bootcamp. 🙂
P.S. – the paintings are lovely. You have a way with color.
Finally, Eileen, I will leave it to Jacqui to answer that question; however, we have all been impressed!
To Eileen,
Other than grape juice stains under the nails and around my cuticles the nails still look pretty much the same, I do have a few band-aids though from getting too close with the secateurs! BTW, that picture was taken almost a week after we started harvesting.