Colorful chairs, in Cassis, remind me of diversity—and all the new faces that we'll soon see: harvest volunteers coming from as far away as London and Californie!
fût (fuu) noun, masculine
: keg, barrel, cask
: stock (of rifle), handle (of saw), stem (of candelabrum)
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Jean-Marc a fait livrer des fûts de bière. Jean-Marc had kegs of beer delivered.
A Day in a French Life… by Kristin Espinasse
I stare, suspiciously, as another piece of equipment is delivered to this farm. I have my doubts, as I did when the sea cargo containers arrived… after all, this is a vine-yard and not a ship-yard!
And while we are minding misnomers, let's get one more thing clear: what we do here is wine—not beer!
I study the installation: this time no heavy cables, cranks, or cranes are needed to transfer the units from the truck's flatbed to the ground—only three sets of arms… and three beer bellies!
Beer on tap! Chief Grape has just had two kegs delivered! Just a little extra motivation for our volunteer harvesters, who will soon be braving the heat and all the hard work! Judging from last year's harvest, beer is the unanimously popular refresher.
Coffee anyone? Only one whisker-faced taker.
But why beer? And why not chilled wine? you ask (Don't ask!). I quit asking months ago, but that doesn't stop me from doubting:
"I do not think this is a very good idea…" I comment, sharing my doubts about unlimited draught. "After lunch, the harvesters are going to zigzag back to the grape field!" And what will this amount to vis-à-vis grape yield???
I ask Thierry (pictured above) the delivery man from Brasserie Alphand, just how many liters are there in those fûts?
"Cinquante de blonde et trente d'ambrée."
"Quatre-vingt litres!"
(Jean-Marc points out that there are two kegs of bière blonde…)
I do the arithmetic: one hundred and thirty liters of beer divided by 14 days of harvest, divided by 12 harvesters….
What with the bad boys and their toys… looks like we're in for a rock-n-roll vendange this year!
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Smokey says Beer! The bees won't be the only ones buzzin' round here.
Smokey would like to share this French saying, sent in by his dear friend Carol, in Belgium:
La bière après le vin c'est du venin mais le vin après la bière c'est super!
(Beer after wine is like venom but wine after beer is super!)
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Maybe I need to come help, too 🙂
I’d like to come and help Jean-Marc as well instead of sitting here in the office in rainy Copenhagen. The more, the merrier!
Oh my. That coffee looks very good. I will have a cup (glass) please. Is Smokey eyeing the coffee or the cookies? I am with you Kristin. I have my doubts about a keg party and picking grapes in the heat of the afternoon in Provence. But who am I to challenge the wisdom of the Chief Grape? I will also take you up on the glass of chilled wine.
Happy, fruitful harvest to you all. I can picture the little trucks brimming with grapes as they wind their way around the roads. We on the drinking end appreciate all of your hard labor. See you soon.
Margaret in Durham where the mornings are finally cool and refreshing!
Kristin-
From what I can see not a ‘bier’ belly in sight……..
I’m also shocked at all the English used in that menu posted above your colorful chairs!
FAST FOOD
SPECIAL
MIXED GRILL ORIENTAL
At least it doesn’t say “EAT HERE OR TO GO”!
Please tell me where Cassis is on the map.
Is it close to the USA? Or does it get a lot of American tourists? Where does all that English come from?
The French Language Purist Society is gonna have a heart attack! Not because of cholesteral laden food served there but rather all that ENGLISH!
Ah, with the heavy rain and dark skies we’re facing in St. Louis this weekend, even a few days of backbreaking labor in your fields seems like a relief. Some year I’ll schedule my trips to France to coincide with your harvest. Bonne chance pour les vendanges!
Je ne bois pas d’alcool. Cependant, je bois du vin.
Strange to think they can drink that much and still work! We are all learning different customs all the time. It’s cool on Cape Cod. Time for hot coffee and a sweatshirt! Bonne chance for the harvest!
Sadly, this is one post I cannot share with my students today!
I love the chair metaphor! I think I’ll use that concept when I talk to schools about my multiracial family and why we love what we bring to the table. 🙂
Ah, Cassis, one of my favorite spots in all of France. To answer Roseann, the English would be, not for American tourists, but more likely for the Brits who love the south of France. As far as the beer – I shall pray for all of you! 🙂
It’s about 26 fluid oz per person. A bottle of beer holds 12 fluid oz., so it’s the equivalent of drinking a couple of beers over the course of a day. Your harvesters will burn it off and sweat it off with all that hard work in the fields!
love the t-shirt on Chief Grape. Sherry
Looks like Smokey’s cheek is much better. Good luck with the beer. Have a great harvest.
after packing and unpacking several times for possible evacuation due to very active forest fire near Boulder, i need a vacation. rather than picking grapes and drinking beer, i think i need to sit in those chairs in Cassis and have a pastis. things are looking good this morning but there may be nasty winds this afternoon. it would be great if Julie could send some of the St Louis rain out west to us. i did stick in a few bottles of Mistral when we packed the car for possible evac! Tim wants me to ship my entire cellar to Boston for safe-keeping until the fire calms down
Hi Kristin,
I didn’t know the “fût” could also mean the handle of a saw. It is the handle of a plane (the tool to plane wood), so, why not the handle of a saw too?
The word “fût” has several meanings. I feel like adding one regarding trees:
-> “le fût d’un arbre” = ‘the trunk of a tree’, from the base to the first branches
-> “une fûtaie” = a forest / a group / a plantation of ‘tall trees’
Now, just thinking about the sound “u” in “un fût” (French “u” can be a problem and lead to misunderstandings!)
-> Anyone having difficulties with the French “u” in “un fût” (de bière, de vin …) might as well use the word “tonneau” instead (same meaning but easier to say → TO-NO) … otherwise … un fût de bière” might sound just like “un FOU de bière” = someone mad about beer!
After all,
if Julie Schorr is “à l’affût de” some useful French for her students, she might share with them the various meanings of “fût” – and the tip given above, plus the little extra below:
–> “être à l’affût de” = to be on the lookout
–> “fut” and “fût”
-> “il/elle/on fut”: passé simple / past historic of verb “être”
-> “qu’il/qu’elle/qu’on fût”: imparfait du subjonctif / imperfect subjunctive of verb “être”.
Obviously too much beer has ben had, the guys are ignoring the
beautifully set coffee tray AND the beautifully set woman .
Ken Boyd
napa valley
Is the t on fut ever pronounced (like the t in but)?
When my husband is helping someone with no mechanical sense how to do a project, he has been known to say, “This is going to make more beer than I thought!)
Bon weekend a tous! Joan L.