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Today's phrase: avoir la dalle
: to be hungry
Click here to listen to the following sentence:
J'ai la dalle. J'ai la dalle. Maman, j'ai très très faim…il n'y a rien à manger dans le frigo! -Max
I'm hungry. I'm hungry. Mom, I'm really really hungry….there's nothing to eat in the fridge!
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
by Kristi Espinasse
The eve of French Mothers Day, my son and daughter appeared. I had been making dinner for their father (due home from work at the wine shop in the next hour), when suddenly our omelette-for-two became an occasion to casser la croûte!
As we shared scrambled eggs (my omelettes so often end up this way…) the kidults came up with ideas for Mothers Day morning:
"I'll get up early. We can have coffee together before I leave for work!" Jackie's offer conjured up a cozy garden scene, the two of us curled into chairs drinking café-au-lait, birdsong in the background…. "And we can go to the beach for a swim…."
Not to be outdone, Max offered to take me to lunch, to Bandol, where his sister works. Talk about a perfect Mothers Day plan!
Our kidults, Max and Jackie.
Mothers Day morning, Jean-Marc headed back to Marseilles for his Sunday shift at the cave à vin. Meantime, my daughter overslept…with just enough time to peck me on the cheek, before hurrying out the door….
Max was passed out in his bed after returning home from la boîte de nuit at 5 a.m. I'll let him sleep until 11, I thought, and then we'll head out to the restaurant. It'll be crowded in Bandol, but Max will drop me right in front of the establishment, in true Mothers Day favor!
En attendant, I decided to putter around the garden and enjoy my fête….and that's when I discovered our carport was empty. No cars! Oh, yeah, that's right: I'd forgotten the three of us are now sharing one car (ever since Max sold his, before he began his exchange program in Mexico!)
Oblivious to our stranded situation, Max lavished in his sleep while I began to wonder about lunch–and so did Smokey–my ever-accountable, always ready to celebrate 3rd child.
The restaurants in our area were booked for la Fête des Mères. I decided to décongeler a few hamburgers from the freezer. I began frying some onions…. Adding the viande hâché, and some rice, I let the ingredients cook through while collecting some salad greens from the garden beds (which are literally beds–made up of our son's old bed frame and its sliding drawers!)
I woke my son in time to enjoy lunch out on the porch, beneath the flowering pepper tree. "It's delicious," Max said. I really love the sauce, he added.
"Those are caramelized onions with honey," I pointed out
"But, I have to tell you something, Mom…." Max said, staring into his empty plate. "J'ai la dalle!"
So that is what he had been murmuring all week, "I'm hungry!" Well, I don't feel too sorry for him. There's something called a frigo here in our house, and there's food in there. Donc, sert–toi, mon fils!
FRENCH VOCABULARY
casser la croûte = to break bread together
la boîte de nuit = nightclub
en attendant = in the meantime
décongeler = to thaw, defrost
la viande hâche = hamburger meat
j'ai la dalle = I'm hungry
le frigo = fridge
sert-toi = serve yourself
Mon cadeau pour la fête des mères, from Max (Jackie gave me a beautiful bouquet, on American Mothers Day, a few weeks earlier)
Look at that bracelet! Max is forgiven for not taking me to the restaurant by cab, by bike (seated on the handlebars, wheee!), by piggyback, or by puce (we could've hitchhiked). This reminds me of something my belle-mère would've said, to make us all laugh. Which reminds me, encore, how much we missed Michèle-France on French Mothers Day, and every day.
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Love your dress, anyplace to buy it?
Thank you, Cheri. It belonged to my dear friend, Malou. I think she got it in Florida!
Oh, what a familiar sort of mothers day you recount here, Kristi! And it’s Maman who saves the day, naturally enough!
Our family is a bit peculiar: like my own maman, I withdrew from expecting any recognition once the kids were past their early teens, but I overdid it! For me, every day is mother’s day, but now, when my usually dauntless 41-yr old daughter wants to mark the official event, she delicately asks permission. Or she simply sends a greeting with ‘have a lovely day, Mum!” not mentioning the occasion! My son delivers a silent hug.
Because my own mum actively disliked the sense of compulsory attention, the commercialism, and the social competitiveness of Mother’s Day as marketed here in North America, she asked us to let it go, if we could. After age sixteen, my sister always chose her own birthday on which to honour our mother, and Mum did love that!
My other siblings had their own ways of adoring her, as did I, yet when she reached age 70, we rather bullied her into letting us offer gifts and honours on THE day. She was able to be gracious despite her belief that parenting is not a personal investment deserving gratitude! You clearly have some of the same philosphical buoyancy when plans go awry, Kristi — the depths of maternal love create a strength that really needs no ‘official’ recognition, tho’ it’s fun when it comes!
Bonjour, Kristin,
Vous êtes très jolie mère même si ce n’est pas
possible à voir votre belle sourire à cause de votre grand chapeau! Comme vous, mon “kid adulte” m’avait fait une promesse non réalisée. Néanmoins je me tiens cher sa carte dans quelle il a écrit “Mom, nothing could ever change how much you are loved. You’ll always have an important place in my life and in my heart.”
Our dear Kristi,
Today’s post is just a wonderful and touching celebration of the unending love that Moms have for their precious children(both two and four legged!)
And!Of course including our cherished family members who are no longer with us.
Dear Jackie and Max are precious.They have beauty starting from the inside out(like their sweet Mother!)The devotion you four have for each other wraps itself around our hearts.
Thank you for the inspiration you always give us.
Love
Natalia. Xo
What a delightful story you made with so much love.
Beautiful post as usual, Kristi. I can identify with the story of how you spent Mother’s Day, as well as the comments above. What does it matter the way we spend Mother’s Day as long as we know the love we give our kids is a circle of love.
I was going to say the same as Cheri just said about your dress. I love it. The fabric. Would love to make a similar dress. Oh, well. I’ll just have to look for a similar fabric. it’s lovely! Especially on you! I should be so svelt.
Thanks you for this column. I feel the same mood, and tone you have that I felt on “mother’s” day. To be honest it’s really Our day to celebrate as the ‘kidults’ (love that!) did neither choose to be born or to be born to us, eh? (though they do appreciate what we have done for them for so long, I think?). so I do what I wish and enjoy! And don’t pressure them to do stuff.
Don’t know whether you remember but there is also a “children’s day” here in the US (?). We all ignore that! Father’s day is coming up. and I’m sure that will be a repeat of mother’s day – though it always seems to me that Dad’s get more attention. Why is that?
I wish my mother was still here; but she died when I was young. There is so much I wish I had asked her and so much I want to know now that I never did ask – nor would I have understood if she had wanted to share then. so I have to sift through her papers, letters, and writings and that doesn’t provide enough. You are so fortunate to still have your Mom.
I so appreciate all that you write. Thank you.
Sweet post Kristi! Happy Mother’s Day!
Happy Belated Mother’s Day! Your children are such gifts and they are so lucky to have you as their Mom! Love both photos, of them and of you!
I should have said “ all THREE photos! Smokey is always gorgeously handsome!
I love your positive and loving outlook. Taking what could be little disappointments … and turning them around into a happy day. How I wish I could do that. It’s a gift!
It’s so clear how much you love your family … and how fortunate they are to have you.
Mary Liz
At this tender age of 73, I am learning to draw! It is something that I assured myself that I have no talent for. So, this Mom’s Day, I requested each of my daughters to send me money for my classes; not only did they, but they also sent art supplies with a ” yay for you, Mom”. But, I agree with some of your writers; the commercialism has taken away much of the meaning; so every day is everyone’s day! Merci beaucoup for your stories!
Love your dress fabric.
I’m late with my comment, but I wish you a happy Mother’s Day, Kristi. After all, every day is Mother’s Day for us, non? I admire the love and respect you and your family share. It’s something so special! You continue to inspire me to make the most of any situation, how ever challenging it may be, and to discover something to celebrate every day.
P.S. I love the photo of you in that charming dress. The bracelet is so pretty!
But what is “la dalle”? Is it anything on it’s own? I realize the expression you taught us is slang=ish, but is there a straightforward translationn of “la dalle.”?
Great Dress! Nice words about Mother’s Day & your article is heartwarming.