There was just one eensy-weensy–tout rikiki–detail that would prevent a documentary film crew from interviewing an American about her French vineyard life: we no longer live on a vineyard. This logistical pépin was quickly patched up (filming will take place elsewhere…) only for another oops-a-daisy to arise: "Parlons-en," the journalist began, "de vin."
Normally, at this point, I would've thrust my trusty side-kick, Chief Grape, in front of me, but the story, part of a bigger compilation to air on France's Canal+, is from an American's vie-en-rosé perspective….
Just when it seemed this interview had bitten the dust (I admitted to the production team that months before my husband began shopping around for a vineyard, I quit drinking…)–so just when I was waiting on a "thanks but no thanks" email response from the interviewer, she came back with"ça ira!"
So now here I sit, at my kitchen table, practicing being filmed working at my ordinateur while blogging (that part, so feared when the interviewer suggested it, will be fastoche compared to talking about wine, comme si de rien n'était! As if there weren't a giant white elephant in the room, slurping on a mug of rosé)….
Wish me Merde! (That's "good luck" in French.) I'm going to need it. That or a giant mug of rosé. Oh gosh no. That's the last thing I need!
FRENCH VOCABULARY
tout rikiki = eensy weensy
un pépin = snag
parlons-en = talk about
le vin = wine
vie en rosé (a play on vie en rose) = life in rosé, life's view from behind rose-colored glasses
ça ira = that'll work
un ordinateur = computer
fastoche = easy peasy
comme si de rien n'était = as if nothing were amiss
merde! = good luck!
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Hi Kristi,
Bonne chance et mille fois merde aussi! 🙂
When my daughter, Jackie – now 25, started dance 22 years ago we quickly learned to say “merde” before going on stage. After all you don’t want to tell a dancer to “break a leg”! I as a French teacher was completely unaware, and now as a the grandmother of another dancer I have learned that is not just a dancers’ good luck! Merci bien!
Bonjour Kristin! I’m a friend of Kathy Denis and I just moved to France a month ago. I live in Le Dramont Saint Raphael. I follow your column. I’d love to meet you someday; it would be nice to have some English speaking friends! If you want to know more about me you can look at my blog sixtyisthenewsassy.com. Thanks!
Carla Wakefield
At school in England in the 1950s, I was taught that “merde” was a word that I should never use in public. In fact, I was told to forget that I had ever heard it!
Nice to meet you, Carla! I enjoyed my visit to your blog and look forward to meeting in person.
It does say on your website, over to the right, that you live in a vineyard. You might want to correct that. Sandy
Thanks, Sandy, for catching that! I need to update this…and the photo (fromn1992) too 😂😂.