Jean-Marc and Fred preparing sea urchins "on the half shell". In books: French Women For All Seasons by Mireille Guiliano is a charming and practical guide to adding some joie to your vie and to your table… apporter (a pohr tay) verb to bring; to supply or provide Le soir de la vie apporte avec soi sa lampe.The evening of life brings with it its … Continue reading apporter
Ever been a bit sot at the zinc bar? I have. (photo: Bar de la Marine/Marseilles) sot, sotte (so, sot) adjective foolish, silly, stupid There is also the noun "sot" (and "sotte"), which means "fool" or "idiot," and the adverb "sottement" (foolishly, stupidly) — and have you ever seen the French word "sot-l'y-laisse"? While you think about that one, I'll have typed the definition at … Continue reading sot
Une façon de décorer sa fenêtre /one way to decorate one's window. la façon (fa-sahn) noun, feminine 1. way, manner La façon la plus rapide de mettre fin à une guerre est de la perdre.The quickest way to end a war is to lose it. –George Orwell * … Continue reading façon
My son, Max, collecting figs from our figuier. Photo: Chris White Mes Confitures: The Jams and Jellies of Christine Ferber. "This book, a best seller in France, presents dozens of recipes, organized by season, for preserves from Black Cherry with Pinot Noir to Greengage and Mirabelle Plum with Mint; a number of them includes chocolate, not a standard addition."–Library Journal. Order … Continue reading confiture
In books: From Here,You Can’t See Paris, by Michael S. Sanders. la mémère (may-mer) n.f. granny, grandma Like “fifille,” “mémère” is a somewhat old-fashioned and informal word, used as a term of affection–“old dear”–when not uttered in a teasing way: “That hat makes you look like une mémère!”) Photo: A former mémère hangout in our village. In Quebec, “mémère” refers to a chatty, indiscrete person … Continue reading mémère
Buckling up those wine barrels in Châteauneuf-du-Pape Ceinture de sécurité(sen-tewr) noun, feminine seat belt Go back in time with me now, if you will, to the historic town of St. Maximin, where visitors from all over the world come to see the purported relics of Mary Magdalene (behind a thick glass encasement in the town's basilica). The year is 1998 and the tree-lined parking … Continue reading Seatbelt in French
Something useful to do during the dry season… Sécheresse (sesh-ress) noun, feminine drought If you were to sneak over to our backyard fence, part its curtain of faded jasmine, and look past a ditch full of wild fennel grown as tall as our older child, you'd spy our next-door voisin showering beneath the fiery heavens at daybreak, scrub-a-dub-dubbing right in the middle of his potager! … Continue reading Secheresse: Why My Neighbor Showers in The Backyard With The Tomatoes
Be warned: "chiens bavards," or chatty dogs, at this neighbor's address. "The Boss Dog" by M. F. K. Fisher, where the adventures of a proud if scruffy mongrel, the Boss Dog, serve as a pretext for an informal, fictionalized portrait of the southern French city and its denizens. Order it here. TODAY'S WORD: braise (brez) noun, feminine 1. ember 2. cash, dough, bread Ce … Continue reading Braise and The Initial-based French Rule for Dog Names
Photo: My 8-year-old and her new chiot. Chiot(she-oh) noun, masculine puppy I once knew a French woman who, every time her husband asked, "Chérie, where are my keys?" (or sunglasses or clopes or…) would answer deviously, "Dans les chiottes!" Chiottes? My mind conjured up the image of a toilet. I imagined the poor husband's … Continue reading chiot
Our son, Max, collecting mussels on the Island of Groix (Brittany). "The Oysters of Locmariaquer," by Eleanor Clark, is a vivid account of the cultivation of Belon oysters and an excursion into the myths, legends, and rich, vibrant history of Brittany and its extraordinary people. Order it here. la moule (mool) noun, feminine 1. mussel 2. a lethargic, clumsy person; an imbecile The masculine of … Continue reading moule
