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Tuesday, September 25, 2012

French Lessons: Des Baguettes

Much like un éclair, I love the double meaning of the word baguette. Not only is it the thin, long loaf of bread beloved in France, but it also is the word used for chopsticks. So next time you're in an Asian restaurant in Paris you can ask, "Avez-vous des baguettes?", but you'll likely be full on rice rather than bread after the meal.

French Lessons is an ongoing series where I teach you French words and cultural lessons while beefing up my Illustrator skills.

6 comments:

  1. MegSeptember 25, 2012 at 5:20 AM

    Cute. I remember learning that one and thinking to myself... how logical!

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  2. Prêt à VoyagerSeptember 25, 2012 at 6:20 AM

    Totally agree, Meg. So logical, but also funny to have a word that kind of bridges a cultural divide.

    A

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  3. RobínSeptember 25, 2012 at 2:13 PM

    Also "être a la baguette" is to be the boss in french while in spanish we also say baguette for the loaf of bread and sometimes "flauta" which is flute in english; if the baguette is magical, then we call it "varita" and if it is the baton of a orchestra conductor we always say "batuta" which is still said baguette in french. But we do say "palillos" if we want to eat with them. So, next time you visit a asiatic restaurant, what will they think ,if you ask for a pair of flutes to eat with ?

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  4. Ulan NewsSeptember 27, 2012 at 3:58 AM

    bread also use chopsticks

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  5. Shiva reiSeptember 27, 2012 at 4:01 AM

    feel comfortable when eating disposable chopsticks

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  6. thefrancoflySeptember 27, 2012 at 12:58 PM

    A little less practical than chopsticks, but don't forget magic wands go by the same name, too.

    (one of the first things I learned as an au pair)

    ReplyDelete

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Happy Travels!

-Anne