Il y a longtemps que notre pays est beau mais rude.
--Newspaper editor Olivier Séguret, 25 January 2012
The USA are entirely the creation of the accursed race, the French.
--Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966), writing to Nancy Mitford, 22 May 1957
(filthy, sordid, disgusting)
Etymology: unknown.
Supprimons cette loi qui ne sanctionne aucune connaissance réelle sauf celle de l'entregent et du copinage crapoteux.
--A comment on a story about politicians revealing, or not, their personal wealth
Private sector
Fans of one of France's top soccer teams, Saint-Étienne, on strike (won't cheer)
The Front de Gauche (basically the Commies & their political allies; they're much more mainstream in France) marches on Paris the 5th of May "against finance [sic!] and austerity"
Employees of PSA Peugeot Citroën at Aulnay, just north of Paris, have been on strike on and off for most of this year to protest the closure of the factory in 2014. Now management announces it may close the factory this year, not next year, because it is so unprofitable. Employees want the government to buy it or for all laid-off employees to be guaranteed full-time permanent jobs elsewhere.
Longshoremen in Marseilles
Public sector
Garbage workers in Pau, in the southwest of France, and in Alsace
Firemen in the Loire valley
« Onze septembre, ten years ago | Main | French titles in the DVD store »
Trying to find a common theme here. I think it's just that it's hard to imagine another country's name being used so much to persuade you to buy something. "Creamy German dressing"? "Decaf British roast coffee"? "Country-style Belgian fries" (which would be more authentic)? "Canadian manicure"? A magazine called "Country Dutch"?
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A tourist can be recognized at first glance. It's someone dressed so that, if he were in his own country, he would turn around in the street to stare if he saw himself walk by.
--Philippe Meyer in Portraits acides et autres pensées édifiantes, quoted in Le Bouquin des citations, ed. Claude Gagnière
Un touriste se reconnaît au premier coup d'œil. C'est un individu habillé d'une manière telle que, s'il se trouvait dans son propre pays, il se retournerait dans la rue en se voyant passer.
Keith Eckstein also has a new book review site, Books About France
Ha! I an surprised all of these were not renamed (you know, like "Freedom Fries") back in 2003! Veronique (French Girl in Seattle)
Posted by: Veronique Savoye | 13 September 2011 at 06:59
Just discovered your blog. I find it amusing how they place so many French this and French that on things here in the US. At the Atlanta flea market a few weeks ago, there was a painting, with a label saying “sold.” It was a flower, in black, with a background of La Tour Eiffel, and in a nice script was written “Le Fleur.” Going through so much trouble and not checking whether it is la fleur or le fleur? That happens a lot – at my grandson’s preschool was a panel “La Petite Café” I told them to correct it. But then in Paris I saw so many tee-shirts in English. I tried to find a baby outfit with something written in French – very difficult or almost impossible since everything is in English – only Le Petit Bateau had something in French (it took me 3 days to find that.)
Posted by: Vagabonde | 15 September 2011 at 05:35
I actually did a post a while back on how hard it was to find French-language t-shirts in English. It's still true, unfortunately. Market gap there as most Americans don't want to bring back an English-language Paris souvenir.
http://www.ruerude.com/2006/06/anomalies_of_fr_3.html
Posted by: Sedulia | 15 September 2011 at 20:18
'Way back in 1987, my then-teenage daughters were most disappointed not to be able to find French language t-shirts. They scored better in Hong Kong with tees decorated with weird non-English (one said something like "Let all bicycle new!").
Posted by: chrissoup | 16 September 2011 at 03:21