N told me a story about last summer, when he was a bellboy in a Paris hotel.
"The hotel was full of Arabs from the Gulf, who didn't speak French, and the bellboys and most of the other employees didn't speak English. I had to translate for this man in long robes who was arguing with a Moroccan-French taxi driver. 'He's an Arab, look at him, why can't he understand me--he should speak Arabic!' he said angrily.
"'He thinks you should speak Arabic,' I said to the taxi driver.
"The taxi driver was disgusted and said, 'I was born in France! Why on earth would I speak Arabic! Ch'uis français, moi!'"
That is a good one! :-)
Posted by: Pat | 08 November 2006 at 14:08