I find I rather enjoy all the various ways in which I am reminded of my presence in France. Of course there are the obvious and cliché occurrences such as flower markets, cobblestone streets, dogs in department stores, floating auras of cigarette smoke...But it is far more amusing to me to witness the more subtle, often unconscious, displays of cultural identity. Take for example my language worksheets, composed of hundreds of grammar practice sentences. Among the other tedious lines insisting on the correct usage of verb tenses, indirect discourse, subject/verb agreement, etc., can be found some comical statements that I doubt exist outside this fine republic. Moreover, I doubt that any average French citizen would even notice their peculiarity as a sentence. Although I've stumbled across many more, I could only find three for tonight:
Ayant trop mangé, il a eu une crise de foie.
Having eaten too much, he had a liver crisis.
(The term crise de foie could merit its own entry, as it seems to me so indefinable. In effect, it is something that attacks French livers after their owners have eaten too many rich foods. After such a "crisis" it is necessary to cut back on wine and chocolate and to tell all of your close friends of the pain you are currently suffering. All that said, I'm not sure if the condition truly exists)
Nous n'avons jamais mis les pieds dans un McDonald.
We have never set foot in a McDonald's.
Je n'ai pas réussi ma mayonnaise. J'en suis désolée.
I was sorry that I did not succeed in my mayonnaise.
(Because as everyone knows, it is an absolute abomination to buy mayonnaise from the store.)
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