Voyage Junkie

Take a good, long look at the name of the cookies/breakfast bars (not sure what they are).  If you can't quite make out the French there, it says "Couque D'asses."  English speakers have an immediate, and understandably juvenile, reaction to this product.  However, if you go into the language, there's a perfectly good explanation.  "Couque" (pronounced more like coouke) means "cake" in Belgian French.  And "D'asses" is most likely referring to Asse, a city in Belgium.  So, while wrong in a few ways, this product is trying to say "Cake of/from Asse." For those of you not convinced, " âne" and "cul" actually mean "ass/butt" in French.  The first word is used in sentences like "He's such a stupid ass," and the latter is used more literally as "butt" or "posterior" and in a lot of sexual instances.  Or at least that's what the online dictionaries tell m...

As promised, here's more French in Japan!  This post  showcases two of the many signs I've seen in this country featuring French as the prominent, and often only, language of choice.  Never mind that most people in this country don't speak one word of French; it's still all over the signs.  I wonder if they don't understand what the signs mean at all, or if there's a basic cultural understanding of the parts that show up in these signs.  The first sign here is the easier of the two, by far.  It's for a beauty salon, which is evident with the word "beauty" if you couldn't tell by "pur" (pure).  "Norika" is the name of the person who owns the salon.  "C'est vous pour  ê tre le plus jolie" literally means something like "it is you for to be the most beautiful."  I think what they want to get across is that it is up to you to be the most beautiful you can be, and if you desire to be the most beautiful ...

Lovely French-inspired desserts, from L-R: egg pudding, strawberry-pistachio meringues, maple bar, hazelnut meringues.  All GF but the maple bar.    I'll definitely post more on French things soon... I'm amassing quite a collection of French signage that needs to be documented.  For now, have fun with this lovely spread of treats we purchased from a French-themed pâtisserie and chocolatier that is down the street from our house.  Everything is incredibly delicious and artfully made.  At the shop you can watch the bakers while you eat fresh croissants and drink coffee, if you like.  It's pretty intense. If you can't read the wrappers, here's what they say. Le Cerisier d'amour, depuis 1976, La pâtisserie que profite de la matiere delicieuse. The Cherry tree of love, since 1976, The pastry that takes advantage of the delicious matter. They probably mean to say, "The pastry that benefits from delicious ingredients."  As for "cherry tree of ...