I received an email from a dear friend with whom I have travelled to France on more than one occasion (including last spring). Her French is very good, but she too is a bit timid launching into the language. However having said that, we ALWAYS called upon and counted on Dana whenever we needed something really important (like reservations at a three star restaurant or a famous wine estate). She never let us down.
In her email she asked, “So, how’s your French? Let me put it right out there that without any qualification: My cellar French is exceptional! As those words hardly work elsewhere, what happens outside the cellar? What I have learned more than anything else is a level of confidence that allows me to openly bastardize this beautiful language without much shame. I am over being timid. In fact, recently when asked to repeat my order to a somewhat intoxicated hanger on at a small bar in Béziers I answered in French, “Just for you sir I will repeat myself very slowly. This might help you (gesture here) understand”. My glass of wine and sandwich arrived promptly.
This is my last post from France for this trip. My plane leaves in a couple of hours. A post script from stateside is forthcoming. Á tout á l’heure!
