Amusing, sometimes useful, France

When you move country, there are many things (often small things) that are different. At times it can be annoying, like typing ">" instread of "." because the French keyboard has swapped these and right now I am using an English one...

But then there are the things that amuse. Like today, when I went out to catch a supermarket still open (no 24hr shopping here) so that tonight's dish had its missing ingredients. I needed 2 avocados. So great, there was a large stand of unpackaged avocados just inside the door.  "Promo" (special offer) it said, but for the promo you have to buy 3. Still 3 are only E1.49 (no euro sign on this English keyboard) so I looked to see if I could buy individuals. At the bottom of the sign it said "50cents each". Well the mathematicians among you can work out the special discount on 3 avocados! I bought 2!

Earlier today I needed to call my bank. It is the one far away that is now dormant and which I had set up to be charge free (or so I thought). I rang the number provided during office hours (no 24hr banking here either). A computer greeted me. Now its bad enough in English trying to get through the computer menus to get what you want. In France you have to know the right French phrase and understand all the options you don't want to help you select the one you do. And the computer speaks fast fluent French and wont be told otherwise. I took a deep breath.

But then it said "all you need to do is say what you want". Stunned I mumbled something. The computer ignored me and repeated the instruction adding "to consult you account, for example, just say 'je peux consulte mon compte'". I thought "what do I want?" and said "je veux parle avec quelle qu'un" (I want to speak to someone). "Ok" it said, and put me through! Brilliant! Nerve racking for us foreigners, but brilliant just the same! (And the lady who resulted, without a long wait, and no premium number, was great too. Slow and clear, patient and helpful).

But I still ended up closing the account. (You can bank for free, but then internet banking is not free- no good to me!)

For a third thing, just to complete a triplet, the French love English fruitcake. June made a quickie "boil and bake" one and took it along to her French lesson. It (the cake) wasn't a particularly good one, she told me (I have yet to find out for myself), but the French friend and her mother loved it! So June is down to make another "posh" one sometime soon. Incidentally the French margarine is quite different too, and makes lovely flaky pastry (whether you want flaky or not). Heaven knows what the difference is? We just keep on learning.....

--

Terry

Photos: photo.westobyweb.com

A ps.
I stopped and issued this blog earlier because a wonderful chicken and avocado bake turned up- all piping hot. And then I sampled the fruit cake. If it was not the best, yet there wasn't much that came back from June's visit!