Saturday, March 16, 2024
Sunday, February 25, 2024
Saturday, February 24, 2024
Sunday, February 11, 2024
Tuesday, December 26, 2023
Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Monday, November 13, 2023
Don't Bouder? A note on the boudin etymology
In recent years Billeaud’s Meat and Grocery has used an ingenious marketing tool: the power of bilingual community slang, to sell the rice and meat sausage we know as boudin.
When I was little we bought boudin behind the counter of gas stations and meat markets. Seeing it prepared fresh at the boucherie was rare for me. Most people lost familiarity with the vocabulary that surrounds the making of it. With English rapidly replacing French (we already about lost gratons for cracklins!), we sometimes absorb only figurative meaning of words. For example I knew a gueppe was a mean woman, and it took me years to learn that it actually meant "wasp". In childhood “to pout” was known as “boo-day” (bouder - to make boudin). When I pouted, my uncles would grab my protruding bottom lip and exclaim, “gimme dat boudin!!” I was insulted by their flagrant disregard of my emotional angst, invasion of personal space and bemused at how they savored the imaginary “boudin” they would thank me for making for them.
Fast forward 30 years and all the kids like me who were mocked, boudin-bottom lips stolen, can now reminisce on these memories when they see The Billeaud’s billboards and t-shirts that exclaim, “Don’t boo-day, eat boudin!”.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank business like Billeaud’s who advertise with our special brand of franglais. It’s heart warming and makes me want to buy their smoked meats. But if you will allow me, may I remind the general public that although boudin does make us happy, that that if one does not “bouder” (literally: to make boudin) then there will be no boudin to be had. Then we’ll all be pouting!
Labels:
Louisiana French
,
writing
,
Writings
Saturday, June 10, 2023
Thursday, January 12, 2023
Monday, December 12, 2022
Sunday, November 6, 2022
Wednesday, November 2, 2022
Wednesday, October 19, 2022
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Sunday, October 2, 2022
Sunday, September 25, 2022
OPELOUSAS ROAD
Opelousas Road
Qui a pendu les cornes de la lune
Sur l'Opelousas Road?
J'suis parti ‘oir un cœur si noir et
Bleu comme l'indigo
Quand la demie lune sourit
C'est dessus la terre de Tate Cove
Et j'suis parti 'oir un un cœur si noir et
Bleu comme l'indigo
We drive that lonesome highway
After we've had a few
And if you can see clearly
The caution light will wink at you
J'rentre dans ma paroisse
Là-bas la lune me semble si croche
Quand la Plaisance est à ma doigt
Quand la Prairie Ronde est à ma gauche
Labels:
Opelousas Road
,
Writings
Monday, September 19, 2022
Friday, September 16, 2022
Monday, February 7, 2022
Friday, April 23, 2021
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)