Is saying Bon Appétit before a good meal really that bad? Of course, I don't speak French, much less live in France, but this writer was roundly criticized by his French wife for saying Bon appétit before dinner.
I don't say it, either, but we've been in French restaurants where the waiters, who are clearly French, have used the term before eating. Perhaps they think that since we are Americans, we wouldn't know any better?
Generally, before a meal, I say, 'Through the lips and past the gums. Look out, stomach, for here it comes." It sounds crude in English but in French it exudes a devil-may-care attitude.
I usually say Guten Appetit 'bon appétit', because that is a habit I got into while living in Germany. Sometimes, to mix it up, I used the more Southern German or Austrian expression Mahlzeit 'meal. repast, (literally, meal time)'. I think the author's wife was traumatized by the foodie equivalent of a Miss Thistlebottom in her formative years. Piffle!
How about bon goût Or Italian buon gusto? Those terms make me wonder why in English we don't have "gust" as a word in this sense, but we use "gustatory, "disgust," and such.
K., I'm with the author on this bit about the French saying bon appétit. I've heard them say it and I never saw anybody raise a fuss. I'll ask some native francophones today.
That was great, arnie. I enjoyed some of the words. I then looked up Betjeman's poem:
quote:
How To Get On In Society by John Betjeman Phone for the fish knives, Norman As cook is a little unnerved; You kiddies have crumpled the serviettes And I must have things daintily served.
Are the requisites all in the toilet? The frills round the cutlets can wait Till the girl has replenished the cruets And switched on the logs in the grate.
It's ever so close in the lounge dear, But the vestibule's comfy for tea And Howard is riding on horseback So do come and take some with me
Now here is a fork for your pastries And do use the couch for your feet; I know that I wanted to ask you- Is trifle sufficient for sweet?
Milk and then just as it comes dear? I'm afraid the preserve's full of stones; Beg pardon, I'm soiling the doileys With afternoon tea-cakes and scones.
It was interesting to see that the original linguist who wrote about this (Alan Ross at the University of Birmingham) first published it in a Finnish linguistics journal. I wonder why Finnish. Also, Ross wrote about pronunciation, writing styles, as well as vocabulary. The later focus, however, was all on vocabulary.
I found I use both upper and non-upper class vocabulary. For example, I just hate it when people say "pass on." I always use "die." However, I say "glasses," and not "spectacles." I thought "jam" and "preserves" were different.
It was interesting to see that the original linguist who wrote about this (Alan Ross at the University of Birmingham) first published it in a Finnish linguistics journal. I wonder why Finnish.
The journal Neuphilologische Mitteilungen is an internationally known one. It may be printed in Finland by a Finnish society (i.e., the Modern Language Society, in Finnish, Uusfilologinen yhdistys ry.), but it has been around since 1899 and has articles on German, Romance, English, and other linguistics/philology. If you look at Ross' list of publications )link) he seems to have published in many non-British journals. It may also be that British journals were not interested in his articles or the subject of them.
[Edited for clarity.]This message has been edited. Last edited by: zmježd,
Hm, interesting [said the French teacher]. True, I've never taught the expression, & my French cousins don't use it at the table. I've always thought it equivalent to the New York 'Enjoy', likely to be heard in a diner but not at the Four Seasons, I suppose.This message has been edited. Last edited by: bethree5,
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OTOH, if you are dining at a friend's or acquaintance's house in Japan, I assure you you're likely to say 戴きます (itadakimasu) [an expression of gratitude before meals]. The first character means literally 'to be crowned with,; live under a ruler'.This message has been edited. Last edited by: zmježd,
