A good test of your fluency in French is a trip to the local McDonalds anywhere in France (and I mean anywhere, unfortunately, these days). The French have adopted many Anglo-Saxon words into their own language, much to the disgust of the Académie Française. However the pronunciation is another matter – neither Anglo, nor American, nor indeed French. McNuggets anyone? “nerGET” seems to be the consensus amongst ‘MacDo’ staff – anything else and a blank look of incomprehension comes your way. Oo ees zis eediot oo cannert speek ze ingleesh? Deed ee nert ger to zee skoole? Hopefully I have the kids with me if a trip through the McDrive is absolutely unavoidable. They are then persuaded to shout their orders across the car while I sit there smiling inanely. Complicated ice cream orders I absolutely draw the line at. Macfleureee with odd unpronounceable flavours? Forget it. If you want one, order it yourself. My limit is the Beeeg Mac. I seem to able to get the message across with that one. Un MacChickERN? At a pinch. A Royal Cheese avec Deluxe Potatoes? Forget it.
The Thais have their own word for it. But they’ve used their brains, unlike the French, and have numbered menus with pretty pictures and the name of the dish in both languages. Number 4 please. Yes sir, one minute sir!
Of course the answer is to stick to real food wherever you travel. Then neither language nor digestion problems need arise.
A pic, kindly provided by Carol of the Chiang Mai Photographic Group triggered this train of thought...
McDonalds, Khaosan Road, BangkokLove the way fast food around the world is sometimes adapted to the local taste buds. In Thailand at least they refrain from adding half a dozen chili peppers to a McDonalds salad. Much against their better judgment, no doubt…
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