Les bons plans de Whathello
Jul 30th, 2016, 01:50 PM
#61
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Yes, of course I do. German was part of our package at school/collega. As were French, English and Spanish.
Ik spreek Nederlands.
Je parle français.
Ich spreche Deutsch.
I speak English.
Hablo español.
Ik spreek Nederlands.
Je parle français.
Ich spreche Deutsch.
I speak English.
Hablo español.
Jul 30th, 2016, 02:01 PM
#62
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When I asked about the lack of French speakers in Flandres years ago they told me only older people may speak French as it was in their youth the language of school-any truth to that?
If so when did Flemish become the school language?
They say the only real Belgian is the king - the rest Walloons or Flems?
I always picked up - after many many bike trips through the Flemish part - that Flems felt superior to French-speakers now - because once French was preeminent and the French dominated the country - now the most prosperous part of Belgium by far is I believe the Flemish speaking part?
Any of this really true.
Belgium- so small and so divided amazes me.
If so when did Flemish become the school language?
They say the only real Belgian is the king - the rest Walloons or Flems?
I always picked up - after many many bike trips through the Flemish part - that Flems felt superior to French-speakers now - because once French was preeminent and the French dominated the country - now the most prosperous part of Belgium by far is I believe the Flemish speaking part?
Any of this really true.
Belgium- so small and so divided amazes me.
Jul 30th, 2016, 02:31 PM
#63
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That may be true for people who lived in the city or who went to school in the city. My MIL and FIL spoke French pretty well. They were city people. My dad spoke some French because he went to boarding school in Malines (nowadays Mechelen) where French was the main language in the mid 30's. My mom didn't speak any French at all. She went to school in her village until she was 14, then had to work on her parents' farm.
>
I don't think the Flemish feel superior to the Walloons, although Flanders is the most prosperous part of Belgium nowadays.
>
Hm, that's a hard one, emotionally. Of course we are all Belgians but in my heart I, personally, am more Flemish than Belgian.
That may be true for people who lived in the city or who went to school in the city. My MIL and FIL spoke French pretty well. They were city people. My dad spoke some French because he went to boarding school in Malines (nowadays Mechelen) where French was the main language in the mid 30's. My mom didn't speak any French at all. She went to school in her village until she was 14, then had to work on her parents' farm.
>
I don't think the Flemish feel superior to the Walloons, although Flanders is the most prosperous part of Belgium nowadays.
>
Hm, that's a hard one, emotionally. Of course we are all Belgians but in my heart I, personally, am more Flemish than Belgian.
Jul 30th, 2016, 11:06 PM
#64
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He tries hard, but French is his first language.
Flemish speakers feel superior to French speakers?
I don't think that is true at all. It used to be that the 'upper class' in Flanders spoke French as well as Flemish. There is still a lot of French spoken between Flemish people, but only in a certain segment of the population (the golf course in Knokke, some tennis clubs..). Most people here only have 'school French'.
Trying to speak French, as a non-Belgian person in Brugge?
That is something the locals do not appreciate. If you are actually from France, and do not speak any other language, they would probably help you out. Otherwise better stick to English, while in Flanders.
Kerouac, I assume that it is indeed the Flemish administration that does not want to know. You must remember the history of the country, though. During WWI, officers in the army only spoke French. They would give the orders in French, and then say 'et pour les Flamands, la meme chose'.
The linguistic borders were set in the 60s and based on the numbers of French and Flemish speakers in each town. Now that the French speakers have overtaken the Flemish in many towns, should that be adjusted? Should you adjust the language of your local administration to the main language of your population? Perhaps the mayor of Molenbeek should speak Arabic then?
60% of Belgians speak Flemish
40% French
0.7% German
I look at this as a Dutch person who has lived in Belgium for over 20 years. I am sometimes still baffled by the sensibilities over language.
Whathello is right; it's not a bilingual country at all, it's a country with 2 languages.
He tries hard, but French is his first language.
Flemish speakers feel superior to French speakers?
I don't think that is true at all. It used to be that the 'upper class' in Flanders spoke French as well as Flemish. There is still a lot of French spoken between Flemish people, but only in a certain segment of the population (the golf course in Knokke, some tennis clubs..). Most people here only have 'school French'.
Trying to speak French, as a non-Belgian person in Brugge?
That is something the locals do not appreciate. If you are actually from France, and do not speak any other language, they would probably help you out. Otherwise better stick to English, while in Flanders.
Kerouac, I assume that it is indeed the Flemish administration that does not want to know. You must remember the history of the country, though. During WWI, officers in the army only spoke French. They would give the orders in French, and then say 'et pour les Flamands, la meme chose'.
The linguistic borders were set in the 60s and based on the numbers of French and Flemish speakers in each town. Now that the French speakers have overtaken the Flemish in many towns, should that be adjusted? Should you adjust the language of your local administration to the main language of your population? Perhaps the mayor of Molenbeek should speak Arabic then?
60% of Belgians speak Flemish
40% French
0.7% German
I look at this as a Dutch person who has lived in Belgium for over 20 years. I am sometimes still baffled by the sensibilities over language.
Whathello is right; it's not a bilingual country at all, it's a country with 2 languages.
Jul 31st, 2016, 12:00 AM
#65
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MyriamC I am glad to hear that German is taught in Belgian schools. I know a German speaking Belgian, though she now lives in the Netherlands, which is why I asked. She gets very cross with people who think she is German 
.
My sons had lessons in French and German as well as English, but for two of the three (and for me testing their homework!) it was torture and they dropped it after two years. Funnily enough one of those now earns his living speaking German for a good part of the time, and was married to a German.
The third son picks up languages really easily, and loves French especially.
I did five years of French at school in England many decades ago, but I admit I have forgotten most of it. I never had the chance to practice it while learning, so it didn't stick.
Fascinating to see a thread with the revue of an eatery in Paris become a discussion of the languages of Belgium.
.My sons had lessons in French and German as well as English, but for two of the three (and for me testing their homework!) it was torture and they dropped it after two years. Funnily enough one of those now earns his living speaking German for a good part of the time, and was married to a German.
The third son picks up languages really easily, and loves French especially.
I did five years of French at school in England many decades ago, but I admit I have forgotten most of it. I never had the chance to practice it while learning, so it didn't stick.
Fascinating to see a thread with the revue of an eatery in Paris become a discussion of the languages of Belgium.
Jul 31st, 2016, 02:05 AM
#68
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Not every field of study has German in their package. ASO, which in the Netherlands is VWO, still has it I believe.
TSO (HAVO?) has it for the 'languages' leg. BSO (VMBO??) doesn't have German at all. They have some French and some English, but very basic.
Tulips may know the actual situation better. I think her children are much younger than mine.
Not every field of study has German in their package. ASO, which in the Netherlands is VWO, still has it I believe.
TSO (HAVO?) has it for the 'languages' leg. BSO (VMBO??) doesn't have German at all. They have some French and some English, but very basic.
Tulips may know the actual situation better. I think her children are much younger than mine.
Jul 31st, 2016, 03:08 AM
#69
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I never had lessons of German before joining university.
I may be a true Belgian.
Like the king I have a French accent but I don't feel I have more in common with somebody from liege or tournai than leuven or Antwerpen.
Actually I don't like so much people from liege and have spent much more time with Flemish.
I may be a true Belgian.
Like the king I have a French accent but I don't feel I have more in common with somebody from liege or tournai than leuven or Antwerpen.
Actually I don't like so much people from liege and have spent much more time with Flemish.
Jul 31st, 2016, 05:50 AM
#72
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While all kids have French from about 10 years old, German is only taught for the last three years of high school, as far as I know. They only got English from the second year in high school, and then only 2 hours a week. My kid's school thought that English was really not that important. One of the English teachers was a french native who spoke English like inspector Clouseau...
Jul 31st, 2016, 11:33 PM
#74
Ann, I chat once a week to a nice Italian on Skype to enhance my Italian. Mainly we talk about culture. To me being British is all about Humour and Irony, how can an English man open his mouth without droping a joke out? To him the high point of British culture is Mr Bean ,,,,,,,, who in British eyes is a sub-level of humour.
Do you italki?
Mrs B reminded me to call her "du" this morning
Do you italki?
Mrs B reminded me to call her "du" this morning
Aug 1st, 2016, 01:58 AM
#75
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I like the black adder though.
Benny hill and mr bean are easily accessible so Brits are stuck with that image.
John Cleese is more complex to grasp and doesn't translate.
Yet 99% of the movies in france GERMANY and peobably Italy are dubbed. Difficult to translate British humor in dubbing. Easier with mr bean.
Benny hill and mr bean are easily accessible so Brits are stuck with that image.
John Cleese is more complex to grasp and doesn't translate.
Yet 99% of the movies in france GERMANY and peobably Italy are dubbed. Difficult to translate British humor in dubbing. Easier with mr bean.
Aug 1st, 2016, 03:24 AM
#76
What, given that the MPython crew were educated at a half decent university in the fens they managed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty_...egender_Zirkus in yer actual German.
Ann, will understand when I say "I never had the Latin" though I was taught it by of the guys who worked at Bletchley Park.
Ann, will understand when I say "I never had the Latin" though I was taught it by of the guys who worked at Bletchley Park.
Aug 1st, 2016, 10:29 AM
#78
Do you italki?>>
I've thought about it [in fact I thought about it most seriously when I was trying to learn spanish in 6 months] but never got round to it. Glad to hear that you find it helpful; if I ever get the Skype on my laptop to work again I might give in another go.
talking as we weren't about British v German humour [any fans of Hennig Vehn out there?] did you know that on New year's Eve every year most germans watch a silent Ronnie Barker sketch where he plays the butler to a number of eccentric guests at a country house party?
Ann, will understand when I say "I never had the Latin" though I was taught it by of the guys who worked at Bletchley Park.>>
I was taught latin for just one term by an extraordinary scarecrow of a woman who spoke about 10 languages but could communicate in none of them and was totally incapable of teaching me not just latin, but anything else. As I had been told by my school that I needed latin to be a lawyer, I wrote to all the universities I was interested in to find out if that was true and when only Oxford said it was I crossed them off my list and walked out of my last latin lesson. Years later discussing this youthful experience with a friend over a cup of tea, we discovered that we had been to the same school, but 8 years apart so had never known each other; but our latin teacher was unmistakable.
I've thought about it [in fact I thought about it most seriously when I was trying to learn spanish in 6 months] but never got round to it. Glad to hear that you find it helpful; if I ever get the Skype on my laptop to work again I might give in another go.
talking as we weren't about British v German humour [any fans of Hennig Vehn out there?] did you know that on New year's Eve every year most germans watch a silent Ronnie Barker sketch where he plays the butler to a number of eccentric guests at a country house party?
Ann, will understand when I say "I never had the Latin" though I was taught it by of the guys who worked at Bletchley Park.>>
I was taught latin for just one term by an extraordinary scarecrow of a woman who spoke about 10 languages but could communicate in none of them and was totally incapable of teaching me not just latin, but anything else. As I had been told by my school that I needed latin to be a lawyer, I wrote to all the universities I was interested in to find out if that was true and when only Oxford said it was I crossed them off my list and walked out of my last latin lesson. Years later discussing this youthful experience with a friend over a cup of tea, we discovered that we had been to the same school, but 8 years apart so had never known each other; but our latin teacher was unmistakable.
Aug 1st, 2016, 12:34 PM
#79
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I’m sure I heard somebody saying Cokie, tell us about one of the good meals you had in France in June. Oh well, since you insist!
This was a lunch at Du dauphin in La Ferte Bernard in the Sarthe. One starter was a little cornmeal waffle with creme Camembert shaped into 9 little kisses. I had the gaspacho with tomato, melon, and basil, very delicate and delicious. The melon slices were perfectly ripe.
Then my husband had the chicken filet in tapenade croustillant with gnocchi of dried tomatoes. I ate the fish filet with spaghetti of carottes a l’orange. Spaghetti of carrots a l’orange didn’t sound good to me, but it was.
Every time we order fish in France we are impressed with its perfection. I asked once and the owner claimed it’s due to the much higher heat of restaurant ovens.
For dessert, one of us had a sable breton with roasted apple sorbet and caramel beurre sale. The other dessert was clafoutis of apricots cuit-minute. The chef makes the sorbets in house.
We had a half-bottle of Irouleguy. Usually we don’t drink wine in restaurants (I fall asleep) but I’d been looking for Irouleguy for a long time. Not bad.
We had lunch there a few weeks later, without wine, for 48 euros.
Now it’s somebody else’s turn to describe a good meal. Go ahead, make me hungry.
This was a lunch at Du dauphin in La Ferte Bernard in the Sarthe. One starter was a little cornmeal waffle with creme Camembert shaped into 9 little kisses. I had the gaspacho with tomato, melon, and basil, very delicate and delicious. The melon slices were perfectly ripe.
Then my husband had the chicken filet in tapenade croustillant with gnocchi of dried tomatoes. I ate the fish filet with spaghetti of carottes a l’orange. Spaghetti of carrots a l’orange didn’t sound good to me, but it was.
Every time we order fish in France we are impressed with its perfection. I asked once and the owner claimed it’s due to the much higher heat of restaurant ovens.
For dessert, one of us had a sable breton with roasted apple sorbet and caramel beurre sale. The other dessert was clafoutis of apricots cuit-minute. The chef makes the sorbets in house.
We had a half-bottle of Irouleguy. Usually we don’t drink wine in restaurants (I fall asleep) but I’d been looking for Irouleguy for a long time. Not bad.
We had lunch there a few weeks later, without wine, for 48 euros.
Now it’s somebody else’s turn to describe a good meal. Go ahead, make me hungry.
Aug 1st, 2016, 01:11 PM
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Cokie, what about this menu:
1. Smoked almonds
2. Lardo sticks
3. Crispy rolls with Chorizo-Mousse
4. Jelly of tomato jus with Büsum shrimps
5. Micropizza with tomato and pesto
6. Sardine with guacamole on fried bread
7. molecular sphere of olive
8. Pea soup with mint air
9. Cornet with yellow fin, caviar from flying fish and wasabi air
10. poached salmon, coated with fried glass noodles, with cilantro and soy sauce
11. Rolls of smoked salmon, stuffed with smoked eel foam, with oyster tartare
12. Salmon tartare with algae brittle, sweet peas and and grapefruit air
13. Crab with raw scallop, asparagus salad, algae brittle, citrus vinaigrette with mirin, citrus air
14. Foie gras with green pepper, sangria jelly, foie gras ice cream
15. Baked prawn with morels, green asparagus in vin jaune stock with tapioca perls
16. Sea bass with parmesan raviolis, baby artichoke and spinach in Jabugo-Belotta ham stock
17. Sorbet of apple, wasabi and sake
18. Grilled fillet of lamb with mustard and condiments in simple lamb stock, thickened with olive oil, with legumes from Provence, fried zucchini flower, eggplant caviar, white beans and mashed potatoes
19. Hard cheeses vintage 2005
20. Rhubarb streusel with milk foam
21. Rhubarb caramel with mascarpone foam and ginger stick
22. ginger ice cream with fried rhubarb
23. Croustillant and canache of Valrhona-Café-Couverture with maracuja and cocoa bean ice cream
24. assorted sweets
We had it at Victor’s Gourmet-Restaurant Schloss Berg, Chef Christian Bau.
How many Michelin stars? Three, of course.
I am afraid, not a restaurant for Kerouac. But it did not cost a fortune either.
But the best meal I ever had in my life. It lasted for six hours.
1. Smoked almonds
2. Lardo sticks
3. Crispy rolls with Chorizo-Mousse
4. Jelly of tomato jus with Büsum shrimps
5. Micropizza with tomato and pesto
6. Sardine with guacamole on fried bread
7. molecular sphere of olive
8. Pea soup with mint air
9. Cornet with yellow fin, caviar from flying fish and wasabi air
10. poached salmon, coated with fried glass noodles, with cilantro and soy sauce
11. Rolls of smoked salmon, stuffed with smoked eel foam, with oyster tartare
12. Salmon tartare with algae brittle, sweet peas and and grapefruit air
13. Crab with raw scallop, asparagus salad, algae brittle, citrus vinaigrette with mirin, citrus air
14. Foie gras with green pepper, sangria jelly, foie gras ice cream
15. Baked prawn with morels, green asparagus in vin jaune stock with tapioca perls
16. Sea bass with parmesan raviolis, baby artichoke and spinach in Jabugo-Belotta ham stock
17. Sorbet of apple, wasabi and sake
18. Grilled fillet of lamb with mustard and condiments in simple lamb stock, thickened with olive oil, with legumes from Provence, fried zucchini flower, eggplant caviar, white beans and mashed potatoes
19. Hard cheeses vintage 2005
20. Rhubarb streusel with milk foam
21. Rhubarb caramel with mascarpone foam and ginger stick
22. ginger ice cream with fried rhubarb
23. Croustillant and canache of Valrhona-Café-Couverture with maracuja and cocoa bean ice cream
24. assorted sweets
We had it at Victor’s Gourmet-Restaurant Schloss Berg, Chef Christian Bau.
How many Michelin stars? Three, of course.
I am afraid, not a restaurant for Kerouac. But it did not cost a fortune either.
But the best meal I ever had in my life. It lasted for six hours.
