These contain some examples of vulgar language.
mp3 (file size 1,2 MB) - right click and choose 'save target as'
The direct translation of 'food' is la nourriture, which comes from nourrir, to feed, and therefore has a rather functional meaning. As a matter of fact, in you eat for pleasure, not just to feed yourself. So nourriture refers to basic food, the sort of food you eat to keep your body going.
For more elaborate dishes, the French are more likely to use the word cuisine. Cooking can be regarded as a sort of human triumph over nature; it is considered an art, a poetic form of expression. This explains the long and complicated, often incomprehensible nature of the names the French give to their dishes, even the most modest ones. For instance, if you think baked potatoes are pommes de terre en robe des champs, lit. potatoes "in their field dress".
So good luck, and bon appétit or simply bon app'!
(* = familiar, ** = very familiar, *** = vulgar, v = Verlan (back-slang), Lit. = literally)
Click here for a transcript of all the expressions in "Food".
|