After descending from the bus one morning, I was confronted by a gentleman who I recognized from work.. As is typical for French small talk-- it started with the customary “ca va, ca va”s. I feared an awkward silence on our walk from the bus stop to work because I didn’t know him and I had never met him before.. But right away- he asked me what I was holding- for this was his true intention... “Qu’est-ce que c’est? Une lampe? Une torche?” Is it a lamp or a flashlight?? He was referring to my large, metal travel mug that I take to work with me every morning.. I smiled and told him it was “pour le café” and that is was “vraiment Americain”… He was so curious about it- asking me where I found it, how much it cost and if he could find one in France!
This wasn’t the first time I have been interrogated about my coffee mug. A woman at work swears that it’s a beer mug and I start drinking early :)
In France- it is obviously not common to carry liters of coffee to and from work and to hoard it in your office and drink it by yourself. Coffee is enjoyed in the company of friends- it is the excuse to take a break from a hard day’s work and get revived. I honestly don’t know how they manage to have one petite cup of coffee during the day! If you have been to the EU, you know that the coffees are so small!
Change is in the air though- just the other day- I spotted a French girl sporting a Starbucks travel mug and I knew that I had started a trend ;)
The Ladybug
Where am I??
red= work, green=school
Posts
Comments