Humble Pie at the Pâtisserie

You don’t have to be a math whiz or even particularly fluent in French… to feel like a dummy at a French cash register! Read on…   *** At a bustling bakery along rue Gambetta, not far from the lonely stone lavoir and close enough to the village square to keep an eye on my kids as they run circles around the fountain, I order a “string”, “a boat”, and a “restaurant”: French bread classification according to shape (like a string or boat) and size (big enough to feed clients at a quaint bistro!). While la boulangère calculates the total out loud, I empty my coin purse into my free hand, fishing out the smallest coins, trying to get rid of as many of the pièces jaunes as I can get away with, dignified look and all. When I go to hand the collection over to the caissière, she shakes her head. Next, she repeats (a little louder this time!) the amount due. That’s when I realize I’ve miscalculated! The line of people behind me grows and I fluster, eventually choosing the easy way out. I offer my hand once again and, with pleading eyes, motion to the remaining coins in the palm of my main. With nimble fingers, the cashier pecks out the correct somme due. I stand obedient, watching the baker, my face as red as a raspberry tart. …………………………………………………………………………………………………… French Vocabulary le lavoir = old washing-place la boulangère (le boulanger) = baker la pièce jaune = yellow coin (golden-colored “small” change) la caissière (le caissier) = cashier la main = hand la somme due = amount due To read Kristin’s books (and others) a Kindle is a terrific portable solution. If you’re coming to France and want to remove the stress out of any and all planning, dynamo Lisa Buros-Hutchins of www.YourParisExperience.com can arrange anything and everything, including planning your honeymoon and/or making dinner reservations. Nothing is beyond her.  Say Bonjour Paris referred you and put her to the test of making your stay in France perfect.