Kitchen French is as naughty as the English

[Megan Blocker]

I saw this great post from Ms. Glaze today (actually posted on Saturday), all about the colorful (I suppose they're not Anglo-Saxon, so our usually euphemisms won't hold) language she's learned in the kitchen. And, of course, how she's discovering that these phrases are a bit more taboo out there in the streets:

The other night on one of my days off, I ordered a cocktail at an upscale restaurant that I had never heard of before. It was a mixture of rum and spirits with fruit juice. It sounded interesting but a little too sweet for my taste. I asked the server if it was dégueulasse (deh-guh-lass), which I thought meant 'gross'.

I hear it all the time in the kitchen and I just assumed it meant bad or unsavory. I just wanted to know if the cocktail was good! I really upset the server who stormed away after correcting my French and telling me never to use that word in public. How was I supposed to know? The word means 'filthy'.

My French friends at the table burst out laughing after the server vanished and then they explained the word to me. They thought my little colloquial version of ‘gross’ was funny. But there I was totally in the dark wondering why I had just caused such a reaction to the extent that the server was replaced by another young man.

You really should click through and read the post in its entirety - it's hilarious. Turns out (though I never had any doubts, myself) that French kitchens use "bad" language as often as those elsewhere. Being a connoisseur of bad language, I applaud. What do you think?

[Mikeb19]

Just curious, but did you expect that French people only use proper language? And yes, some French words might seem straitforward enough, but alot of times the use of a word depends entirely on context. Goes for English words as well. For instance, the F word can be used to add emphasis, as a verb, or also as an insult.

I dunno, I guess since I've been speaking French pretty much my whole life it's not really any surprise to me. I must say though, there have been some funny moments working in kitchens. I've worked with alot of French chefs, and at times have been the only other French speaker in the kitchen, so I got to hear alot of stuff none of the other staff ever would.

[Megan Blocker]

Just curious, but did you expect that French people only use proper language?  And yes, some French words might seem straitforward enough, but alot of times the use of a word depends entirely on context.  Goes for English words as well.  For instance, the F word can be used to add emphasis, as a verb, or also as an insult. 

I dunno, I guess since I've been speaking French pretty much my whole life it's not really any surprise to me.  I must say though, there have been some funny moments working in kitchens.  I've worked with alot of French chefs, and at times have been the only other French speaker in the kitchen, so I got to hear alot of stuff none of the other staff ever would.

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No, not surprised - I'm a (used to be fluent, now not so much) French speaker. I'd never really thought about the issues with learning a language in an environment where "taboos" weren't clear, though - that part was what really struck me.