Re: Slamming the French

["Howard Bramhall" <hwb67@msn.com>]

 ----- Original Message -----

From: Linda B. Merims

Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2001 11:29 AM

To: ridecamp@endurance.net

Subject: RC: Re: Slamming the French

 

Apropos nothing in particular, I heard a new euphemism from a rider on one of my rides:  "Going to France."   She said she was taking out this young horse on the short course to see if she would keep him because, if he acted like he did last time, then he was
"going to France."  She was using it as a euphemism for being sold for meat.  (Around here, most horses sold for meat are slaughtered in New Jersey, the carcasses are frozen whole and then shipped to Europe.)

This is not intended as a slam on the French.  I just thought it was funny.  The possibilities are endless if you need to threaten your horse.  "Cross that water or I'm buying you a one-way ticket to France!"  "Parlez-vous Francais, Night Star?"

Linda B. Merims
lbm@naisp.net
Massachusetts, USA

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It's the British side of me (there's actually a castle and town in England named Bramall) that slams the French, just as it's my southern half that slams Yankees.  None of it's serious and if you take it that way, oh well, what can I say?  How bout, "If you don't like it you can go pound sand."  (I don't think I'll ever get tired of that one)

I spent three years in Europe, in Germany mostly, and my favorite place to visit (you won't believe this one) was Paris.  I just loved that city.  The arrogance, the uppity attitudes of the Natives towards foreigners there; damn, if I didn't think I was back home sometimes.  And I got to experience prejudice first hand, against me because I was an American and was in the military. That right there put two strikes against me and the fact that my feeble attempts at speaking French was horrible became strike three.  I was only 22 and it was a real eye opener.

So, did this taint me?  You bet!  But it's all in humor folks, although I do think it was because of the French that FEI took away the riding crops.  But, I'm not married to that one since I learned that assumption on Ridecamp, and you know what they say about assuming things.  I'm quite out of the FEI loop, so I could be wrong, and since I no longer fly I won't be visiting many International rides outside of the states anytime soon (the French and Wolfgang just let out a breath of relief with that news).  It was probably just a coincidence that FEI disallowed riding crops right after the French won the World Cup that year.  Just a coincidence.

 

cya,

Howard (tomorrow morning I'll be in Georgia; will anyone miss me?)