Monday, September 15, 2008

The French shampoo

french shampooI bought this bottle of shampoo in France around 1998. We needed to have clean hair while we were there, and I guess it was the cheapest thing that little town's shop ofered.

So I hung onto that bottle until about a month ago. I finally realized that (as you have heard me say about five times over the last five months) - I can't take it with me. So into the recycle bin it went.

I was infatuated with how not a single word of English was on the package. And how French was the only thing on the package. (Does that monolingualism remind you of the US? Well, at least we have the excuse of not being as close to our neighbors as France is.)

5 comments:

eddie said...

Unless the borders with Mexico and Canada are extremely wide, the United States is exactly the same distance from it's neighbours as France. But I know what you mean!

Richard Lawry said...

I find it interesting that many of the people who make fun of France what to emulate them on this issue.

paulmerrill said...

Eddie - you are right, Quebec borders the USA. But so few Americans ever go there or have any contact with them, it's as if we aren't neighbors.

The bilingualism issue in Canada is a whole other can of worms.

In contrast, Mexico & Central America are changing the way America thinks about language. Spanish is a first language for much of America, these days.

The Lone Beader® said...

Well, I took two years of French in high school because I had already learned Spanish on Sesame Street! LOL.

Anonymous said...

Hi Paul You do realise that it was a bottle of conditioner and not shampoo, don't you? Ros