mint Posted March 1, 2012 Author Share Posted March 1, 2012 I guess that was the last programme this evening?RB was getting to be irritating for me and as for that woman comentator, I'd cheerfully strangle her! Why not, she's certainly strangled the French language. Where is the famed BBC Pronunciation Unit or has that gone the way of the cuts and the repeats? There used to be just such a unit to help presenters with pronunciation of foreign languages.Talk about massacring a language........the bloody woman was hanging, drawing and quartering it![+o(]As for RB, why does he keep on saying "oh la la" as though there were no other French exclamations in the whole of the dictionary?Perhaps someone who knows more French than I can help me here. One of my very first French course books explains that "oh la la" is an exclamation denoting "mild dismay". So....is that book (a reputable Linguaphone one) wrong or is our French chef mildly dismayed by everything he saw, drank or ate?But the provençal landscape.....just like a real-life Cezanne painting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 oh la la, well my very good friend M-R says that all the time. And there are far worse things he could have said, I am trying to think of a french person I know who does not 'p u tain' all the time. I watched the first two programs and couldn't be bothered with the others. Glad I didn't continue now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted March 1, 2012 Share Posted March 1, 2012 For us, this evening's Provencal episode was the weakest so far.I think that it was partly because I wasn't overly keen on the menu and partly because he didn't really know any of the guests, which he clearly did elsewhere.Having said that, the Garriguette strawberries will be available in a matter of weeks, to say nothing of the first of the season's asparagus - maybe at tomorrow's market!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Zoff Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 If the English had not seen the French in cliche'd terms before, they certainly will do now. Merci, Monsieur Blonke. Ooh la la. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Once again there was lovely photography, scenery and food. The scents almost came wafting in to me!I did think Raymond overdid the oh la la's, although I know a lot of people who use it a lot. That woman should never have been used - so irritating.Gardian - do you really think asparagus will be available at your market today? We've been watching the long rows of polythene with great interest, but having left last week to fly to UK, we're hoping it could possibly be ready by the end of next week, when we'll be back again. [:)[:D] (no smiley for butter dripping down the chin!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 [quote user="gardengirl "] That woman should never have been used - so irritating.[/quote]Fay Ripley, from the series "Cold Feet" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 Don't know her, don't know Cold Feet so unfortunately don't know how to avoid her in future! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted March 2, 2012 Author Share Posted March 2, 2012 [quote user="Alan Zoff"]If the English had not seen the French in cliche'd terms before, they certainly will do now. Merci, Monsieur Blonke. Ooh la la.[/quote]Yes, AZ, she did call him "Monsieur Blonke", didn't she?Well, I have read through all your responses but none of you has told me whether you just use oh la la to express some sort of dismay or do you use it when you are overjoyed, thrilled to bits, slightly vexed, thoroughly peed off and also to express all other emotions in between? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 The casting director probably thought she looked just right for a 'voice-over' [6] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoddy Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 What irritated me was Raymond Blanc speaking poor English with a heavy French accent to French people. Fay Ripley didn't irritate me at all. I intend to try some of the recipes though.Hoddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Teapot, 'that woman' is very attractive, but I don't see how that qualified her to do the voice-over - I'd have done it for half the price, especially if I could have had a bag over my head!French friends use the expression for various purposes, Sweet, including joy, which seemed to be what RB was doing most of the time.As well as that woman's awful use of French, I hated how she spoke about 'Raymonde'! Everyone else (admittedly French) pronounced it as Raymond, but the way she spoke of him made me think of Edmundo (Ross?) - don't know why - it just irritated me.Hoddy, RB's recipes from Beaune went down extremely well when an English friend cooked them for her French neighbours a few days after the programme - and they are very much into very good restaurants! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Gardian - was there really local asparagus at market this morning? We've been keeping our eyes on the fields of polythene for a few weeks now, but having flown to UK for a few days, we're now hoping for some soon after our return! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperlola Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 [quote user="sweet 17"] Well, I have read through all your responses but none of you has told me whether you just use oh la la to express some sort of dismay or do you use it when you are overjoyed, thrilled to bits, slightly vexed, thoroughly peed off and also to express all other emotions in between?[/quote]Interchangeable, imho. Very rough equivalent = Blimey Personally I think Ms Ripley is quite a good actress but has a seriously whiney voice. Pity really and, like you Sweets, I really have no idea why she's used as a narator so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprogster Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I was looking forward to the last episode with Provence being in my neck of the woods, but thought it the most disappointing of the series, as RB's caricature of a Frenchman got more irritating and to be honest heavily urbanised coastal Province around Marseilles & Toulon is not really the real Province and they did not identify the rural areas he briefly visited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 [quote user="gardengirl "]Gardian - was there really local asparagus at market this morning? We've been keeping our eyes on the fields of polythene for a few weeks now, but having flown to UK for a few days, we're now hoping for some soon after our return![/quote]Unfortunately not. There was one stall selling what was probably Spanish, but they weren't fines vertes, which we prefer. Within the next week or so I'd say.A couple of stalls had Garriguettes, but they were very pricey - €6 for a punnet (350gms I think). Again, give it a week or ten days and they'll be half that price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Théière Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 [quote user="gardengirl "]Teapot, 'that woman' is very attractive, [/quote]Very tight top lip though .....meeow [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Inever saw the last one ...Has he learned to drive that Citroen yet without stalling or crunching the gears ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cendrillon Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 he was back in the 2CV yesterday in Provence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Not surprised.... Obviously cant be trusted with the more expensive DS . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 I used to have a DS.It had semi-automatic transmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frederick Posted March 2, 2012 Share Posted March 2, 2012 Only drove one once .... Pressed down on the button on the floor they had instead of a brake pedal and did an emergancy stop on a sixpence and was nearly wearing the steering wheel round my neck Nice comfortabe ride ...I had the CX pallas that came after it That had a proper brake pedal. .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardengirl Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 I thought the treatment he meted out to that gorgeous DS was awful - such a beautiful car.Gardian, we hadn't thought we'd miss the first of the local asparagus, as none had been showing when we left. I bet the price will stand comparison with the first garriguettes, though! I'll be searching in the market next weekend! [:)] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mint Posted March 3, 2012 Author Share Posted March 3, 2012 But I did think the 2 young people were delightful. Sometimes it looked like they were doing all the work and the great man was just rolling his eyes, eating and talking with his mouth open and exclaiming his delight in everything.The parents of those kids could be justifiably proud.Would be good to have a programme featuring just the youngsters, wouldn't it?[I] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoddy Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 Absolutely agree Sweet 17. I thought the girl in particular had a real television presence in spite of not having much to say.Hoddy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted March 3, 2012 Share Posted March 3, 2012 In many of the programmes the women were the real stars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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