THE DARKER SIDE OF FRANCE?

[krusty]

[quote user="Frederick"]Sweet 17 .....To look the part in your tabard....you also need a wine brimmed hat with a long feather in it and a sword....You also need two pals dressed the same standing either side of you ! [/quote]

well it had to be wine brimmed in France            [;-)]

[Eos]

We've not long returned from lunch with our French friends this afternoon! The welcome was warm, the food simple but fantastic.

I looked for the darker side, I promise! Couldn't find it.

I will look again next time!

[5-element]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

It's like a pinny without sleeves and without sides; goes over the head and fastens with tabs or tapes on each side of the body.

 I am wondering whether there is some sort of French etiquette for wearing your pinny or your apron or your tabard or whatever your favourite item of clothing is for doing the housework?

[/quote]

 

Ah yes, a pinny - that is a chasuble (like priests wear to officiate?). Thank you Sweet 17, it's all getting clearer and clearer.

I don't know about pinny etiquette, but it's true that wearing some kind of overall or cover or apron is quite practical for doing any kind of housework. It makes sense as it "saves" staining or dirtying one's real clothes. I never noticed that British housewives or househusbands do NOT wear such things??? Then of course, when the doorbell rings, you frantically take it off, as you don't want the visitor(s) to see you engaged in manual work.

My (French) neighbour, who is an artist (painter and sculptress), wears a white overall most of the time, even for gardening. She would never wear it outside the house, though. Now I am going to go out today, and make a note of how many women in tabards (and maybe slippers) I can see.

 

[Patf]

This discussion about aprons etc has reminded me about some spooky anonymous phone calls I used to get in the UK. This person even found my new number when we moved. He - it sounded like a young man - asked me how many pinnies/ overalls I owned, what were they like, what colour, what did I use them for etc. I thought it was funny at first, then got a bit annoyed and told him to "go away". What is it about aprons, tabards etc, are they a bit kinky? Back on topic - we are unpopular with our neighbour at the moment as we allowed our poultry to eat his colza. Oh dear!

[Framboise]

Ah now I get the big deal about French Maid's outfits !  Its the frilly pinny that does it!! [:$]

[Bugsy]

[quote user="sweet 17"]

 I am wondering whether there is some sort of French etiquette for wearing your pinny or your apron or your tabard or whatever your favourite item of clothing is for doing the housework?

[/quote]

There is an etiquette for washing them S17, our neighbour (according to her washing line) washes all her pinnies on one particular day. Tea towels on another, shirts on another.

I don't look when its underwear day.........................[:D][:D]

[Missy]

[quote user="Bugbear"]

...

I don't look when its underwear day.........................[:D][:D]

[/quote]

 

Is there an underwear day...  [8-)]

[5-element]

[quote user="Bugbear"]

 our neighbour (according to her washing line) washes all her pinnies on one particular day. Tea towels on another, shirts on another.

[/quote]

How funny, this is exactly what our (aged and very local) next door neighbour used to do in a little Yorkshire village. Monday was the biggest day for washing, as it was whites.

[mint]

MY OH, who grew up in a small Welsh mining community, told me that there used to be an old lady in his village who'd always hang out a pair of her husband's pyjamas on wash day (which was invariably Monday).

It wasn't until after he died and in a moment of extreme vulnerability that she confessed to hanging up his pyjamas on the line "for shame's sake" because in fact he didn't wear anything to bed!

Just as well they weren't living in our house here in sunny Charente.  He'd have frozen to death well before she could get those pyjamas dry in time for him to go to bed in!