Ooh la la! As you know, I was recently in Quebec, and I noticed a few things about this province that had me thinking.
Parlez Vous Français? Just like the British think it is hilarious when I tell them I am wearing my fanny pack (FYI, "fanny" is not a butt in the UK; it is a lady's hoohaw), the Quebecois have some funny differences from the French spoken in France. Here are a few examples:
In France, a danseuse is a classical dancer (danseuse classique); in Quebec, it is a stripper (stripteaseuse).
In France, a gosse is a child (enfant); in Quebec, it is a testicle (testicule). This could be confusing!
Let Your Freak Flag Fly. In most of Canada, the residents have the Canadian flag flying in their yards. But I could barely tell you what the Ontario, BC or Alberta flags look like, as only a few people had them hanging alongside the national flag. However, I can definitely tell you what the Quebec flag looks like, and in many cases, the residents only have the Quebec flag, not the Canada flag. I had heard stories of the provinialism (is that a word?) but was still a bit surprised to see that it really was a thing!
It kind of reminds me of the state of Jefferson flags, which, if you're unfamiliar, are for the part of California that wants to separate from the rest of California and be their own state.
European Feel. Not only is the architecture and the way of life very European, but there are other things like the bike paths and bike culture, which seem very good and different from the culture in some of the other provinces. I really enjoyed riding in Quebec and I honestly can't say that about parts of some of the other provinces.
Baguettes! I love that you can buy a baguette in the grocery store (Maxi) or elsewhere for around $0.90 CAD. There definitely were not cheap baguettes in the parts of Ontario that I was in.
All in all, I loved that being in Quebec felt like being in a different country, even though techincally I was still in the same one. I liked being able to practice my French but have the knowledge that if I forgot the words, the people would probalby understand me in English.
What is the funniest instance of a normal word being construed as bad somewhere else that you know of? In your area, is it common to fly the state or provincal flag?
Quebec is like a different country, there has been a lot of strife over their sovereignty over the years. In fact, I can remember in the 1990s when the Bloc Quebecois was our official opposition party, and I remember very clearly the vote about separation. It was a very tense time in Canada. Things have changed a lot over the years but there was a lot of tension between English and French Quebec, and for a long time it was illegal to have English signs in the province. Tensions have obviously eased now but I really remember those days. It's a beautiful province (La Belle Provence!) and the site of very important Canadian history.
ReplyDeleteI had heard about the strife, but never really seen it for myself. I went to Montreal for a few days about twenty years ago, but did not spend a significant amount of time in anywhere but the touristy areas. So this was an interesting glimpse into more of that world. I remember the separation vote. I also noticed that a lot of the signs were only in French, even though in the rest of Canada, many of the signs are in both languages!
DeleteWell, Quebec came VERRRYYYY close to separating from Canada in the 90s (there was a referendum and the separatists lost by only a narrow margin), so it really is mostly like they are a different country! Interestingly, for many, many sweepstakes you can't enter if you live in Quebec, but you can if you live in any other Canadian province.
ReplyDeleteNew Brunswick has a very strong French culture, but that French would sound quite different from Québecois French (which is very different from France). And then we have a lot of Acadians in certain parts of Nova Scotia and they primarily speak French but they would sound quite different from NB and Quebec!
Alas, I don't speak French very well which is a regret of mine :( But before switching careers, my sister was a professor of French linguistics.
I don't know a single person who flies a NS flag outside their home!
I did not know that about the sweepstakes! That is interesting. I did know that there were French in other provinces, but as you know, I did not get to spend much time in NB or the French parts of NS! I would have liked to hear how they sounded.
DeleteThere are not many in CA who fly the CA flag either, but in the north there are quite a few State of Jefferson flags/signs!
Huh I thought I was a pretty good British speaker, but I was today years old when I learned that "fanny" means hoohaw. The more you know...
ReplyDeleteI've spent a bit of time contemplating state flags in my travels. My favorite is Indiana's - it's blue with a gold torch and stars. My other favorite flag thing is in some US/CN border areas, they have both flags. The island of Put in Bay between Ohio and Ontario is one example, and I think I saw this somewhere in NY as well.
My biggest Deep Thought about Quebec is that I want to go there ASAP!
I don't know if I have ever seen the Indiana flag, and I notice that in the US, many people do not fly their state flag. I did notice that many post offices around the US fly both the US flag and the POW-MIA flag! I had to look it up though, as I did not know what it was.
DeleteI would like to visit Quebec someday! It's like a cheaper trip to France to some extent with a MUCH shorter flight.
ReplyDeleteI don't see many MN state flags flown but the flag was resigned and there is a lot of controversy around this. I didn't follow the arguments because I just don't care about flags but there are people who only want to fly the original and those who feel strongly about the new one. We are a flag-free house. I encounter many STRONG opinions about the state of MN while traveling, though. One FA in Michigan told me that my city was #2 on the list of risks of terrorism (because of the immigrants "we've let into our state"??) and then last week a NJ FA who is a big Vikings fan told me he'd love to come see a game but not until Walz is out of office because he doesn't want to get shot. Um, ok. I live here and feel quite safe, but go ahead and believe all the fake news about how dangerous my city is. Le sigh.
Wait, I am sorry...what? That does not make sense. Why would he get shot? Because of the immigrants? And he thinks that as soon as Walz is out, that will all be different? Weird. I am sure you have heard of the State of Jefferson, but if you haven't it is the people mostly in the north, as well as some parts of southern OR too, but they would like to succeed from CA/OR so that they can go to make their own state and government, free from the oppression of the masses!
DeleteConservative media has presented a picture of Minneapolis that makes us looks like a 3rd world country/lawless land. JD Vance came here during the presidential campaign and talked about how if Kamala and Walz win, the rest of the country is going to look like Mpls (and they said the said thing about Detroit). It's ridiculous but I often encounter people who make comments about how unsafe I must feel living in Mpls.
DeleteQuebec sounds super interesting! I would struggle with those french words though. I did not realize it was so different to the rest of Canada. I need to do a Canada road trip someday!
ReplyDeleteYou definitely need to do a Canada road trip! There are lots of different nuances between provinces, just like in the US. I don't know about you, but when people ask where I am from, I always say San Francisco, not "the US" or "California."
DeleteI grew up thinking fanny meant the hooha, so it was always weird when people talked about it until I realized they were talking about butts, lol.
ReplyDeleteThere aren't too many flags around here, but most of them are US flags, which just has a different kind of connotation these days.
Are you British? Why did you think fanny meant the frontal area rather than the rear? That is funny! We had a lot of people put up flags after 9/11 but I don't think that the Bay Area was a hugely flag oriented place before that.
DeleteThe testicle vs child thing is hilarious. As is fanny, but I was aware of that, because I think it is the same way in Ireland. I've never been to Quebec. I was in Montreal briefly for my son's world championship Irish dancing competition. While living in Ireland, they say 'craic' for fun and in the US, we do not mean the same thing when we say, Let's go have some crack. They also call the kitchen cabinets the press, and that was a little confusing.
ReplyDeleteI traveled with a Scottish girl and I would say that I was going to take off my pants and she would giggle at me. I was not sure why, until I learned that pants are undies and trousers are pants. Ooops!
DeleteI live in (bright red) Ohio, and while there are tons of US flags flying around, you rarely see the state flag. It's even more common to see the hillbillies and diehard cultists display a confederate flag. Ohio's state flag is often an answer to a trivia question since it is the only pennant shaped state flag.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen the Ohio flag, but I have seen plenty of Confederate flags. I lived in FL and LA and often drove through Mississippi and Alabama and Texas. Yeehaw. There are some in CA, but more in the rural areas than in the cities. PS I just Googled the OH flag; it is quite striking!
DeleteI hope to go to Quebec, it sounds so European. I work in payroll tax, and when we update tax tables for Canada, there is Federal/Provincial (like our Federal/State) and there is Quebec. I am sure that Quebec remits taxes to the Federal government, but the withholding tables are different is what I'm saying.
ReplyDeleteI don't often see a California flag flying in front of someone's house, just the US flag. State buildings, yes.
I agree about the CA flag; I only really see it on businesses, like the buiding that I worked in had one in San Francisco. That is an interesting fact about Quebec that I did not know! Is it just similar to State tax, like we have, which is different or is it an entirely different system?
DeleteI have never been in Quebec but this is good to know in case I ever make it there.
ReplyDeleteDo you speak French?
Je peux parle un peu de francais quand il est necessaire. :)
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