A
FRENCH AFFAIR
PEOPLE
by Katherine Loeck
FRENCH 101
"VOULEZ-VOUS COUCHER AVEC MOI, CE SOIR?" DO YOU WANT TO SLEEP WITH ME TONIGHT?
— People never use the "vous" form of the pronoun if they are trying to get laid because it's too formal. The irony of the phrase is that it's so forward, yet oh-so-
proper.
IF YOU WANT TO BE A TRUE FRENCH LOVER, SAY "VEUX-TU COUCHER AVEC MOI, CE SOIR?"
"VOUS-AVEZ DU FEU?" DO YOU HAVE A LIGHT?
If someone in France ever asks you this, nine times out of 10 it's not a light they want. This is a culturally specific pick-up line because a lot of people in France
smoke, Bruce Hays, assistant
professor of French, says.
PHOTOS/JARED GAI
Lawrence goes abroad one night a week
Tonight the upstairs of Henry's on Eighth is easily confused with a European cafe. A light sunny breeze comes through the
windows that look out over Mass Street. Assorted wine bottles line a shelf, and its bookend speakers are the only thing that brings me back to Lawrence as "Sunny Afternoon" by the Kinks softly plays. The dark walls and intimate seating create the perfect at m o s p h e r e for casual conversation. And that's exactly what's going on.
WHERE TO GO
Ça va Katherine? Comme ci,
comme ca parce que...my six
years of French are not paying
off as well as I have dreamed.
For the most part I can
understand the conversations
at La Table Française. From 5:30
Café Castellano
Thursday 5:00-6:30 p.m.
Café Mirth
745 New Hampshire St.
to 6:30 p.m. every Thursday, a corner of Henry's, 11 E. Eighth St., is transformed into a little piece of Europe as students,
La Table Française
Thursday 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Henry's
11 E. Eighth St.
La Tavola Italiana Thursday 5:00-6:00 p.m.
Aimee's Coffeehouse
1025 A Massachusetts St.
professors and natives meet to talk about everything from 17th century literature to everyday life, en français.
Lawrence's French Table dates back to at least 1952 when David Dinneen,professor emeritus of French and linguistics, was a graduate student. Back then it was held at the Faculty Women's Club, 1300
Louisiana St.The environment was a "very pleasant dining room but not great food and certainly no wine," Dinneen says. The French department expected all graduate students to participate; the only way to get out of going was to be
deathly ill or to have a class at the same time, he says.
Today things are different. With a European assortment of coffee, mixed drinks, beer and wine, The French Table has become a way for students of any level to practice speaking in a casual learning environment that is unique from the classroom.Bruce Hayes, assistant professor of French, has been coming for three years. He enjoys the atmosphere because of the informal setting to talk to students, Hayes says. "It gives students a chance to feel more comfortable. When you feel comfortable you can excel at a foreign language," he says.
The conversation levels and phonetic skills vary from person to person around the small tables. All of the 13 speakers sound more advanced than I am, but I can still follow along especially when there's laughter, a universal language. Most people who attend are advanced speakers or graduate teaching assistants, but beginners
shouldn't be intimidated. Cate Crandell, Overland Park freshman, is a student in Elementary French I, and this was her first time at La Table Française. She's still getting her feet wet in the language but others helped her out by speaking slowly and pronouncing words in a way she could understand.
La Table Francaise is pretty much like home, people having a drink together and talking about the day, says Pauline Jeannin, graduate teaching assistant from Besançon, France.
The sounds, the wine and the atmosphere of La Table Française remind me of my study abroad experience in Paris last summer, but right here in Kansas. Every week 10 to 20 people create a little piece of Europe in downtown Lawrence because they share the same passions for French. "It's just socializing but in a foreign language," Hayes says. After saying au revoir and a bientot, I think I'll come back next week for much more than the $4 top-shelf liquor special.
09.21.2006 JAYPLAY <15