French Culture – Comfort Food Posted by Tim Hildreth on Jun 30, 2020 in Culture, Language, Music, Vocabulary
While France1Including the Eiffel Tower ! (and parts of the US, where I live) are starting to open back up, we can all sometimes still use a little escapism to take us away from the challenges that life can present. Especially with all the complex issues facing the world today, I thought this week we’d spend some time on comfort food … for the soul.
A few years ago, and honestly I’m no longer quite sure where or how, I discovered a wonderful little French musical production called Le Soldat Rose (The Pink Soldier). Now a trilogy, Le Soldat Rose raconte l’histoire d’un soldat … rose (tells the story of a soldier … a pink one).
La première partie, appelé tout simplement Le Soldat Rose (the first part, called simply The Pink Soldier) introduces us to our hero as he helps rescue un petit garcon nommé Joseph (a little boy named Joseph) who finds himself overnight dans un grand magasin (in a department store).
Dans la deuxième partie (In the second part) we find the little soldier and his friends visiting un orphelinat (orphanage) where les autres jouets (the other toys) try and help résoudre (to solve) an embarrassing problem for the soldier.
La troisième partie, Le Soldat Rose à la fabrique de jouets, nous ramène en arrière (The third part, the Pink Soldier at the toy factory, takes us backwards) to discover the origins of the soldier’s unique color scheme … and to learn how he got to the grand magasin where the story started in the first place.
If you have ITunes or Spotify, you can enjoy all three of these fun song-stories on your own. Or you can check out some of the many clips on YouTube including this newly available full version of Le Soldat Rose à la fabrique des jouets filmed in novembre 2017 at Paris’s famous Olympia salle de spectacle (concert venue)2What ever you do, make sure you watch to the end … or just click here for this very joyeuse fin … parce que tout est bien qui finit bien … or this on that introduces us to the soldier in question.
| Nous vous informons que le magasin va bientôt fermer ses portes | Please note [lit. we inform you] that the store will soon be closing its doors |
| Le petit Joseph est attendu par ses parents à l’accueil du magasin | Little Joseph’s parents are waiting for him at the welcome desk |
| J’en connais un rayon | I know of an aisle |
| Sur ce grand magasin | In this department store |
| J’attends sur ce rayon | I’ve been waiting on this shelf3The word rayon can mean aisle, shelf, or department depending on the context |
| Depuis la Saint Glinglin4La Saint Glinglin is a made up religious day that doesn’t exist. It shows up in expressions to indicate something that happened a long time ago … or that will never happen. | Since who knows when |
| Mais personne ne veut de moi et pour cause | But nobody wants me and with reason |
| Qui voudrait d’un soldat rose? | Who would want a pink soldier? |
| Qui voudrait d’un soldat, d’un soldat rose? | Who would want a pink soldier, a pink soldier. |
| Les garçons n’aiment pas | Boys don’t like |
| Ma couleur de danseuse | My dancer’s/ballerina color |
| Et les filles disent pouah! | And the girls all say ew! |
| Devant ma mitrailleuse | When they see my machine gun |
| Bienvenue mon petit gars | Welcome little guy |
| Faut que je te dise quelque chose | I have to tell you something |
| On m’appelle le soldat rose, | They call me the pink soldier, |
| On m’appelle le soldat, le soldat rose | They call me the pink soldier, the pink soldier |
| J’ me névrose, m’ankylose5Medical Term | It gives me a complex, makes me numb, |
| Me sclérose6Medical Term, quelle psychose | Blocks me up, what a psychosis |
| Tout n’est pas vraiment rose | Everything really isn’t rosy |
| Dans la vie d’un soldat, soldat rose | In the life of a pink soldier, pink soldier |
| Overdose d’ecchymoses | An overdose of bruises |
| Rend ma prose bien morose | Makes my prose so gloomy |
| Tout est gris tout est noir | Everything is grey, everything is black |
| Dans ma vie de soldat, de soldat rose | In my soldier’s life, my pink soldier’s life |
| J’en connais un rayon | I know of a department |
| Sur ce grand magasin | In this department store |
| Les poupées de chiffon | The rag dolls |
| Les puzzles et les trains | The puzzles and the trains |
| Tout là-bas les peluches | Over there the stuffed animals |
| Et comble du grandiose | And miracle of miracles |
| Un flamant comme moi, rose | A flamingo like me, pink |
| Un flamant comme moi, un flamant rose | A flamingo like me, a pink flamingo |
| Refrain jusqu’a la fin | Chorus to the end |
- 1Including the Eiffel Tower !
- 2What ever you do, make sure you watch to the end … or just click here for this very joyeuse fin … parce que tout est bien qui finit bien
- 3The word rayon can mean aisle, shelf, or department depending on the context
- 4La Saint Glinglin is a made up religious day that doesn’t exist. It shows up in expressions to indicate something that happened a long time ago … or that will never happen.
- 5Medical Term
- 6Medical Term
Build vocabulary, practice pronunciation, and more with Transparent Language Online. Available anytime, anywhere, on any device.
About the Author: Tim Hildreth
Since my first trip to France at 16, I have been a passionate francophile. I love the language, food, music, art, people, and more that make France and la Francophonie in general such an amazing part of our global community. Having lived in France and studied the language and culture for over 35 years, it is my great pleasure to be able to share a little bit of my deep love with you through this blog.
Comments:
Vasileios Nikolopoulos:
Very interesting and educational passage. I like it a lot