I am a nanny for a couple of french boys, 9 and 12 years old. Despite them being boys AND pre-pubescent, they never have and currently do not expel gas orally, i.e. burp. The first time I did my pterodactyl impression, the youngest looked at me wide-eyed.
"What was that?"
"What was what? What happened?" and I looked around to find the cause of such surprise.
"That noise you just made..."
"Oh, well young grasshopper, that's what we, in America, call a burp. Do you not burp? Because I've witnessed enough farting from you to warrant extra underwear for filter. How is it that your gas only travels down and not up?"
Luckily, I've desensitized the both of them to my random and often unexpected bouts of mouth-gas. But it has come to my attention that the French are NOT avid burpers. And this disappoints me because it further drives the wedge between me and French culture. How is it that some cultures harness and nurture burping and others are completely unaware that it even exists?
Daphne and Garance used to be astounded when I burped, and were TERRIFIED of their mom ever finding out if they did it! Oh, the French.
ReplyDelete