One of the many pains of permanently committing to a life in France is that I will always have an accent. Or rather an EEEEAA-ccent in my native Chicago tongue. I can whip up the nerve to get around just fine, but sometimes certain words just don’t come out right. As any stylist can attest, doing returns is one the pinnacle skills and unglamorous realities behind any photo shoot. As many times as I have tried, the word reimbursement must be sung, danced, and mimed before the said deed can be done. I go through all the possible variations “reim-BURS-AY-Ment” “re-im-bursement” “remburse-mEnt”. Some people make a very distinct stink face when speaking with someone with an EEEAAA-ccent. Their eyes get narrow, their eyebrows furrow, and all I want to do is get my REM-burse-mehhhn and run wee wee wee all the way home.
Long story short, after a few failed attempts, I successfully ordered a delicious boeuf BEUR-guigon several times for lunch today at my new favorite bistro Les Quilles. Stink faces not included!
Les Quilles, 123 Blvd Menilmontant 75011 Paris tel: 01 47 00 03 66 http://www.lesquilles.fr.
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