Travails of Patricia Russo
30 November 2006 at 10:34 am Peter Klein Leave a comment
| Peter Klein |
As a certified Francophile I can make fun of the French without getting in trouble. So I enjoyed a segment on NPR this morning (can’t find it online, unfortunately) about Alcatel CEO Patricia Russo, the only American to head a major French company. Russo, as you may have heard, has caused a stir by refusing to learn French. The NPR segment featured a Russo impersonator being tutored in French culture. Sample:
Tutor: Let us try some word association. When I say “Jerry Lewis,” you say. . . .
Russo: Idiot.
Tutor: Mais non! In France, we say, “genius.” Now, when I say “McDonald’s,” you say. . . .
Russo: French fries.
Tutor: Non! You say, “Hellhole”! Now, ”Iraq.”
Russo: Quagmire.
Tutor: Bon! We agree on something!
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