Thursday, October 9, 2008

L'Enfant Plaza

Dear Metro drivers,



I don't want to sound condescending, but this has gone on for way too long. I understand that the quality of education you received, your cultural upbringing, and opportunities for international travel may have been somewhat limited in comparison to mine, but you have to understand that L'Enfant Plaza is pronounced L'on-fahnt. The first part, prior to the hyphen, is kind of like a sensual, slightly breathless sound. Its French. Kind of like that fake LV that your babymama is carrying would be if it weren't made in China and bought from a street vendor. It is NOT Ebonics. It should not be pronounced "La Fant." No, that's the girl your son was dating before he started 'hookin up wit Shaniqua'. I thank you kindly for recognizing and remaining cognizant of this distinction for many Metro rides to come.



Sincerely,

Sarah

(And all the other Francophone, knowledgeable, and just plain disgruntled riders of the blue, orange, yellow, and green Metro lines.)



P.S. - I will be moving to Friendship Heights soon, which is on the red line and doesn't go through L'Enfant, so you won't have to worry about me, but try to change for the greater good... And your own personal betterment.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

5 comments:

Unknown said...

the only french i know is:

"j'ai beaucoup d'amour pour les enfants"

i learned it from a old man in paris when i was a little boy. still not sure what it means, but i got free lollipops from him...

Tanya said...

Oh, thank you thank you for this. And while you're at it, will you please tell people how to correctly pronounce "forte"? It's just one of those little things that makes me cranky..I have a good friend who grew up in Paris. I always ask her to say the most ridiculous phrases in French, because everything sounds sexy in French, even "The toilet has run over and there is poop on the floor!"

Justin said...

Um, amazing.

LV references in this context are priceless.

Sarah said...

Thank you for the comments, everyone! It's such a nice feeling to know that people a) read my blog and, more importantly, b) share my pain! :)

Jeff, did you grow up in France? I'm assuming not, because you don't know what that phrase means, but that's awesome that you spent time there as a kid!

Haha, Tanya, I hear you!! Gross about the poop. :)

Justin, I was thinking of you when I wrote that comment. I miss you and your snarkiness. :)

Unknown said...

oh, i mourn the loss of the effectiveness of sarcasm in text format.

i know EXACTLY what that phrase means...now that i'm an adult and i realize that the old man really DID love children and that those weren't lollipops.