Kulturmøde

Lørdag den 22. januar er franskhold plus lærer inviteret til sammenskudsfrokost.

Fransklærer Fred kommer med quiche Lorraine, spanske Xavier med tortilla, polske Joanna med klejner (på polsk hedder det noget andet), tjekkiske Alena med æbletærte, Jingji fra Kina og hans franske veninde Alexandra har "nem" - konceptet er a la forårsrulle og det spises med to slags sovs - og desuden kinesisk slik lavet af en slags gummi med peanuts og rullet i sesam, Caroline fra Canada kommer med thaicurry og så har jeg bikset frikadeller og brød sammen. Jingjis ruller løber nok med førsteprisen, det er bare for eksotisk at spise hjemmelavet kinesisk mad i Verzy.

Saturday 22nd of January we have invited the French-course with teacher for lunch that they have been asked to bring themselves. Pretty smart...

The teacher Fred brings quiche Lorraine, spanish Xavier arrives with a tortilla, Joanna from Poland have made klejner (in Polish it is called something else), Alena from the Czech Republic has made an apple pie, Jingji from China and his French friend Alexandra bring "nem" - the concept is a kind of springroll that you eat with two kind of sauce. They have also made chinese sweets which is a kind of gum with peanuts and sesamy. Caroline from Canada brings thaicurry and I have made bread and frikadeller. For me Jingjis rolls are the best, it is just so exotic to eat homemade chinese food in Verzy.

Men ellers er det selvfølgelig kulturmødet, der er det helt spændende her. Således fortæller Jingji at folk i Nordkina generelt er mere åbne end folk sydpå, hvilket er helt interessant sammenlignet med Xaviers hovedtese (med et glimt i øjet) om at folk ligner deres klima, og derfor er spaniere åbne og varme og snakkende, mens de lokale i det kolde Reims er lukkede, bourgeouis og kolde.

Jingji fortæller, at han har haft H.C. Andersen på pensum på gymnasiet i Kina. "Den lille pige med svovlstikkerne". Det er en utrolig tanke, at noget så typisk for sin tid og sit miljø i den grad har taget turen hele jorden rundt. I bogstaveligste forstand. Jeg tænker på, hvordan sådan en historie opleves og forstås i Kina. Men det er selvfølgelig netop det, der er en stor forfatters kvalitet, at hans eller hendes ord netop er almenmenneskelige og derfor lader sig omsætte og forstå i så anderledes en kultur.

Caroline forklarer om det canadiske sprogpoliti. Nærmere bestemt det sprogpolitiet i Quebec. Her skal butiksansatte tiltale alle på fransk før engelsk, og man mener det virkelig. Sprogpolitiets opgave er incognito at undersøge, at denne lov bliver overholdt. Vi kunne næsten ikke tro, hvad vi hørte.

But of course the meeting of cultures is what is really interesting here. Jingji explains that people in Northern China in general are more open than those in the South, which is interesting to compare with Xaviers theory (with a glimpse in the eye) about people ressembling their climate. This is why the Spanish are open, warm and talk a lot, while the locals in cold Reims are closed, bourgeouis and cold.

Jingji explains that he has read H.C. Andersen in his high school in China. "The little girl with the tindersticks". It is such a thought to imagine a story so typical for its time and environment really has made it all the way around the world. I think about how such a story is understood and analyzed in China. But of course this is exactly what makes the really great writers. They can use the words in a way that is general to all humans, which is also why people from a completely different culture can relate to it.

Caroline explains about the Canadian languagepolice in Quebec. This is a state where all employees in the shops must adress customers in French before English, and they are dead serious. The duties of the languagepolice is - incognito - to check that the law is kept. We could hardly believe, what we heard.


Clement har fundet ud af, at det er vildt hyggeligt og avanceret at spise i køkkenet, når alle andre sidder i stuen. Han lever af hemmelige reserver af corn flakes og brød.

Clement has realized that it is quite comfortable and advanced to eat in the kitchen when everybody else sits in the livingroom. Today he has chosen to survice lunch on secret reserves of corn flakes and bread.


Polske klejner, hvad giver I?

Kulturmødets vildeste oplevelse er Joannas klejner, der er drysset med flormelis, skåret ud med en takket klejnespore og oven i købet vredet på præcis samme måde som danske klejner. Konsistensen er dog anderledes. De er papirstynde og der er kun luft inden i. Hun siger, der er vodka i, så nu venter jeg spændt på opskriften. I Polen er det i øvrigt en fastelavnsspise.

Famous Polish klejner.

The most crazy experience must be the klejner of Joanna. With sugar on them, created with a special tool and with exactly the same twist as you make in Denmark. The texture however is different. They are thin as paper and only with air inside. She says there is vodka in them too, so now I am quite curious for the recipie. In Poland they eat these cakes for carneval, by the way, in Denmark it is for x-mas.