LL-L: "Expressions" LOWLANDS-L, 25.MAR.2002 (02) [E]

[Sandy Fleming]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 25.MAR.2002 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: "Randy Elzinga" <frisiancow at hotmail.com>
Subject: "Expressions"

>Lowlanders,
>
>Last night two of my roommates were about to eat.  One of them, a
>francophone, said "Bon appetit".  The other one, a speaker of English,
>Spanish, and Cantonese, was forced to respond in Spanish because he
>couldn't think of an English equivalent to the French phrase.  Are there
>any phrases in English for French "bon appetit" other than actually
>using the French?
>
>Randy Elzinga.

Jorge Potter wrote:

About the best we can do is "Eat up!" or "Enjoy!"

Jorge, Lowlanders,

"Eat up" was the first thing that popped into my mind.  I suggested this,
and the Cantonese/Spanish speaker laughed at me.  I'm not quite sure why.
The purpose of the phrases in the various languages seems mostly to be to
tell people to start eating, and "Eat up" does just that.  Nothing funny
about that.  I guess it doesn't seem as eloquent as "bon appetit", and it's
much more direct.  I seems that most of the English phrases, and those in
the other languages too, I think, are basically issuing a command, whereas
the French and Spanish (see below for my best educated guess) avoid the use
of the imperative.

He also informed me that the Cantonese equivalent translates directly as
"Eat rice".  The Spanish phrase he gave me sounded something like "Bueno
provisio" (this is probably not correct, which I would presume means
something "good meal", or "good provision".

That's all I have to say for now.

Randy Elzinga
frisiancow at hotmail.com

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