I could barely go out of my building this morning for the garbage men are on strike again (remember, their last strike took place only a few months ago). Apparently there is a new negotiation round coming up in one month and this is probably a "warning"! Something I never told you I think: in French garbage cans are called "Poubelle" (Une poubelle), after the name of Eugène-René Poubelle, a prefet de police (head of the Paris police headquarters) who passed a law saying that "from now on (March 7, 1884), landlords must provide their tenants with a box that allows them to put their garbage and fire remains". A newspaper started calling them "the Poubelle boxes" and there you go! That is how you make history LOL!
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwww! Heat wave + garbage strike = pas glop!!!
ReplyDeleteHope it doesn't last too long, otherwise you might be visited by some little furry friends (not RATatouille, those have retired in Beverly Hills ;)
Tomate Farcie
HA HA HA
ReplyDeleteHow's that for thanks!
Kris
I appreciate the historical insight! The pronunciation of "poubelle" in English might be considered somewhat of an oxymoron as in "crap" / "beautiful," so I guess its a fitting word for garbage can afterall. ;-) What is the expression? "One man's garbage is another man's treasure." I do hope the strike doesn't last long for as Tomate points out it could get messy stinky soon.
ReplyDeleteOoooh, ça ne sent pas bon! Hope you don't have to deal with this for too long. I've always thought that poubelle is a beautiful word, especially for what it is—so thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteheading for France on Friday- how is the political climate following the Bin Ladin situation ?
ReplyDelete@Anonymous. Well, not very different from usual. Don't worry!
ReplyDeleteThere is always one strike or another in Paris...not very different from usual on that account either!
ReplyDeleteJudging by your photo, the bin laden situation in Paris looks pretty serious.
ReplyDeleteLOOOOOOL Drummond !!!!!!You really made me laugh out loud.
ReplyDeleteEric
ReplyDeleteI get my rubbish collected twice a month and only if I can manage to fit everything in.
It is like a permanent dustman strike...
LOL Drummond. Those bins certainly do look laden with garbage. Can you imagine having your name changed from something you're proud of to something that describes garbage cans? I really hope my name would be changed to mean something beautiful! I hope for all of Paris' sake that the strike would be done soon.
ReplyDeleteAs I lost my mobile phone yesterday in Paris, it looks like 'poubelle' for me... Sure it won't be 'poubelle' for everyone though... :(
ReplyDeleteParis is a beautiful city (when it's clean) but all these ridiculous strikes make it a most undesirable destination. What a shame! I used to love Paris.
ReplyDeleteDrummond: chapeau!
ReplyDelete