FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

Very funny and beautifully written! ❤️ And yes, you did have me for a second there. 😃

So funny! LOL! Could have believed it! :) :) :). Great story Kristi!

I believed you, even though I live in France! So gullible!

Yes! You got me, but then I tend to believe whatever you have to say even after so many years.

Bonjour Kristi! Bien joué! You got me. Very clever and well done!

I found it totally believable - as practically everything government does seems like it could be brought to life on the stage of the 'theatre of the bizarre'. the intrusion on our lives by government regulations and controls has spun out of control. Fortunately as an expat living in Turkiye I am not allowed to work here, so interference in our personal finances is never an issue. If I contribute to the local economy by paying for my utility bills, buying groceries and other needs at the shops - the Turks are OK with my presence and offer little to nothing in the way of intrusion. Living in a small village overlooking the Mediterranean Sea is rather akin to living on the far side of the moon to Turkish revenue officials. As for the Boucherie just drop them a note and inform them that you are a former mental patient with a history of violence and that having ease of access to all those knives just doesn't seem like a good idea at all....

You get me every year and I remembered the date this morning too.
Thank you for the laugh!

Dear Kristie, Hi I'm with you. I have enjoyed you for many years with a taste of FRance as well.. I think also you You are true blue. In that vein, here is another writer I'm loving reading and I think he might make money as a satirist, humorist and one never knows: Here is a commercial: His other books writings are equally witty/entertaining. (As a product of well educated son of famous parents, he did them proud I believe as a writer.

“A rollicking good time, Christopher Buckley has transported his signature wit and irreverence from the Beltway to sixteenth-century Europe in The Relic Master” (GQ). This epic quest, “as rascally and convivial as any that Mr. Buckley has written” (The Wall Street Journal), is filled with fascinating details about art, religion, politics, and science; Vatican intrigue; and Buckley’s signature wit “holds the reader till the very last page” (The New York Times Book Review).

You got me! But then, I remembered other April Fools Days when you succeeded in getting me. You are a very clever writer, Kristi. Keep it up!

You spin the best April Fool’s stories. Thanks for the chuckle.

You get me every year!

Bonjour, Kristi - I believed every word! Sounds absolutely like something the French government would do! 😂😂😂😂😂 Bon weekend!!

Very amusing! As one who is already planning to move to France in 2 years (actually to retire with my husband) when I was reading your story, I was suddenly starting to worry that we could be "reassigned" since we're going to be living off of simply our US Social Security. I checked.Fortunately, we'll be collecting more than the minimum wage in France. Phew! But for a minute, I was starting to panic. Still enjoying your writing...for years. Happy April Fools Day!

Tax return early? No one I know does an early tax return! least of all me,,, Im lucky if I get it in by Oct 15, the extension date! One good thing about covid ( the only good thing aside from working from home...though 24/7 proximity to a fridge is not good) ) is that I had a extra few months. for my tax return. ...so your story didnt ring true! Loved the idea of your being a butcher, were they telling you that you butchered the language??? . HA! ( yes, poisson d'Avril!) I have friends in La Ciotat right now, where is Jean-Marc's wine shop? they are there for a month from SF... They are loving it!

Yep, Kristi got me too. And I didn’t really question that the French bureaucracy would do such a thing!

Your story brought me the incredible gift of laughter on yet another very dreary Ohio morning. I felt a bit guilty at first, thinking this is no laughing matter, so I was greatly relieved to get to the end and find out it truly WAS a laughing matter-lol!! Happy April 1!

(I think it struck me so funny because my son and DIL just returned from a trip to Paris and he was telling me how much he loved the ‘laid back, unhurried & friendly lifestyle.’ He said, “I want to be an American Parisian.” Everything in me wanted to share a broader and perhaps more ‘realistic’ view of French life, so your ‘tale’ of French govt woes reaffirmed my ‘obligation to inform him’ in his naïveté-haha!!)

Well done….hook, line, and sinker!

No special comment on the blague, but I wanted to let you know that I went to a wine pairing dinner last night at Rendezvous (the sister restaurant to Bouchon in Asheville NC). They were pairing the wines of the Domaine Rouge-Bleu, and I was able to talk to Thomas Bertrand. Of course we talked about you and Jean Marc with Thomas and with Michel, the owner of the restaurant. Tout était tres agréable.

Hi Kristi,
Yes, you got me again. I know it is April Fool’s Day, but I just let it pass. Great story and I wouldn’t put it past government bureaucracy to create something like that. You could write satire.
Thank you for the laugh. We need it these days.
Peace, Kathleen

Tu l'as coince! Bravo!!

You got me the first few years I was following you but I am ready for you on April 1 these days. I loved it - you are very clever and a wonderful writer. I have your books and have enjoyed everyone of them. Happy weekend.

Dear Kristi,

After reading last week’s story, I reminded myself to be prepared for your next post, Friday, April 1st. I told myself to not fall for whatever outrageous tale you had to tell.
And then I fell for it, yes, hook, line and sinker. It happens every year! You are so good at this…and I am so gullible.

You are so BAAAAD. We have become vegetarians after having read this, haha.

I was ready this year because I have fallen for it several times in the past!

You get me every time. This morning I even thought about your April Fools emails and how funny they are. And then I fell for it. :)

The catacombs are still my favorite, but the image of "sweet Kristie" with a carving knife in her hand, while having an "axe to grind" against government systems is pretty good. Maybe that's how Hannibal Lector got his start. Bou!, cherie!

Anything is possible in the new world order. You got me, and I laughed! Thanks!

Every year you get me! You had me until the drumroll! This is my aunt’ s birthday, I paid bills this morning, well aware of the date, and STILL. . .!
I have been accused in the U.S. of not making enough money, been folded into absurdities, so it seemed very plausible for a few minutes.
Chapeau!
We are all so eager in New York for some real spring, I hope this is it now!
Happy April and poisson d’avril everyone!

Ha1 Unfortunately, knowing France all too well, your story could be based in fact.

Every year in the past you got me!!1. This time since I already saw a few other April fools jokes and knew it was April 1. I was ready for you. But it was a good read and not too far fetched in my mind given what you said about the government directives as of lately. As I’ve been dealing with the same issues seeing about applying for social security at this time and jumping through the hoops this one resonated with me.

This was so very funny! Merci.

At first I started to fall for it, but then I realized it was 4/1/22 and read the remainder with delight. You always do such a great job on this day of the year (and all other days too.) Merci.

😂🤣😂
rire à haute voix!!
tu es le meilleur 😘

How do you manage such complete believability every year and get us every time? You are a very skilled April wolf in FWAD’s sheep’s clothing. You would think we’d learn! 🥸😅 Oh my! I was getting worried!

You had me until all the job reassignments!

You got me again, Kristin! Bravo.

You had me too! Loved the puns and the last sentence just perfect :D

I can't tell you how relieved I am to learn that the French government doesn't really do this. Great story!

No, not this time! I have been tricked every previous year, but I know better now. However, when you started out on a serious note about your low income and would you qualify for French Social Security (40 quarters of work required in the USA - how many in France?), I was wondering if you had decided to put off the poisson d'avril joke for a day or two, to keep us on our toes. The details of your royalties, the amount of the SMIC, etc. were interesting and relevant. True, many people aren't paid what they are worth, but I'm glad you enjoy what you do - and I've though numerous times that in creating the blog, you not only have made many friends, you have created a family history that I'm sure you and your relatives will enjoy looking at from time to time.

I know that you wrote "butchering" the language to fit with the butcher job you implied you would have to get, but you don't butcher the language in real life. I can see that over the years, your French has gotten better and better. By now, you must be nearly bilingual. Once when I was watching an interview when you were still at a vineyard, you were rattling off French so fast, it was very impressive. Don't sell yourself short. And I'm grateful that you have shared your knowledge with the rest of us. Merci!

Ken, Your last sentence gave me my belly laugh for the day. Thanks so much! Also I found the info about living in Turkey interesting. What are they doing in Turkey regarding COVID? Mandatory shots? Vaccine passports? I've been wanting to visit Turkey for a long time but it is still so difficult to travel because of the frequently changing restrictions/rules by every country.

Hilarious! Merci beaucoup! The story was great and the topping on the cupcake was the naked ? guy in the picture. So funny.