Why are the French so persnickety?
First, they insisted that a sparkling white wine can only be called champagne if it comes from the Champagne region in Northeastern France. If it comes from anywhere else, it must be called sparkling white wine.
So, while champagne is always sparkling white wine, not all sparkling white wine is champagne (this information comes from answerbag.com).
The French, it seems, can also get prickly over another naming issue.
There is a small town there (population: 7,500) called Condom. It is near the city of Bordeaux. The town has now banned the sale of condoms branded as "The Original Condom from Condom, France".
A company there, headed by royal descendant Charles-Emmanuel de Bourbon Parme and Count Gil de Bizemont, sells this product in France under this brand name. But the material and place of production is -- you guessed it! -- Malaysia.
So, Condom's mayor then got a judicial ruling that stated: "It is clear that the use of the name, the image and the renown of the town of Condom, without its knowledge, for entirely commercial ends, [is] manifestly illicit." The town is also seeking a complete ban on the "Original Condom" brand.
The Digital Spy website, which has a story on all this brouhaha, adds that in French, a condom is called a préservatif and the town name is said to derive from the latin Condatomagus, meaning "old gallic market". Condom is also located on the River Baïse, and "baise" is coincidentally French slang for "f**k".
On second thoughts, I can see why the people of Condom (is there a demonym for them?) are so prickly.
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