Ménage à trois – French Fact or French Fantasy
I asked my French friend Capucine if people in France really have ménage à trois all the time. It’s a French phrase, they invented it so I guess they do it.
She said “Non, non. It’s just a stereotype. ‘Ménage à trois’ means ‘ousehold of sree’ and ze only one I ‘ave ever ‘eard of is when I go to ze seatre.”
“Seater? Like an upholsterer? I guess the leather has a sensous feel huh.”
“Non non – ze seatre! You know, stage, actors, plays. Seatre.”
“Oh, right.”
“It’s an old zing in pantomime. Ze ‘usband and wife will be ‘aving an argument – ze wife says ze ‘usband is ‘aving an affair… But zen, all of a sudden, ze wife’s lover jumps out of ze closet and bursts into song ‘Laaa!’ See. ‘Ousehold of sree.”
A while later I mentioned this to my friend Francois over Facebook. He said:
“What??? Are you serious man??? Zat shit is bullshit!!!” I don’t know why he talks in a French accent even over the Internet. Weird, isn’t it?
“I tell you man – we learn zat shit very early on… It is like ze first sing we learn. It is like lesson one day one kindergarten shit man!!!
“We get into class and we learn to count – ze teacher say to us ‘okay repeat after me. It goes: un, deux, ménage à trois.’!!!”
I guess it depends what crowd you hang out with.
