When one studies a language in school or a class, one studies it as it should be…. 
Not as it is.
Take the, controversial, MessieurDame.
In France, one greets people with ‘Bonjour Monsieur’ or ‘Bonjour Madame’ upon meeting them for the first time, each day.
Here, in farm country, if there is both a man and a woman present, one hears Bonjour ‘MessieurDame’ to encompass both sexes or a group of people.
All of the Parisian wags instruct us non-native speakers to never, never, never say that.
All of the language gurus instruct us non-native speakers to speak the local language.
I was commenting on this to my s-i-l (who is visiting from the U.S.) and on other unexpected challenges.
Two weeks is not ‘deux semaine’ when speaking, but ‘quinze jours’ or fifteen days.
Similarly, one week is ‘huit jours’ or eight days.
Then my s-i-l brought up a reference to time that mon mari and I can’t agree on:
If today is Tuesday, is the day that is 5 days in the future ‘This Sunday’?
Or ‘Next Sunday’?
I maintain that it’s ‘This Sunday’ and that ‘Next Sunday’ refers to the day ‘one week from this Sunday’.
Mon mari maintains that the first Sunday in our immediate future is ‘Next Sunday’.
As you might guess, we have some awkward conversations in trying to determine the specific day we are talking about.
Me: Are you talking about 2 days from now or 9 days from now?
Mon mari: I’m talking about next Sunday – what’s so difficult to understand? Sheesh!
Me; in an attempt to simplify: do you mean the 13th?
Mon mari: I don’t know, I don’t have a calendar.
Me, quietly in the corner, banging my head against the wall…..
But, really, what do you expect?
You know we are still trying to agree on the definition of salad…
Someone ought to write a book telling us what all the words mean… Wouldn’t that be a novel idea?
I bet lots of people would buy it…
I know lots of people that should…. But we’ll leave that rant for another day.
For this day, I have an old, favorite Pasta Salad, er, Dish. I’ve been making it for more years than I’m willing to admit, but, suffice it to say, at least 2 years before pasta salads were EVERYWHERE!
I actually quit making it for awhile…. Too ‘common’.
The recipe, Italian Picnic Pasta Salad, has been updated, nutrition information added, and re-posted here: Italian Picnic Pasta Salad.
I revived it the other day….Still good and a worthy pasta for Ruth’s Presto Pasta Nights, which is back home at
BTW: to the Brits 1 week is a sennight, and 2 weeks a fortnight… But that makes sense to me.
And ‘Next Monday’ aka: the Monday following ‘This Monday’? Simple: ‘Monday week’.
Hmmmm, they may have sorted this out…..
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Katie, the medley in this pasta salad is magnique. So, there’s 12 ingredients in it, with French logic, it’s called Treize Salade?
This looks amazing and perfect for summer. I don’t like a lot of sauce on pasta salad and this looks like it’d fit the bill!
We have a similar discussion about our front and back door on the lake. I say to door facing the lake opening into the living room is the front door. Gorn says the door facing the woods & driveway opening into the kitchen is the front door. sigh . . . is it in the genes ;))
I seem to remember a salad very much like this one and remember it as excellent.
personaly I would say a week from Sunday.
First, yet again, you have me laughing, so thanks for that.
Second, don’t kill me, but I’d say…this coming Sunday, but what do I know.
And your pasta salad looks delish! Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Night.
Peter, you understand so well!
Lynn, lots of veggies/not so much dressing… Me too!
Tanna, the door into the kitchen is always the back door…everyone knows that…
Shayne, would that be a week from THIS Sunday?
Ruth, I think I just eliminate the ‘coming’ part… always trying to conserves, you know!
I say “this Sunday” too.
I love the herb packed vinaigrette!
Italian Vinaigrette – oh, you’ve made this Italian a happy, happy girl. 🙂
loulou, then we must be right!
Chris, my version of Wishbone, without all the unprouncables ( I made up that word)
I’m with you on the days thing. Next sunday is the Sunday following this Sunday coming up. The NEXT (slot in appropriate day) is always over a week away and THIS is always the closest one in the immediate future. It causes a lot of problems for me here in the Somerset countryside, where ‘just now’ which in SOuth Africa means ‘in a little while’, tends to mean ‘immediately if not sooner’ to the SOmerset locals. needless to say I’m still teh odd foreigner who never makes sense. Pasta salad is still pasta salad in any language though, and yours looks yummy!
african vanielje – perfectly explained… Thank you. And you are, of course, absolutely correct!
Yup, I am with you on the Sunday thing.
I’ve always found the “this/next” issue confusing. I’m afraid I tend to side with your husband on my intuitive understanding of the terms, but I do see your logic.
Hope your summer is cooking up well!