Heaven, Hell, or Hoboken: Last in a Series
There was a catch to General John Pershing's promise of "Heaven, Hell, or Hoboken:" many of those who got the first two options still had to pass through Hoboken on their way home to their final resting places, since Hoboken's combined rail, train, and subway terminal was (and still is) the main hub connecting the New York metro area with the rest of the United States. The ferry terminal section has been unused for more than 25 years, but a restoration project is about to begin. The train station has already been restored (thank you, Sen. Frank Lautenberg). Here's an old postcard showing the terminal.
The doughboys' "War to End All War" couldn't accomplish that, and these days it seems war may never end. And these days, war isn't just somewhere "over there."
The first World War began in 1914 with an assassination in one of the Balkan states that later became Yugoslavia. Today, in another of those Balkan republics that were once Yugoslavia, there was another assassination: Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindic, 50, was gunned down in Belgrade. Djindic was active in the opposition to former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who finally gave up power in 2000 and is now on trial for war crimes. It was Djindic who turned Milosevic over to the International Tribunal in the Hague.
Like these flag-covered doughboys, Djindic was trying to make the world a better and more peaceful place when he died. It's up to the rest of us to keep working toward that goal. While it would be nice if we could agree on how to go about that, those who can disagree peacefully and respect each other despite those disagreements are showing us the way.
I was going to end there, but I can't sign off without making note, as most everybody in the media has done all day, of the revised menus in the U.S. House of Representatives' cafeteria, where "Freedom Fries" and "Freedom Toast" have replaced the fries and toast previously known as French. It was Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio and Rep. Walter Jones of North Carolina, neither of whom has apparently ever been to Europe, who represented their constituents by making that happen.
Gentlemen, the French don't call the things "French fries" or "French toast" in the first place! All you guys are accomplishing with this, aside from wasting your time and our tax dollars, is demonstrating ignorance of and to the rest of the world.
In France, what we call fries — whether French, freedom, curly or cheese — are called "pommes frittes," which is short for "pommes de terre frittes," which is "fried apples of the earth," or "fried potatoes." They eat them with mayonnaise, but we won't go into that here. If they ever do refer to them as fries, they call them "Belgian fries."
In France, what we call "French toast" is known as "pain perdu," or "lost bread."
Taking the "French" out of fries and toast is kind of like trying to take the "Dutch" out of "Pennsylvania Dutch" to protest the actions of The Netherlands. The term "Pennsylvania Dutch" came from the language early immigrants spoke there, the name of which sounded something like "Dutch" to English-speakers. And sure enough, "Deutsch" does sound a lot like "Dutch" — the languages are related, to each other and to English. If the likes of Ney and Jones had been in Congress during World War I, when sauerkraut became "liberty cabbage," they might also have changed "Pennsylvania Dutch" to "Pennsylvania Freedom," because the Pennsylvania Dutch were GERMAN.
Besides, as a friend of mine pointed out this morning, trying to control the language like that "COULDN'T BE MORE FRENCH IF YOU PUT A BERET ON IT."
What's next: no turkey for Thanksgiving unless the U.S. gets to use military bases in the country with the same name?
So for Reps. Ney and Jones, and for our friends the French, who helped us win the American Revolution and who have been on our side ever since even though we have not always agreed, let's bring in one more song from World War II. You can hear a 1915 rendition of "Mademoiselle from Armentieres" in the vintage audio collection at Firstworldwar.com.
Mademoiselle from Armentieres
by Harry Carlton and Joe Tunbridge
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Mademoiselle from Armentieres,
She hasn't been kissed in forty years,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
She had the form like the back of a hack,
When she cried the tears ran down her back,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
She never could hold the love of man
'Cause she took her baths in a talcum can,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
She had four chins, her knees would knock,
And her face would stop a cuckoo clock,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
She could beg a franc, a drink, a meal,
But it wasn't because of sex appeal,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
She could guzzle a barrel of sour wine,
And eat a hog without peeling the rind,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.
The MPS think they won the war, Parley-voo.
The MPS think they won the war, Parley-voo.
The MPS think they won the war,
Standing guard at the café door,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.
The officers get the pie and cake, Parley-voo.
The officers get the pie and cake, Parley-voo.
The officers get the pie and cake,
And all we get is the bellyache,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.
The sergeant ought to take a bath, Parley-voo.
The sergeant ought to take a bath, Parley-voo.
If he changes his underwear
The frogs will give him the Croix-de-Guerre,
Hinky-dinky, parley-voo.
You might forget the gas and shells, Parley-voo.
You might forget the gas and shells, Parley-voo.
You might forget the groans and yells
But you'll never forget the mademoiselles,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Mademoiselle from Armentieres, Parley-voo?
Just blow your nose, and dry your tears,
We'll all be back in a few short years,
Hinky, dinky, parley-voo.
posted by Janet Dagley Dagley @3:50 PM
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12.3.03  |
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