So, I rented an apartment, site unseen over the internet. It is only about 5 blocks north of my former hotel but is a totally different world. It is a mini-Chinatown, complete with Chinese restaurants, Chinese stores, Chinese markets, Chinese hair-washing spots and a Chinese tea room. The neighborhood is festooned with red lanterns to celebrate the Chinese New Year, which starts tomorrow. This is a shot looking east down my street - Rue au Maire.
Here is a shot from the other end of the block, looking west. My apartment is on the left, two buildings in. There are no cars allowed on the block, which makes it quiet - a real plus.
I took a walk around and stumbled into some of my neighbors doing Tai Chi in the local park. It was about 30 degrees out and these old biddies were doing their thing.
There is even a nearby store for Hatebean - Sainte Foy. No idea what they sell, Hatebean.
Click on this map to get an idea of how close the new hood is to the old hood.
2 comments:
Hey! Older, mature women doing Tai Chi in 30 deg. weather deserve a better name than "old biddies"! These women seem the same age as your sainted mother & her chums.
"Biddy" is actually a very interesting word because it has two separate origins, both fairly well-documented, which is unusual for a slang term. The primary meaning of "biddy" is "chicken," and it first appeared in the early 17th century. The word probably came from the nonsense syllables used to call chickens -- something like "here biddybiddybiddy"
By the late 18th century "biddy" had been adopted as a derogatory slang term for women, much in the same unfortunate way that "chick" was in the 1960's.
However, "biddy" in this sense might have died a welcome death had it not been for the influx of Irish immigrants into the U.S. in the early 19th century. Young Irish women often had their passage paid by upper-class American families, for whom they would then work as domestic servants while they paid off their debt. The practice was so widespread that such women came to be known as "Biddies," from a shortening of "Bridget," a common Irish women's name. This use of "biddie" reinvigorated the word, and ever since it has been employed by insolent children to torment their elders.
So, Sal, blame the Irish!
Post a Comment