A while ago one of the people I know on Facebook started
a thread by recounting a cross-cultural moment that happened to friends of his
in-laws some years ago.
It seems this couple, French, were out in the country
(state unspecified) and stopped at a stand where rabbits were for sale. There
was quite the conversation between this couple and the one selling the rabbits,
because the Americans were selling them for pets while the French folk were thinking
in terms of dinner. Once the truth became apparent, “they all stopped talking
and just stared at one another.”
(Actually—I never heard whether they ended up buying a
rabbit. I suspect not, though. At least not on this occasion.)
This triggered a tale of my own—or, more precisely, of a
friend of mine. Which of course I shared.
Because Leilah, children’s librarian at Oregon City
Public Library, was in the market for a pet for her family, so she telephoned a
breeder of French lop rabbits. There was the expected discussion of when the
latest litter would be old enough, price, etc. Then the woman asked, “And would
you like it dressed?”
Well, Leilah (I did mention the part about being a
children’s librarian, right?) pictured Peter Rabbit and got a little confused.
After a bit they got it straightened out and she eventually picked up the bunny
without the little coat and trousers, but alive.
After a big guffaw on the Facebook thread, I called
Leilah just by way of checking that I’d got the story more or less right.
That’s when I discovered there was a further chapter.
Because it seems that around the time the unclothed but nonetheless adorable bunny
made its appearance in her household, Leilah got a call from her Seattle
cousin. And in the course of that conversation, she announced that she’d just
acquired a rabbit.
Alice said, “So did we.”
Leilah: “Ours is a French lop. What’s yours?”
Alice: (Pause) “A diesel…”
Seriously, I cannot make this stuff up. Happy Friday!
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