Kif-Kif

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I stare at her, open-mouthed. Shocked that such a word has come out of the mouth of this chic French girl with her typical red lipstick and perfect hair. “What did you just say,” I ask. “Kif-kif,” she responds with a slight accent. “It’s a very popular slang word in Marseille…” she continues, explaining the word to the other American students around us, but I have stopped listening. I already know this word. I heard it for the first time six months ago in Morocco but, while it quickly became on of my favorite Moroccan expressions, I never imagined I would be hearing or using it much outside of Morocco.  I knew Marseille was a diverse city, but before this experience, and others like it, I just didn’t understand the true character of the city.

The meaning of kif-kif is equivalent in Morocco and Marseille; it literally means “the same.” So if your friend orders a coffee at a café and you would like one as well you simply tell the waiter, “kif-kif.” Or if you show up to school wearing the same shirt as another student you laugh and tell everyone you are “kif-kif” fro the rest of the day.

In Morocco you could say kif-kif to anyone and be understood. In Marseille, it’s popular with university and high school students and, of course, in full use among the immigrant families themselves. It is thanks to them, after all, the word entered the city’s vocabulary in the first place. But it’s due to the unique character of Marseille that “kif-kif” achieved its popularity. 

The city is a blend of Mediterranean cultures and has a lexicon and dialect all its own. The rest of France tends to make fun of Marseille with its long “a” vowels and crazy foreign words but I find such integration one of the city’s best qualities. Marseillians themselves don’t consider it strange to incorporate Italian, Spanish, or Arabic words into their conversations. If you question them about their use of a non-French word they will say, “Yes, but I am Marseillais.”

It is this attitude that I couldn’t comprehend before living here. The personality of Marseille is so strong that it overtakes even nationality. And while there are some problems in such a diverse city, there is a such distinct sense of “Marseille” that joins everyone together. So it makes sense the word “kif-kif”(the same) would be in vogue in Marseille. The Marseillans wouldn't have it any other way. 

Film a la francaise

The lights dim. The music begins. John Williams’ notorious melody floods the theater. A picture of outer space appears. The title reads: STAR WARS. But the iconic first line “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” is not there. Instead, “Il y a bien longtemps dans une glaxie lointaine, tres lointaine…” scrolls across the screen.

The movie theater in France is, in principle, the same as in the U.S. Posters of upcoming attractions cover the walls and everything is decorated in bright colors and modern shapes. But there are little differences that strike me. The popcorn sizes are notably reduced and there is not nearly as much butter soaking the container. Everyone queues up in the main lobby in orderly lines according to the time of their showing. And no one dares show up in sweat pants.

The film too, while visually the same as the American version, changes slightly with French dubbing. The court, casual American phrases are transformed into lengthy formal sentences. Yoda doesn’t sound as strange in French, as the language naturally features inversion (“know you the homework for tomorrow?” is perfectly correct here). And of course the series most famous line “May the force be with you” sounds ridiculous in French “Que la force soit avec toi.”

But the entertainment value is still there. We all laugh at Jar Jar Binks and lean forward during the light saber battles. When the lights come up the boys (young and old) imitate the fights with slashing motions and personal sound effects and everyone is slightly humming along with the credits as we exit.

American culture is not, in general, admired by the French. We drink our coffee too fast. Our food is unoriginal, supersized, and unhealthy. We talk too loud and walk around wearing any old thing. But our movies, our movies are fantastic. Everyone in France knows the latest hit, the hottest actors and actresses, the next big director. They speak about ‘Arrison ‘Ord and ‘Ow I Met ‘Our Mooother” with wonderfully hilarious accents. They admire “The Artsist” even though it hasn’t been released here yet and they mourn the deaths of starts like Heath Ledger and Patrick Swayze.

Films have always been admired in France and with the increased and easy access to information the Internet provides that appreciation has only grown. When I run out of things to talk about with my language partner or my host siblings, I just bring up Hollywood. It’s interesting that this connection is such a superficial one, the movies are never anything like real life. But maybe that’s exactly the point. We all love the escape, the fantasy they provide. The chance to imagine another life, another reality. And while I might have trouble expressing that idea in French, I have no trouble asking if my French friend what she thought of the new DiCaprio movie. And our following conversation, even if it’s basic, adds another element to our relationship, another link to our cross-cultural friendship.

Food Tour

After looking at my pictures from the last week I have concluded that I am not studying abroad, but rather conducting an extensive food tour of France. My journal, which contains the following list of foods that I have tried since arriving (banh bao, rice with chopped peanuts and sugar, banh couh, carmel pork, durian, speculoos, pave du poulet, foie gras, dauphin potatoes) displays similar evidence. Last weekend I actually visited a traveling show entitled Salon du Chocolate. It was, as you are probably imaging, literally a warehouse full of chocolate vendors. The pictures below come nowhere near capturing the amazing flavors I have experience, but they are all I have. Bon appetite!

A field of chocolate flowers

Nougat

Me and my new best friend

Arles Market

Pave du Poulet and Dauphin Potatoes

Vegetables from beneath the rotisserie

Baguette, Sausage, and Comte Cheese

Raspberry, Coffee, and Vanilla Macaroons

Tiramisu Ice Cream