Alouette
Alouette by René Jodoin & by Norman McLaren, National Film Board of Canada
Once upon a time, before karaoke, our ancient ancestors entertained themselves thus.
Comments
Can you repost that, Paul, the sound was all screwed up & I couldn't hear anything but gibberish? 😏
Posted by Expat47 in Athens, Greece on 05/27/14 at 09:20 AM
Most English speakers don't realize how mean and horrible this little ditty really is:
(I had to look up alouette - lark)
Alouette, pretty Alouette.
Alouette, I'm going to pluck your feathers.
I'm going to pluck your head (beak, nose, back, feet)
(I had to look up alouette - lark)
Alouette, pretty Alouette.
Alouette, I'm going to pluck your feathers.
I'm going to pluck your head (beak, nose, back, feet)
Posted by KDP on 05/27/14 at 10:26 AM
A lot of old-time entertainment was politically VERY incorrect. Consider Sleeping Beauty (a tale of necrophilia) or Walt Disney's 'Song of the South' (racial stereotypes enough to make a liberal apoplectic).
Posted by tadchem on 05/27/14 at 02:13 PM
This is one of those songs to pass the time (and teach little kids vocabulary) while doing the boring, repetitive job of plucking tons of little birds for the evening's dinner. People used to eat small songbirds. Hubby's aunt and uncle were at a hotel restaurant in France on their honeymoon in the late '50's and the waiter came around with a tray of little sparrow-like birds, feathers still on, with a hole in one side of their skulls, which the French people on board would suck the brains out of.
Posted by ScoutC on 05/27/14 at 09:08 PM
I thought it was on a boat, but hubby corrected me that it was a hotel and I missed correcting the last reference before hitting submit. Sorry!
Posted by ScoutC on 05/27/14 at 09:12 PM
Ah, the glories of France! This recipe for l'ortolan is from "In the Devil's Garden:A Sinful History of Forbidden Food":
The birds must be taken alive; once captured they are either blinded or kept in a lightless box for a month to gorge on millet, grapes, and figs, a technique apparently taken from the decadent cooks of Imperial Rome who called the birds beccafico, or "fig-pecker". When they've reached four times their normal size, they're drowned in a snifter of Armagnac.
Cooking l'ortolan is simplicity itself. Simply pop them in a high oven for six to eight minutes and serve. The secret is entirely in the eating. First you cover your head with a traditional embroidered cloth. Then place the entire four-ounce bird into your mouth. Only its head should dangle out from between your lips. Bite off the head and discard. L'ortolan should be served immediately; it is meant to be so hot that you must rest it on your tongue while inhaling rapidly through your mouth. This cools the bird, but its real purpose is to force you to allow its ambrosial fat to cascade freely down your throat.
When cool, begin to chew. It should take about 15 minutes to work your way through the breast and wings, the delicately crackling bones, and on to the inner organs. Devotees claim they can taste the bird's entire life as they chew in the darkness: the wheat of Morocco, the salt air of the Mediterranean, the lavender of Provence. The pea-sized lungs and heart, saturated with Armagnac from its drowning, are said to burst in a liqueur-scented flower on the diner's tongue. Enjoy with a good Bordeaux.
The birds must be taken alive; once captured they are either blinded or kept in a lightless box for a month to gorge on millet, grapes, and figs, a technique apparently taken from the decadent cooks of Imperial Rome who called the birds beccafico, or "fig-pecker". When they've reached four times their normal size, they're drowned in a snifter of Armagnac.
Cooking l'ortolan is simplicity itself. Simply pop them in a high oven for six to eight minutes and serve. The secret is entirely in the eating. First you cover your head with a traditional embroidered cloth. Then place the entire four-ounce bird into your mouth. Only its head should dangle out from between your lips. Bite off the head and discard. L'ortolan should be served immediately; it is meant to be so hot that you must rest it on your tongue while inhaling rapidly through your mouth. This cools the bird, but its real purpose is to force you to allow its ambrosial fat to cascade freely down your throat.
When cool, begin to chew. It should take about 15 minutes to work your way through the breast and wings, the delicately crackling bones, and on to the inner organs. Devotees claim they can taste the bird's entire life as they chew in the darkness: the wheat of Morocco, the salt air of the Mediterranean, the lavender of Provence. The pea-sized lungs and heart, saturated with Armagnac from its drowning, are said to burst in a liqueur-scented flower on the diner's tongue. Enjoy with a good Bordeaux.
Posted by FlamingO on 05/28/14 at 02:53 PM
Alouette you are simply great but you sounded very harsh.
Posted by Restaurant in Bardhaman on 11/08/14 at 03:52 AM
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Category: Animals | Hobbies and DIY | Music | 1940s