Friday, 29 March 2013

As mad as a march hare?

Puiseaux, Loiret dept 45 is about 300km north of where I live but I can't discover any mention of Ste Henry Bordry.  Note it is not HENRI! Sainte is the feminine form of Saint?????  Hmmm?

The expression:- "C'est du nanan"means that something is good, exquisite, agreeable, easy.

As far as I can understand, nanan is an old word dating back to 1640. Originally Nanan was meat but by extension for children it became something delicious like sweets, candy or candyfloss.
Then by further extension it came to mean something easy. In English we might say "as easy as pie" or "it's a piece of cake" or "it's a breeze".

This sign has intrigued me for some time.  I wonder why a hare, or, is it a rabbit?
Is it for the hare/rabbit as meat or to eat?
Is it as in folklore where the hare is a trickster or has magical powers?

I sent an email to my pottery teacher asking her if she knew anything about this sign outside her house. Here is her reply: La personne qui habitait là élevait et vendait des lapins. Nanan doit être une marque d'alimentation pour les lapins.  
Then I found a site written by a Frenchman who installed electricity for houses and industrial stes who wrote: Le Nanan produits alimentaires des animaux à Puiseaux. 
Enquiry solved!  
























No comments:

Post a Comment

It would be lovely to hear what you think.