When I asked my sister-in-law Jean what was on her "bucket list" of wishes for her birthday, she said that she would like to taste petit fours, ganache, and marzipan. I told her that I have made ganache numerous times and after I described marzipan, she decided she had no interest in trying it but would like the petit fours and ganache..
To acquire petit fours, I went to a local bakery and asked if I could order petit fours and the proprietor said that she had made them previously. I ordered a dozen. I also mentioned that my sister-in-law wanted ganache and she said she would cover them with ganache. However, during the transaction, she pronounced petit fours after me, but she said "PETITE FOURS", rather than the French way I had pronounced it:
Not only did she pronounce it "petite fours" one time, but she also said it TWICE! I let it pass without comment. However, when I went to pick up the order, she said, "Oh, you're the one who ordered the PETITE FOURS!", emphasizing her pronunciation. I answered, "No, I ordered the petit fours."
In relating the incident to Les and Gerald, Les commented, "You should just chuckle to yourself and let those slights go."
I have written previously about the awkward moment when a person repeats a word or phrase I have just used--only using a different pronunciation-- with the obvious intention of letting me know that he/she thinks I have misused or mispronounced a word. I have never understood that passive aggressive method: why not just TELL ME? It has happened to me with my using the words chamomile, peridot, deign, clematis, demonstrable, and banal.
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