Mixed tongues

There I am walking along the street listening to my strollman - like a walkman but more relaxed. I'm listening to a Dutch station to keep my knowledge of that language alive, when I hear the DJ asking a Dutch housewife some questions about food:

What is pommes de la guerre?

No idea. If I haven't eaten it, I wouldn't know, she answers.

Of course I could translate and knew exactly what the DJ was on about. It was a direct translation into French of Patat Oorlog (chips war) that strange Dutch combination of reformed potato starch chips and three sorts of coloured slime (sauce).

Didn't you do English at school? he prompts her

Jawel, maar ik weet dat niet

So funny! At least for me. Here I am, an Englishman walking down a terraced street in hull avoiding the dog droppings and dropped and smashed kiddies toys, listening to two Dutch people speaking in Dutch in Holland who think that pommes de guerre is English and I know the meaning and she doesn't!! Strange world indeed.

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