THE ARTICHOKE NEXT DOOR

We shared our landing with a French lawyer, or avocat, which incidentally, in French is the same word for avocado. One day when I was startled by a noise, my four-year old said, "Don't worry, maman, it's only the artichoke next door."

What do the French mean when they say someone has a coeur d'artichaut or artichoke heart?

My best sources tell me that a person with a coeur d'artichaut is someone who falls easily and often in love,  just as one pulls off leaves of an artichoke as one eats it. The expression comes from a 19th century proverb, "Coeur d'artichaut, une feuille pour tout le monde." He who has the heart of an artichoke has a leaf for everyone. 


photo & text ©2009 P.B.Lecron