TEXT: “La vie est dure sans confiture.”

INFORMANT DESCRIPTION: Female, 42, French

CONTEXT: This woman learned this proverb in France growing up. In boarding school it was written in a children’s book but growing up it was clearly a popular saying. It is says when things are awry and the advice is to eat something sweet. Kind of like a remedy proverb and can also just be said in the context of eating something sweet and referencing life, the importance of sweets. Can also be used when one is sad and the advice is to eat chocolate. 

ORIGINAL SCRIPT: “La vie est dure sans confiture.”

TRANSLITERATION: “Lah-vee eh doou-rr sah-nz coh-n-fee-too-rre.”

TRANSLATION: “Life is hard without jam.”

THOUGHTS: I think this translates over to some remedies used in the west, the belief that chocolate is good to eat when sad. While we don’t connect the two the same way, sweats and life, we do in the case of the phrase “comfort food” or even “stress eating”.