Friday, November 19, 2021

Arts et Métiers (Weekend Street/Reflections # 43)

Paris, France

A sad but increasingly common scene these days.

I saw the broken coconut (noix de coco in French) near the man's feet and a French proverb came to mind, "Qui a des noix en casse, qui n'en a pas s'en passe." I don't remember where I learned it, and I'm not sure I know what it means. If you know what it means in English or French, please share in the comments.
 

Have a great weekend and a Happy Thanksgiving!

Now you can link reflections and/or street photography. 

Please no posed pictures, portraits, animals, etc. unless of course there is a reflection. 

Click here for street photography examples and inspiration.

"Street photography, a genre of photography that records everyday life in a public place. The very publicness of the setting enables the photographer to take candid pictures of strangers, often without their knowledge."

17 comments:

kwarkito said...

Es tu à Paris ces temps-ci ? Si oui fais moi signe. Le proverbe signifie qu'il faut se contenter de ce qu'on a. Mais il n'est pas très usité. Pour ma part je ne l'ai jamais entendu.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

I put it into translate adn this is what it came up with. "Who has broken nuts, who does not do without." The coconut is the broken nut and so at least that person has something to eat. He/she looks a bit sad. Thanks for hosting take care and have a good weekend James.

Malyss said...

Sad scene, for sure . I've never heard this proverb. It means that when you have something you can enjoy it, even by breaking it, but if you have nothing , you'll have to deal with this situation, and go on living with nothing.

Emille (Jesh) said...

I have forgotten all my French I learned in highschool! A much noteworthy reflection to pass up though! Enjoy your weekend, James.

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

At least he does not have nothing. The image seeps with sadness and lonliness.

Cloudia said...

Hmmmm.

Google: "who has broken nuts who does not do without."

Ciao!

Amy said...

I don't know what that quote means sorry but such a sad scene, here in NZ many people prefer to be homeless even though they are offered help.

Taken For Granted said...

James, your photo is a strong one. It looks like it might be an illustration from a Jules Vern novel. The man sitting there looks sad, perhaps homeless, but I wonder what the real story is? It has been many decades since I was in the Paris underground so I do not recognize this station.

jp@A Green Ridge said...

Poor man...that's sad...very sad, James yet it is LIFE which, unlike water, is not simple....Happy Thanksgiving!...jp

Lydia C. Lee said...

I think it means, like the vibe of 'give a man a fish and he eats for one day, teach a man to fish and he is never hungry'.
As for that Metro, it's my favourite. I went there just after the reno and it was so shiny and the most beautiful thing to behold.

Debbie at Travel with Intent said...

A great capture of the times - and I like the phrase.
Mine has a similar feel today, I think

s.c said...

Great photo and that in a kind of steampunk station.

Jim said...

In Paris all the times we've been we never saw sleeping homeless on the streets. Nor did we in any French towns including provences and islands. Can't say that for any other country. Of course France is very socialistic.
..

Linda said...

Thanks for posting and hosting!

biebkriebels said...

I don't know the proverb in our language Dutch...

namaki said...

"Qui a des noix en casse, qui n'en a pas s'en passe.
It's a French proverb which means that we have to manage with what we have .
Here is a web site explaining it. (it's in french)
http://www.linternaute.fr/proverbe/744/qui-a-des-noix-en-casse-qui-n-en-a-pas/

merlecolibri said...

le panneau "ART ET MÉTIERS" et le revêtement cuivré de cette station accentue cette scène avec l'homme qui semble dans un triste état comme perdu dans un sous-marin.