A Baker in Paris
Arnu talks about his work and family.
Vocabulary
globe | spacious | win/won/won |
award | speculate | globalization |
almond | customer | confectioner |
flour | baguette | it depends |
baker | afraid of | ingredient |
retire | space (2) | explode (2) |
in store | delicious | buy/bought/bought |
stress | deserted | world away |
hope | grow up |
Video
Transcript
My name is Arnú Demontél. I’m forty years old, and I live in Paris.
What do you do for a living?
I’m a baker and confectioner. I won the best baguette in Paris award in 2007. I earn €5,000 a month.
What does globalization mean to you?
For a company like mine, globalization means that prices sometimes explode, for butter or for almond flour.
Globalization results in people speculating on basic ingredients, and I don’t think that’s a good thing.
What worries you?
I’m afraid of nothing or everything: it depends on how I feel when I get up in the morning.
What makes you happy?
When my customer say to me, “I tried your bread, and it’s delicious.” Or “I bought a fantastic birthday cake for child and everyone liked it.” That makes me happy.
Which country would you like to visit?
I would like to go to Argentina. It’s spacious, deserted, quiet, and clean. It’s a world away from the stress of life in Paris.
What do you hope for your future?
I hope I’ll see my children grow up and enjoy their lives. And that when I retire, life will still have something in store for me, and that I’ll travel abroad and enjoy spending time with my children and with my wife.
Questions
Paris. Who is this person? What’s his name? Where does he live?
London. Arnu is a chef in a restaurant. True or false? What is his profession? What does he do? Where does he work?
Moscow. Is he “secretive” about his salary? How much does he earn?
Rome. To Arnu, globalization means . . . . . . . Does he feel positive or negative about globalization?
Vienna. His dreams (or nightmares) affect him. Is this right or wrong?
Prague. Does having lots of customers, sales and profits (money) make Arnu very happy? What makes him happy?
Amsterdam. He would like to visit London and New York City. Is this correct or incorrect? He would like to visit . . . . . . because . . . . because . . . .
Athens. Does he have close family ties?
Madrid, Barcelona. There are several bakeries near my home. Yes or no? Are there many bakeries in your city? What do they offer?
Budapest. Do you know anyone who is a baker? Are any of your friends or former classmates bakers?
Stockholm. Are you from France? Do you live in France? Have you been to Paris?
Dubrovnik. Have you met anyone from France? Who were they? What were they doing?
Warsaw. Describe the climate and geography of France.
Copenhagen. Describe the economy of France. What does it import and export?
Geneva. Does France have any problems or challenges?
Helsinki. What is French food like? Describe French cuisine.
Lisbon. What are some tourist attractions (cultural, historic, natural)?
Brasov, Sibiu. What comes to mind when you think of France? What do you associate with France?