swallow

September 29, 2006

swallow

Filed under: misc — petiteanglaiseparis @ 6:56 pm

I saw this advert on the métro today and had to giggle.

[insert crude jokes in the comment box]

Comments (92)

92 Comments

Londres en amoureux?

Heh, I’d laugh if I saw that…it’s a bit random.

Comment by Tom — September 29, 2006 @ 7:04 pm
I love how they arranged the bits of sauce behind each bean. Though I admit it took me about ten minutes of squinting at that picture to actually get the joke. It was the word amoureux that finally tipped me off.

Comment by Whisper — September 29, 2006 @ 7:09 pm
Yeah I got it after a few moments too.

Beans and egg do make for a good combination though.

Comment by Billygean — September 29, 2006 @ 7:17 pm
Very good! Well spotted.

I’m with Billygean – bean and egg is indeed a marvellous combination. In fact I think I’ll have it for my breakfast tomorrow, with white bread, plenty of butter and lots of hot coffee.

Comment by stressqueen — September 29, 2006 @ 7:26 pm
I could guess, but will someone translate for the ignorant American- I would assume the picture says it all…Who come up with this stuff?

Comment by E — September 29, 2006 @ 7:33 pm
I saw that ad today, too! I actually thought it was kind of gross, even if it did make me smile.

I don’t think I’ll ever look at baked beans the same way again!

Comment by abby — September 29, 2006 @ 7:34 pm
What would the bastard child of an egg and a bean look like, anyway?

Comment by anna — September 29, 2006 @ 7:43 pm
And what do bean sperm come out of.

Are there giant baked beans with giant orange penises?

Comment by anna — September 29, 2006 @ 7:44 pm
I don’t think I’ll ever eat a baked bean again.

Comment by anna — September 29, 2006 @ 7:46 pm
God bless the French.

Comment by Alison — September 29, 2006 @ 7:52 pm
Nr. 8: anna, I think they come from Mr. Bean…

Comment by alcessa — September 29, 2006 @ 8:30 pm
I’m ashamed to say I saw it right away. I guess this sort of fry up is not something the French can get at home?

Comment by Emma — September 29, 2006 @ 8:33 pm
I’m sure the beans taste better though.

What the hell are they advertising anyway? the ad may say it, but my French is rusty (i.e.non-existent).

Comment by Adam — September 29, 2006 @ 8:50 pm
I must have a filthy mind. I knew what it was the second I looked at it. I love the French

Comment by Melissa — September 29, 2006 @ 8:51 pm
Are they suggesting that we Brits are simply fried-breakfast devouring sex maniacs?

Who knew the French were so perceptive?

Anna’s right though, that picture is definitely missing a decent Cumberland.

Comment by Mr Angry — September 29, 2006 @ 8:53 pm
Coming from the country founded by Puritans and where everyone is so afraid of being politically incorrect and corrupting the minds of our young people, it’s refreshing to see some more open-minded (and truly hysterical) approaches to advertising.

I’m trying to picture this on the big bill-board in Times Square and can’t; as it is, the Calvin Klein underwear model caused enough of a furor in his day!

Comment by The Bold Soul — September 29, 2006 @ 8:56 pm
I’m wondering… did they have a condom ad right next to this one?

Comment by The Bold Soul — September 29, 2006 @ 8:57 pm
So Petite, do you or don’t you? Do tell us (or should I say “come on, spit it out”).

Comment by Mancunian Lass — September 29, 2006 @ 9:06 pm
I guess that egg has bean around…

Comment by Lara — September 29, 2006 @ 9:33 pm
“God bless the French”. Why?

Comment by Wendy Ascham — September 29, 2006 @ 9:52 pm
Yeah, sounds nice but 100 euros for a simple “Aller/Retour” seems a bit much, if you catch my drift.

*winkwink*

Comment by Tina — September 29, 2006 @ 10:19 pm
E, (n°5)Londres en amoureux means something like ‘take a trip to London with your other half’ not quite as classy in English. This promo has launched a whole baked bean debate all over Paris, they’ve even got an English stand in the luxury Monoprix in Billancourt.

Comment by Paris Lights — September 29, 2006 @ 10:24 pm
It took me a while to figure there were beans in the picture…

Through my daily commuting out and in I must have been exposed to this image at least 10 times per day for five days.

I was perplex, not shocked.

At least until I saw the advert from 1 meter away and could finally distinguish the trace of sauce behind each bean. And that’s Friday evening, 3 hours ago.

Cute idea, this fecondation. Although the egg looks quite beyond its fertility peak !

Comment by Annabel — September 29, 2006 @ 10:24 pm
E – it means (loooooosely translated, as with so much in le francais, half of the sentence is in the culturally implied wink wink) “London for lovers” or “London in love”…an advert for Parisiens to go get thee some London seed! (or egg, depending on your persuation)

Comment by Estelle — September 29, 2006 @ 10:41 pm
I saw it and I found it stupid and a proof of bad taste.

Comment by François Granger — September 29, 2006 @ 10:42 pm
Anna: I dont think the bean sperm would come OUT of anything. Theyre probably just naturally covered in it. And the child would probably look like an oversised runny white bean. With an orange belly button. And I imagine it would smell bad.

Comment by Whisper — September 29, 2006 @ 11:10 pm
Bit obvious but… go to work on an egg!

Comment by katie — September 29, 2006 @ 11:57 pm
snarf. that’s funny.
and anna, thank you for the visual I shall have in my head for the rest of my life whenever I eat baked beans.

Comment by lucy blogzira — September 30, 2006 @ 12:13 am
Most of the ads for the Eurostar are pretty good. This once was very good though.

Comment by pardonmyfrench — September 30, 2006 @ 12:17 am
I don’t think anyone’s got it yet, Petite. They’re the new breakfast…..eggs seamen.

Comment by Gil — September 30, 2006 @ 12:36 am
Baked beans=Navy beans

Comment by Gil — September 30, 2006 @ 12:38 am
I’ve got a photo of that poster in my journal too!

France always has funnier Eurostar posters than the UK, I think.

Remember the one a couple of years ago when the “Londres en Amoureux” offer showed a man and woman streaking at a football match holding hands running across the pitch? Genius.

Comment by Alistair — September 30, 2006 @ 12:46 am
definition of a brave man? One who comes home smelling of beer, perfume and covered in lipstick and says:- Your next fatty….. ahahahaha! (plonk!)

Comment by simon — September 30, 2006 @ 1:03 am
i believe bean sperm come out of the Jolly Green Giant.

Comment by Hammers — September 30, 2006 @ 1:37 am
Just imagine if it was a double yolk……ah, the possibilities………

Comment by Dave of the Lake — September 30, 2006 @ 7:10 am
I picked it up right away, being bi-lingual male might help…. But to reduce visiting a fascinating City (London, Paris, Venice, etc…) with your better half to the last few seconds of an orgasm seems just sexist and opportunistically stupid. Said that the admen would say: “You are all talking about it therefore it did work…” Point taken…

keep it up petite, we all love to read you, kind of a daily innocuous drug, thanks

Comment by jp — September 30, 2006 @ 7:48 am
Qu: But where are the old bangers?
Ans: Victoria rather than Waterloo!

Comment by j — September 30, 2006 @ 8:07 am
My pommie mate Jim and I leave at 2am to head into central Australia Via the Sturt Stoney desert…

I have just packed the supplies into the 4wd… there is a tin of beans and eggs…

I have kept them well apart…

(I dont think I can eat them! either now) :o(

Comment by simon — September 30, 2006 @ 9:11 am
It gives a whole new slant on one of the UK advertising campaigns a few decades ago…… “A milion housewives every day pick up a tin of beans and say; Beans means Heinz.” Who is this Heinz guy? Some sort of super stud?

Comment by John — September 30, 2006 @ 9:51 am
“I guess that egg has bean around…” – Lara

Clever! hohohoo…..

Comment by kaye — September 30, 2006 @ 9:58 am
Bon appetite, Petite.

(The Bold Soul, I’ve thought of it and I suppose the condom stayed hanged on the publicist’s handle’s pan. Unless his brain has conceived a giant one to be slipped on the eurostar just before… well, the Channel is so wet at this time of the year.)

Comment by 4 roses — September 30, 2006 @ 10:36 am
Alistair – as someone who’s just recently read Petite’s archives so has them fairly fresh in the memory, let me point you here

Comment by flechesbleues — September 30, 2006 @ 10:59 am
Ohhhh,now I get it! I glanced at this for the first time yesterday as I jumped into the train but didn’t take in the picture, just saw an egg and little pile of beans as I whizzed into the tunnel and thought about how I was going to make sure I had a decent English brunch somewhere this weekend. I won’t be looking too closely at my plate though…

Comment by redlady — September 30, 2006 @ 11:03 am
I found this hilarious when I first saw it a few days ago, but now whenever I pass it I feel rather ill!

Comment by Miranda — September 30, 2006 @ 11:11 am
You have to admit, its slightly better than ‘How do like your eggs in the morning love?’ Although the standard reply – unfertilised – seems to have missed the advertisers….

Comment by sas — September 30, 2006 @ 11:45 am
I think they’re denigrating British food as usual by suggesting that having an English breakfast is like eating a mouthful of sperm.

Comment by Susannah — September 30, 2006 @ 12:01 pm
Advertising genius!

Comment by heather — September 30, 2006 @ 1:10 pm
Oh C. Now that your blog no longer needs to be kept ‘underground’ from atick in the mud employers let your inner creative free great stuff, keep it coming:)

Comment by David Giorgi — September 30, 2006 @ 2:35 pm
Does it #46?

Eggs Beanedict

Proves le coq sportif must have a pizzle like a mitraillette.

Comment by Rodney — September 30, 2006 @ 2:48 pm
Tadpole: “Mummmy!!! Can I have my kiri- beetroot- chocolate milkshake now?”
Petite: “There are still beans on your plate left, honey.”
Tadpole: “But I finisheded the egg!”
Petite: “Well you finished your egg, but now you have to finish your beans too, and then get a fine dessert sweetie.”
Tadpole: “Nooooooooo!! C’est la fin des haricots!
Petite: “Listen love, if you want to grow up as mummy and daddy… go one fine day on your own… to London by the eurostar… bump into a charming mr frog, or loving mr rosbeef… who will by the way en amoureux offer you plenty of little Tadpoles… to feed with giant sunny eggs… well, you must swallow all your beans.”
Tadpole: “Are you talking rubbish?”

Comment by 4 roses — September 30, 2006 @ 3:16 pm
Wicked! If they did that in the ‘developing world’ they’d get censored.

Comment by anusree — September 30, 2006 @ 3:23 pm
With reference to Anna’s post about orange penises, Yaxlich believes that these are a side effect of watching the Adult Channel whilst eating a bumper bag of cheesy Wotsits.

Comment by Yaxlich — September 30, 2006 @ 4:11 pm
I agree with Bold Soul, you’d never see this in Times Square. We Americans are quite hypocritical in this area. It was really funny until I thought about actually eating it for breakfast and then I sort of lost my appetite. I’ll let other bloggers more clever than me come up with the puns. Unfortunately no matter how entertained I am by the ad, it does nothing to rebut that old cliche about English food being well…yucky. And I love a good, authentic fish and chips after a night of revelry.

Comment by Sam — September 30, 2006 @ 5:20 pm
My niece explained to me the ad while the metro zoomed past it.
She also informed me that she was the bean nearest to the egg yolk.
When I inquired how come she does not look like a hen (ma poule), she frowned and explained to me basic reproductive facts; then she smiled :
‘Fait pas le con, tonton!’
phew!

Comment by papavert — September 30, 2006 @ 5:34 pm
I am with Katie ( comment 27) in spirit. I remember from way back when, the strapline of the Egg Marketing Board “ Go to work on an egg”. I always had an immature schoolboy snigger in reserve for it. Thanks Petite, no tube/metro adds round this corner of heaven. I love it.

Comment by meredic — September 30, 2006 @ 6:24 pm
But why would anyone want to eat beans at breakfast anyhow?

Comment by Lost in France — September 30, 2006 @ 7:29 pm
Bet they weren’t ‘no added salt’ beans!

Comment by petite — September 30, 2006 @ 9:39 pm
It’s either a gritty Yorkshire answer to Portnoy’s complaint or the HP sauce presentation that lost the account.
Back in London for a Holy Cow.

Comment by Andrew — September 30, 2006 @ 11:48 pm
Fabulous travel ad!

I remember a huge billboard ad in Portugal about a dozen years ago that I thought was wonderful. It was a condom shaped rocket ship, aimed for the heavens, and sitting astride it were two young holidaymakers. The message: “Bom Feria” on the top and “Férias Felizes” at the bottom. I loved the idea of promoting safe sex in such a jolly way.

Comment by Lin — October 1, 2006 @ 2:59 am
HA! A dirty week-end in London ay?! I doubt anyone’d go for the culinary delights…

Loved the ad!

I prefer a spot of ketchup on my eggs. (I do miss Heinz baked beans on toast sometimes). ;)

Comment by Karma — October 1, 2006 @ 4:28 am
The ad is pure creative genious. But it’s Petite’s title that makes me giggle…

Comment by Jacques5th — October 1, 2006 @ 1:38 pm
There was recently a segment on the morning news about baked beans. While originally from the USA, the UK has cornered the market: 95% (or was it 93%) of the world’s baked beans are consumed by Britons.

Comment by ellie — October 1, 2006 @ 2:47 pm
“londres en amoureux” sounds good to me
but when my girlfriend say
“les anglais débarquent” ….it’s bad news for few days!!!
you ask for crude jokes!!! Sorry I’m french! don’t push me futher.

Comment by roland — October 1, 2006 @ 3:42 pm
Bernhard and Andreia were not with us last night because they went to London for an anniversary weekend. I emailed this advert right before their departure – was that a bit creepy on my part? Tee hee.

Comment by Meg — October 1, 2006 @ 3:50 pm
Dont put all your eggs in one ovary!

Comment by Insider — October 1, 2006 @ 4:11 pm
nice to see some wisely made humor, thanks for sharing :)

Comment by Pilar — October 1, 2006 @ 5:40 pm
Don’t put your beans in the plate without use a condom, they can traspass the egg!!! and you’ll get transgenic food.

Comment by compuntoes — October 1, 2006 @ 6:54 pm
seriously, that’s a pretty nasty title petite :-D

Comment by magik — October 1, 2006 @ 7:27 pm
Commenting on Ellie’s message (62): they must have forgotten that (black) baked beans are eaten by virtually 170 million Brazilians every single day… Or maybe they meant to say that Britons only eat white/red/pink beans?

Comment by Magda — October 1, 2006 @ 8:27 pm
I soooo miss beans, mrks and spencer moved out of paris I was depressed for 2 days.
This commercial is really cool though, us French do tend to have a twisted mind, but I don’t think getting it means anything.

should I translat this in French ?

Comment by drunkenbastard — October 1, 2006 @ 9:39 pm
I knew that the French authorities were keen to encourage the French “natalité” but de là à envoyer les français do the business in London through the use of imaginative heu… images! Mind you, eggs and baked beans might just do the job re: the upkeep of energy levels!

Comment by Barbadilla — October 1, 2006 @ 11:55 pm
I just happen to be comment #70, following on the heels of 69.
I too eat beans every day, I thought it was a Spanish thing, I guess not. (feigning ignorance)

Comment by Caribbean Colors — October 2, 2006 @ 1:17 am
Swim boyos Swim!

Comment by Danna — October 2, 2006 @ 2:49 am
So funny. Petite, you make me miss home again.

Those who harbour any doubts about the intent of the ad can read the full sales pitch here.

The UK site has an equivalent, but it is pretty tame in comparison.

Comment by ontario frog — October 2, 2006 @ 3:45 am
To Lost in France
You’ve not lived till you’ve had full English breakfast:
Lincolnshire sausages, black pudding, eggs (fried/ scrambled or both), bacon, beans, fried red tomatoes, potato/hash browns, fried bread, toast and last but not least HP sauce (though as a Brummie I’ll probably be boycotting it from now on).

Have just starting feeling homesick, not to mention hungry

Comment by j — October 2, 2006 @ 7:14 am
And the egg white would be the…?

Wonder which restaurant serves that kind of dish, must be helpful in fertilisation…

(First time visiting this blog)

Comment by malaysian_girl — October 2, 2006 @ 10:40 am
The old advertising slogan “Go to work on an egg!” suddenly has a whole new meaning…

As does:
“How do you like your eggs in the morning?”
“Unfertilised”

:-)

TT.

Comment by TryingTimes — October 2, 2006 @ 10:53 am
On the Beckham principle, does this mean we can expect lots of French children called Chelsea or Kensington? Tooting or Tufnell Park?

Comment by P — October 2, 2006 @ 10:58 am
Is it inciting a French postal strike?

Comment by Murphy — October 2, 2006 @ 11:22 am
Food stylist bending over the plate, deep in concentration.

A phone rings.

Food stylist wipes fingers, fishes phone from back pocket without looking, answers.

“Hello?”

“Sorry mum, I really can’t talk now – I’m making sperm out of baked beans.”

Comment by Damian — October 2, 2006 @ 11:44 am
One trusts the egg was free range although the beans look a tad GM.

Stay sunnyside up lass.

Comment by Adrian — October 2, 2006 @ 12:17 pm
Baked beans – spit or swallow?

Comment by Salvadore Vincent — October 2, 2006 @ 2:43 pm
I love baked beans. That’s all I’m saying on the subject.

Comment by petite — October 2, 2006 @ 2:50 pm
I’ll have mine over easy, thanks.

Comment by roadsofstone — October 2, 2006 @ 3:43 pm
There’s actually an American movie coming out next Summer called “Knocked Up” (you get the drift, it’s about an unplanned pregnancy), and for now, the poster looks kind of like the egg and beans, but we’ll see. Contrary to what someone posted above, you may see something like that in Times Square.

Comment by CJ — October 3, 2006 @ 5:16 am
In my experience with girlfriends, the ratio of baked bean lovers (as Petite I’m glad to say is) to those who would rather not, is 50/50, what is the wider experience of others out there?

Comment by David — October 3, 2006 @ 2:19 pm
That’s eggcellent!

Comment by teeweewonders — October 4, 2006 @ 10:33 pm
I am quite curious if my boys are that big :)

Comment by alex — October 5, 2006 @ 1:15 pm
So funny !
A good start to tackle the “Not tonight Josephine” issue ;-p

Comment by Olivia — October 6, 2006 @ 10:38 pm
Oh wow. I’ve never eaten eggs and beans together, but now…I don’t know. I might feel sort of dirty if I did. :D

Comment by Anias Nin — October 7, 2006 @ 7:44 pm
Just a quick thank you for posting the Eurostar ad under title ‘Swallow’. Mind you the title swallow diluted the fun of the ad-Breakfast would have done. Anyway, having left Europe for four years now that ad hit home just what I miss-European fun and creativity particularly the English sense. I also miss the full cream milk skin of the English roses. Before I digress – regardless of wrong timing heading – you made an Australian male remember what fun is back in Europe. All Europeans travelling on the Eurostar should be given their tickets with the ad on them. Its all about the fun n’est ce pas. Have a croissant, du fromage, vin rouge etc for me.

Comment by Craig — October 8, 2006 @ 3:59 am
Thanks for bringing another smile to my face this Sunday morning! :p I think I’ll go and have some beans and eggs right now.

Comment by kim — October 8, 2006 @ 4:29 am