http://www.susantomes.com/pain-flute/ Pianist & writer Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:56:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://www.susantomes.com/pain-flute/comment-page-1/#comment-1360 Steve Zade Thu, 28 Jan 2010 08:22:05 +0000 http://www.susantomes.com/?p=1386#comment-1360 Not only do the French have a thin baguette known as a flute, often covered with sesame or poppy seeds, but they also had a wine known as 'piccolo'. The wine, produced in Argenteuil, was often smuggled into Paris to avoid paying a local tax (the octroi), but if the seller was stopped he had either to pay the tax or get rid of the wine. To get rid of the wine they drank it, in barrelfuls. This provides the etymology for 'piccoler' - to binge drink. And I always thought that it was the brass section that got to the bar first after rehearsals... Not only do the French have a thin baguette known as a flute, often covered with sesame or poppy seeds, but they also had a wine known as ‘piccolo’. The wine, produced in Argenteuil, was often smuggled into Paris to avoid paying a local tax (the octroi), but if the seller was stopped he had either to pay the tax or get rid of the wine. To get rid of the wine they drank it, in barrelfuls. This provides the etymology for ‘piccoler’ – to binge drink. And I always thought that it was the brass section that got to the bar first after rehearsals…

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