AT CHRISTMAS and Easter time, I usually make a French potato gratin with Gruyère cheese. My brother-in-law and his family liked it so much that they asked for the recipe.

At that time, Gruyère was not as widely available in supermarkets as it is today, so my brother-in-law went to a nice cheese store to buy it. Having never studied French, he was a bit nervous about pronouncing this strange word. He went in to the store and said, his face turning a deep red as he spoke, “Do you have gry-EER cheese?”

The owner of the store, whom I’m sure knew exactly what cheese my brother-in-law meant, said no, he had never heard of it.

My brother-in-law thanked him, turned to leave and, as he got to the door, the owner said,

“Do you mean GROO-yair perhaps?”

If only my brother-in-law had this video he would not have been so humiliated.

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