Le Divorce

THE French, as a rule, are excellent shruggers. Sit long enough in any café in France and you’ll experience firsthand the power of the shrug. The two young men to your left, engaged in what seems like a deeply felt philosophical conversation, will punctuate each long monologue with a sip of coffee and a shrug. The old man to your right, when presented with the bill, shrugs and presents a few coins. Inside, at the comptoir, people shrug before, during, and after ordering; they shrug at their neighbor; they shrug at the tiny little sachets of sugar; they turn to face the street, follow a girl with their eyes, shrug, turn back to their Chinon, and shrug a final time.

The shrug can mean many things, from “Life is this way; what can a person do?” to “We are no longer lovers” to “I prefer the Livarot to the Reblochon, but if you have no other cheese to offer, then I will take the Reblochon.”

About the Author

Rob Long

Rob Long is a writer and producer and a co-founder of Ricochet.

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THE French, as a rule, are excellent shruggers. Sit long enough in any café in France and you’ll experience firsthand the power of the shrug. The two young men to your left, engaged in what seems like a deeply felt philosophical conversation, will punctuate each long monologue with a sip of coffee and a shrug. The old man to your right, when presented with the bill, shrugs and presents a few coins. Inside, at the comptoir, people shrug before, during, and after ordering; they shrug at their neighbor; they shrug at the tiny little sachets of sugar; they turn to face the street, follow a girl with their eyes, shrug, turn back to their Chinon, and shrug a final time.

The shrug can mean many things, from “Life is this way; what can a person do?” to “We are no longer lovers” to “I prefer the Livarot to the Reblochon, but if you have no other cheese to offer, then I will take the Reblochon.”