Sarkozy reminisces about cream puffs

May 04

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Sarkozy reminisces about cream puffs

Netizens poke fun at French president's interview ahead of elections.

France's President and UMP party candidate for his re-election in the 2012 French presidential election, Nicolas Sarkozy, delivers a speech at a political campaign rally in Toulon, May 3, 2012. REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier

Shortly after the first French presidential debate between candidates Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande, incumbent president Sarkozy gave a 10-minute interview revealing personal details.

In contrast to the debate, the interview offered an intimate portrait of Sarkozy replete with childhood anecdotes and movie preferences.

Sarkozy tweeted several quotes from the interview, and one tweet in which he reminisces about buying cream puffs as a child prompted thousands of responses and retweets.

Below are some highlights from the conversation online:

View the story "Sarkozy reminisces about cream puffs" on StorifySarkozy reminisces about cream puffsNetizens poke fun at French president's interview ahead of elections. Storified by The Stream · Thu, May 03 2012 17:39:44

The tweet below of an interview quote was retweeted almost 1,000 times within 24 hours.

"Je n'aime que la glace café. Et le matin, je prends des chouquettes. Quand j'étais petit, j'achetais 100g de chouquettes à la boulangerie"Nicolas SarkozyTranslation: I only like coffee ice cream. And in the mornings, I have cream puffs. When I was little, I would buy 100g of cream puffs at the bakery.Twitter users began to post pictures as well as tweets of Sarkozy's pastry of choice using the hashtag #chouquettes, which stands for cream puffs in French.Cerise OnTheCake's Photo | LockerzLockerzNyssa Da Killer's Photo | LockerzLockerzUne 'tiote chouquette Nico? #Toulon http://pic.twitter.com/sLSGT7jVMôme FannySeveral other quotes from the interview were tweeted from Sarkozy's official Twitter account, sparking a combination of disbelief and humor from netizens.Le tweet de Sarkozy sur le petit-déjeuner et les chouquettes restera à jamais comme l'une des plus grandes blagues de la politique.RyozhukaiTranslation: Sarkozy's tweet on his breakfast and cream puffs will remain one of the biggest jokes in politics.Les tweets de Sarkozy sont tellement WTF que le journal belge Le Soir a cru à un piratage http://lelab.europe1.fr/t/apres-le-debat-nicolas-sarkozy-parle-chouquettes-et-telecommande-2277JulienTranslation: Sarkozy's tweets are so WTF that Belgian newspaper Le Soir thought [his account] was hacked.

Twitter user @FrenchKiff posted the photo below criticizing Sarkozy's comments by linking #chouquettes to Sarkozy's 2007 electoral victory party at upscale restaurant Fouquet. The celebration was a high-profile event attended by celebrities and politicians alike that earned President Sarkozy the title of "bling-bling president" among critics.

#voteHollande PSA Aulnay ya des chouquettes http://pic.twitter.com/0SghmctHFRENCH KIFFSome skeptics saw the interview as a ploy to humanise his public persona and gain more votes for the upcoming round of elections on Sunday May 6. Several Twitter users offered a sarcastic take on how Sarkozy's latest comments will impact voting behavior.Un homme qui aime les chouquettes ne peut pas etre foncierement mauvaisYANIS.Translation: A man who likes cream puffs can't be that bad.A moins d'un tsunami à Fessenheim les #chouquettes vont prendre une vague Fukushimienne dimanche prochain #RadioLondresSquirelitoTranslation: Unless there's a tsunami at Fessenheim [nuclear plant site in France], cream puffs will take on a Fukushima-like wave next Sunday.Comment capter honteusement le vote des marchands de chouquettes, ah, ce type ne recule devant rien !Juliette NoureddineTranslation: Shamefully capturing the votes of cream puffs sellers, ah, this guy will stop at nothing!J'ai l'impression que #chouquette va faire une entrée remarquée dans le #radiolondres de dimanche #predictionPeiffer FlorentTranslation: I have a feeling cream puffs will make a noteworthy entrance in #radiolondres this Sunday. #prediction (Radio Londres is a popular hashtag that comments on the presidential elections using code.)"J'aime les chouquettes". Le cri du désespoir ? Confessions intimes ? À la recherche des pour cent perdus ? http://bit.ly/KeZngVMonique NeubourgTranslation: "I like cream puffs." A cry of desperation? Intimate confessions? In search of lost percentages?Several used metaphors in their critiques.La chouquette, c'est vide à l'intérieur. Le flan, c'est dense. Fais ton choix.justice pandineTranslation: Cream puffs [Nicolas Sarkozy] are empty on the inside. Caramel custard [metaphor for Francois Hollande] is dense. Take your pick.Je le savais bien que la chouquette c'était de droite. La chocolatine ça c'est de gauche ! Le croissant plutôt de centre droit.pierrealbanTranslation: I knew that cream puffs were right wing. Chocolate croissant is of the left! The croissant is more centre-right.J'aime les chouquettes, savez-vous comment? Quand elles sont bien faites, avec du beur dedans! #sarkopenHippoetjeTranslation: I love cream puffs, you know how? When they are well-made with beur [slang for Arab] inside! (Beurre and beur are pronounced the same however the former refers to butter while the latter is slang for Arab.) Some netizens were direct in their criticisms of Sarkozy's latest interview. @NicolasSarkozy MrSarkozy, il y a des centaine de milliers de français qui vont aux restos du coeur et vous nous parlez de chouquettes ?!Milo VoxTranslation: Mr. Sarkozy, there are millions of French eating at soup kitchens and you want to talk to us about cream puffs?!@NicolasSarkozy Question pratique : 50 millions d'euros, ça fait combien en paquets de 100 g de chouquettes ?CalveroTranslation: Practical question- 50 millions euros is how much in 100g packets of cream puffs? (50 million euros was the amount Col. Qaddafi allegedly gave Sarkozy during his 2006 election campaign)C'est donc pour cela qu'il voulait 3 débats: il n'a pas eu le temps de parler de ciné et de chouquettes #Sarkozy #RTL http://pic.twitter.com/Ljeq0SYgaude_bbTranslation: So that's why he wanted three [presidential] debates: he didn't have enough time to talk about cinema and cream puffs.

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