barbeziade 

To randomly come up with a anecdote, with no apparent link with the current conversation. It comes from Laurent Barbezieux who epitomized the barbeuziade better than anyone else.

A typical barbeziade: "Speaking of which, do you know carottes were not always red?"
Or: "That reminds me, did you know there was a Pastry War between Mexico and France back in 1874".

barbeziade by Ta soeur May 24, 2011