Category Archives: French customs

Food, French customs, French language, Lifestyle, Weekly Blogger Round-Up

Weekly Blogger Round-Up – Getting Tough in French – Top 7 moments in France – A French library and literature

2 Comments
Print pagePDF pageEmail page

This week’s Blogger Round-Up starts with two expats talking about their experience in France. Wendy from Random Ramblings describes a major breakthrough in French while Bread is Pain shares her top 7 moments in France as part of the Expat Blog Award which I didn’t have time to enter this year. After you read her post, don’t forget to write a comment and help her win an award. Finally, Claire from Word by Word, source of many of the books I read, takes us around the media library in Aix-en-Provence and talks about the contemporary French literary scene. Enjoy!

Getting tough

by Wendy, an Australian Photographer and Psychologist living in Paris, enjoying life and working hard. Random Ramblings is where she shares a story or two.

getting_toughWalking in the forest recently, I came across an elderly lady walking her dog. It was a little dog, playful and excitable a puppy perhaps. As the puppy ran towards me I bent down to pat it, to only hear the lady calling out ‘ne touchez pas’ french for don’t touch.

As I approached the lady she began to tell me the dog was young and needs to learn to not jump. I responded that I had thought she was telling me not to touch the dog. Read more

Top 7 “Moments in France”

by Bread is Pain, a 30-something American living in the Rhone-Alps, getting her master’s degree, learning French and slowly eating and drinking herself through the country

Being an expat has moments that are difficult, funny, exciting, even terrifying and no two countries are alike.  Here are a few of the moments that France has to offer:

# 7: The Language Moment: The time you accidentally offend people.

Speaking in a different language is always complicated, no matter how long you have studied it.  Every language has subtle nuances and phrases that are cultural not just linguistic.  You may be able to understand every single grammatical rule of a particular language but still be lost when you are in a country that actually speaks it…and French is no exception.  Read more

They’re Reading Thousands of Great Books Here, Cité du Livre – A Local French Cultural Centre and Library

by Claire from Word by Word, Citizen of Planet Earth, Anglosaxon by birth, living and working in France, who loves words, language, sentences, metaphors, stories long and short, poetry, reading and writing

library-aix-2Yesterday via a link on twitter, I read a provocative article in BBC News Magazine by Hugh Schofield entitled Why don’t French books sell abroad? It was an interesting, if superficial article, that made a few observations without going into any depth to understand the contemporary literary scene in France. It asked questions, reminded us of some old provocative stereotypes and did little to enlighten us on the subject of what excites French readers and why the English-speaking world aren’t more aware of their contemporary literary gems. Read more

French customs, Germany, Italy, Paris, Uncategorized

Weekly Blogger Round-Up: A Provençal Christmas village – European Christmas Foods – The Notre Dame Christmas Tree

3 Comments
Print pagePDF pageEmail page

With Christmas approaching, the theme for this week’s Blogger Round-Up was easy to find! Phoebe from Lou Messugo takes us to the Provençal village of Lucéram famous for its Christmas cribs, while Carolyn from Holidays to Europe introduces us to various European Christmas foods; meanwhile Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris explains why the lights on the Christmas tree in front of Notre Dame are vertical. Enjoy!

Lucéram, the Christmas village

by Phoebe from Lou Messugo, a traveller, francophile, expat, mum and foodie now living in Roquefort les Pins where she runs a gîte after many years of travelling and living in Asia, Eastern Europe and Australia.

luceram_8In our quest to get into the Christmas spirit, we recently spent a day in Lucéram, a pretty medieval hill village north of Nice and less than an hour from Lou Messugo.  Why?  Because it comes alive in December with its “Circuit des Crèches”.  Literally every tiny alley, every balcony, every doorway and every nook and cranny is decorated with pine branches, red and gold ribbons, and nativity scenes in every conceivable shape and size.  These scenes (the creches) are made out of wood, paper, glass, pinecones, traditional santons (earthenware figurines), clothes pegs, matches, wool, twigs and even bread.  They come in every size from minute tucked into holes in the wall to a 10m long replica of the village and everything in between.  Even the village’s numerous fountains and old wash-houses are all decked out with their own floating creches. Read more

European Christmas Foods

by Carolyn from Holidays to Europe, an Australian based business passionate about sharing their European travel expertise and helping travellers to experience the holiday in Europe they have always dreamed of

german-christmas-foodsThe lead up to Christmas can be one of the best times to travel to Europe, not only to visit the amazing Christmas Markets that are held each year but also to sample the delicious food that plays a big part in the festivities.

Marrying into a German family many years ago, I’m now well accustomed to some of the German Christmas treats and I always look forward to indulging in my favourites when the festive season comes around. Read more

Love, tenderness, understanding and unity: lessons learned from the men responsible for Notre-Dame’s symbolic Christmas tree

by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use

notre_dame_treeFor a bi-cultural couple, celebrating Christmas and other holidays can be liking walking through a cultural minefield. Christmas stockings, decorations and traditional foods can all provoke heated debates. If your spouse is from Switzerland, he may claim that Baby Jesus delivers presents to the good little girls and boys around the world when you know for a fact that it’s a jolly man dressed in a red suit. As an American, I find it somewhat hard to believe that a tiny baby could handle the stress of landing a sleigh on a steep Parisian rooftop without bursting into tears. After all, Santa has a hard enough time maneuvering through the city traffic, and he’s a robust man accustomed to managing an entire village of elves. Read more 

French customs, French language, Uncategorized

Friday’s French – père de famille

29 Comments
Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Now I bet most of you don’t know what this post is about. Père de famille, you say, “father of the family”? Don’t all fathers have families? And why not mère de famille? Aren’t père and mère enough?

Well, there is an added meaning. Of course. Un père de famille ne doit pas prendre de risques means that a man who has a wife and family to think about shouldn’t be taking any risks. We could say a family man as well in English. Une mère de famille pense toujours à ses enfants. Funny, but we don’t say a “family woman”.  I can think of a “woman with a family” or maybe “a wife and mother” and even “housewife” in some contexts. You may have other suggestions.

But that’s not really what I want to talk about. Believe it or not, père de famille and more specifically, bon père de famille, is also a financial term, which always amuses me.

Yesterday, I came across it when I was translating a takeover bid: gestion de la Société en bon père de famille. “Management of the company like a good family man” would be a literal translation but you certainly wouldn’t find it in a contract! I decided on “good, safe management of the Company”.

The expression often goes hand-in-hand with investment: placement de père de famille is what we call a gilt-edged or safe investment. Valeurs de père de famille are gilt-edged or blue-chip securities.

The masculinity of the expression is not surprising – French women were kept out of money matters for a very, very long time. It was not until 1965 that women no longer needed their husband’s consent to choose their own profession or open a bank account. Astonishing, isn’t it?

And it was much later – only I can’t find the date – that women were finally entitled to see and sign the family’s tax declaration. Up until then, the husband en bon père de famille, n’est-ce pas declared both his and his wife’s revenue and could refuse to even show her the declaration!

Women were given voting rights in New Zealand in 1893, in Australia in 1902, in the UK in 1918 (but you had to be 30, equal suffrage only came in 1928) and in the US in 1919 (though women could vote in Wyoming as early as 1868) while French women finally voted in 1944. Enough said.

Cycling, France, French customs, Travelling, Wednesday's Blogger Round-up

Wednesday’s Blogger Round-Up: Day trip to Reims – Dealing with train stations on a bike – Christmas in France in 2013

2 Comments
Print pagePDF pageEmail page

Three entirely different subjects this week. Ever pratical Jo Karnaghan from Frugal First Class Travel takes us on a day trip to Reims which is not only famous for its champagne; Maggie La Coste from Experience France by Bike gives tips on how to take the train with a bike and panniers; while Janine from The Good Life France has compiled a very interesting and useful guide to Christmas in France in 2013 that you can download. Enjoy! 

How to make a day trip to Reims

by Jo Karnaghan from Frugal First Class Travel, an Australian who loves to travel – especially in Europe – and who has gradually learned how to have a First Class trip on an economy budget, without missing out on anything!

reims_FFReims (pronouned “rance” as in France) is an easy and convenient day trip from Paris, being only 45 minutes away by TGV.  What most visitors will find surprising is that Reims is about more than champagne.  Here’s my take on a great way to do a day trip to this pretty and friendly city, that includes more than just champagne!

Arriving in Reims

Reims is only 45minutes by TGV from Gare de l’Est in Paris.  Make sure you book a TGV rather than a stopping all stations train that will take you 2hours. Read more

Navigating train stations in France with bicycle panniers

by Maggie LaCoste from Experience France by Bike, an American who loves biking anywhere in Europe, but especially France, which has the perfect combination of safe bike routes, great food, great weather and history.

trains_bikesNothing can ruin a day for a bicyclist more than having to maneuver stairs at a rail station! Sometimes, no matter how well you plan a trip, you need to take a train to connect to another cycling itinerary, to avoid a bad part of a route or oftentimes to return a rental bike. Regardless of the reason, managing stairs when your bike is loaded down with all your gear is tough.  I’ll never forget the first time we arrived at a train station, bought our tickets and then patiently waited for our track announcement.  Of course the track was announced literally as the train was coming into the station and getting to it required going down and then up two very long sets of stairs! Read more

Christmas in France in 2013

by Janine from The Good Life France, an independent on-line magazine about France and all things French, covering all aspects of daily life including healthcare, finance, utilities, education, property and a whole lot more

christma-in-france-2013Christmas in France 2013  – a free guide to the best Christmas markets in Paris, Alsace, for day trips, near Calais… things to do and where to see the best window displays and beautiful illuminations in Paris, the City of Light. Lots of French festive facts… and top recipes from celebrity chefs Michel Roux Jr, Raymond Blanc and Rachel Khoo.

From us to you at Christmas… Christmas in France 2013 the book…

To download your free Christmas in France 2013 guide click on this link  or right click “save link as” Christmas in France 2013. Read more

France, French customs, Restaurants

Wednesday’s Blogger Round-Up: Michelin star restaurants – Chrysanthemums in France – All Saints’ Day

3 Comments
Print pagePDF pageEmail page

This week, The Good Life France, appearing for the first time in my Wednesday’s Blogger Round-Up, explains the origin of the Michel star award to French restaurants, while two Aussies, whom I’ve often quoted here – Wendy Hollands from Le Franco Phoney and Phoebe from Lou Messugo – share their experience of the chrysanthemum tradition in France. Enjoy!

What does Michelin star restaurant mean?

Written by The Good Life France, an independent on-line magazine about France and all things French, covering all aspects of daily life including healthcare, finance, utilities, education, property and a whole lot more.

Michelin-Tires-Houston-Texas1Most people are aware of Michelin the tyre company and their famous logo Michelin Man the roly-poly tyre man – or Monsieur Bibendum which is his real name. His image is known the world over and he does an excellent job of promoting the company’s tyres.

Michelin is also famous for ranking restaurants – achieving a Michelin star status is like the Holy Grail for chefs – to have one is to be acknowledged as amongst the elite, to have reached the pinnacle of one’s profession. For customers it is in an indication that the restaurant that has been awarded a Michelin star status will almost certainly guarantee an epicurean experience, a high quality meal, a great ambience. Read more

Chrysanthemums and Death in France

by Wendy Hollands from Le Franco Phoney, an Australian who writes about all things French in La Clusaz, Annecy and Haute Savoie as seen by an outsider 

frenchchrysanthemumsThere’s a reason that faux pas is a French phrase. As a non-French person, I’m constantly making mistakes with both the language and the culture. I reckon they invented it for foreigners.

As mortifying as it can be to mix up ‘chiot‘ (puppy) and ‘chiottes‘ (toilets), or ‘canard‘ (duck) and ‘connard‘ (idiot), failing at French cultural etiquette can be equally as bad.

For example, a French breakfast with friends is no fast meal. Expect to spend hours absorbing your food — dunk your croissant into your bowl (yes, bowl) of coffee and break off a bit more baguette while you all catch up. That butter, jam and Nutella is on the table for the baguette, not the croissant. Do not apply these products to the croissant! They might not say anything, but they’ll think you’re weird: croissants are eaten without spreads in France. Read more

All Saints Day – Flowers and French traditions

by Phoebe from Lou Messugo, a traveller, francophile, expat, mum and foodie now living in Roquefort les Pins where she runs a gîte after many years of travelling and living in Asia, Eastern Europe and Australia

Toussaint_chrysanthèmeThis weekend has been all about Toussaint, a Catholic holiday honoring all Saints. It is a time when French pay respect to their deceased relatives.  All Saints’ Day, the 1st of November, sees families gathering to visit cemeteries to clean and decorate tombs.  And they decorate them mainly with chrysanthemums.

The tradition of using chrysanthemums is a relatively recent one, dating from 1919 when the then President, Raymond Poincaré, declared that all war memorials should be decorated with floral tributes.  As one of the rare flowers still in bloom in November it became the flower of choice for cemeteries, with hundreds of thousands of widows laying blooms at their fallen husbands’ memorials. Read more

French customs, French language

Friday’s French – epouvantable epouvantail

8 Comments
Print pagePDF pageEmail page

It should really be épouvantable épouvantail but WordPress (the blog template I use) doesn’t deal with accents in titles well, so I try to avoid them.

scarecrow

An épouvantail (épouvantail à oiseaux, in its full form) is a scarecrow, from épouvante which means terror, from the Latin expavens, entis, fear which also gave the Italian spaventare. I can’t think of any related English words, which is most unusual with all the French-based borrowings due to the Norman invasion.

The adjective from épouvante is épouvantable meaning dreadful or appalling. Quelle histoire épouvantable means what a shocking/appalling story.

And, of course, a film d’épouvante is a horror film and a roman d’épouvante a horror story.

I thought a post on épouvante was sort of appropriate considering that yesterday was Halloween! And if you’d like to know more about Halloween in France, you might like to click on the post I wrote last year.

 

Food, French customs, Paris

Paris in August – where have all the people gone?

10 Comments
Print pagePDF pageEmail page

At the Sainte Eustache market on Sunday, there were only two regular stalls – fruit & vegetables and fish and certainly no oysters! There were a couple of other people selling jewellery and scarves. When we arrived, there was absolutely no one at the fruit & vegetable stall and the three vendors were looking very glum. They expect next Sunday to be even more deserted and probably won’t be there.

Free parking spaces in our street in the middle of Paris
Free parking spaces in our street in the middle of Paris

As we walked down our street on the way back, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there were not only free parking spaces but that the cars weren’t bumper to bumper as they usually are. Sometimes we can hardly get the trolley through the spaces in between.

Rue Viledo looking completely deserted
Rue Viledo (Telescope coffee shop on the left) looking completely deserted

I can imagine that visitors must be very disappointed to find half the restaurants and shops closed, except in the very touristy areas, and the markets more than half empty.

Back of the Decorative Arts museum next to the Louvre
Back of the Decorative Arts museum next to the Louvre on a hot August day

The first half of August, up until the public holiday of the Assumption on 15th August, is traditionally the quietest part of the year in Paris, particularly if 15th is a Thursday and makes a very long weekend. It’s all due to the weather of course. This year, we had an exceptionally hot July but most people prefer to go to the coast or country in August when they’re more likely to get some sun and decent temperatures.

Closed until 19th August - the music box shop in the Palais Royal
Closed until 19th August – the music box shop in the Palais Royal

There’s a saying that after 15th August, le temps se gâte – the weather deteriorates. Last year was not the case; we were painting the front gate and cycling in Blois in a heat wave. But with the rentrée not far away at the beginning of September, most people prefer to be back home getting ready for the new school year during the last week or so of August.

Under the shady trees in the Tuileries with Orsay Museum in the distance
Under the shady trees in the Tuileries with Orsay Museum in the distance

For the people who live here permanently though, it’s nice to have some peace and quiet. Life goes at a different pace. It’s warm (most of the time) so you can wander down to the river or eat in Tuileries Gardens and feel you’re still on holiday.

Deck chairs in the Palais Royal Gardens
Deck chairs in the Palais Royal Gardens

You can even take your deck chairs down and enjoy a picnic near the fountain in the Palais Royal gardens and stay there for the rest of the afternoon!

The Marne river near Pont de Bry
The Marne river near Pont de Bry

You can visit your friends in the suburbs or drive to the Marne to go cycling without having to spend hours in the car. We could hardly believe it last Sunday when we drove along the quays. There was not a soul. We wondered for a minute whether the road had been cordoned off and we had somehow got onto it by mistake!

Café next to the bakery on Place des Petits Pères that's closed in August
Café next to the bakery on Place des Petits Pères that’s closed in August

Fortunately, the fact that about 90% of the city’s bakeries are closed is not a problem for us, because we make our own bread. But if you’re really desperate, you can consult the list on the Paris City Hall’s website (scroll down to find the pdf file). However, I’ve had to wait for two weeks to get a new pair of contact lenses !

Resting in our little wood during our lightening visit to Blois two weeks ago
Resting in our little wood during our lightening visit to Blois two weeks ago

So how are we coping with an empty city? Tomorrow, we’re off to Blois for week to make the most of the rest of the summer. Let’s hope the weather is fine enough to go cycling every day. And if it’s too hot, we’ll take our deck chairs up into our own little private wood.

Dieting, French customs, Paris, Travelling

5:2 Diet – Navigating the Metro – Double Giratoire

Leave a comment
Print pagePDF pageEmail page

This Wednesday’s Bloggers’ Round-up brings three completely different subjects. First, on the subject of fasting and dieting, Jacqueline Meldrum from Tinned Tomatoes, introduces the documentary behind the 5:2 fast diet I’ve been talking about recently. You’ll be interested in her recipes as well. Australian B&B website Petite Paris gives a very practical tutorial on how to use the metro for newcomers to Paris while Abby from Paris Weekender explains how to navigate the confusing French double giratoire roundabout, which I have yet to experience. Enjoy!

5:2 diet

by Jacqueline Meldrum, from Tinned Tomatoes, a self-taught cook and baker, who has been cooking and baking for over 24 years and whose interest in food really developed when she became a vegetarian 22 years ago.

If you live in the UK, you may have seen the Horizon documentary on BBC2, that aired on Monday night.  

Eat, Fast and Live Longer.

If you haven’t seen it, then you may have heard people talking about it on twitter or facebook. It’s a hot topic right now.

michael mosleyThe documentary featured medical journalist and tv exec Michael Mosley, as he set himself the challenge to live longer, stay younger and lose weight. Three things that I am sure we would all like to achieve. During the one hour documentary Mosley spoke to many people including scientists and found out that a low calorie diet is the secret to these three elusive goals. Read more

Back to Paris Basics – Navigating the Metro

by Petite Paris, an Australian-based service for Australian travellers and fellow Francophiles

metro_tutorialWith so many new ‘Petite’ friends and first timers heading to Paris we have to remember to re-cap the basic essentials and practicalities of Paris … to help you plan, prepare and book for a smooth arrival and overall experience. So…no better place to start or over than the Metro System!

 The Paris Metro System – Becoming familiar with the Paris Metro and a Paris Metro map is essential to any Paris visitor. However the map of the Metro may as well be in Greek, if you don’t know basic facts about taking the Paris Metro. Read more

The Perplexing Phenomenon of the Double Giratoire

by Abby from Paris Weekender, an American living in Paris who offers suggestions for Paris weekends, either staying put or getting out of town

Double-GiratoireI was on my way to Nostang, a small town in the Morbihan north of the ria d’Etel, and I came across my second double giratoire.

As many of you know, I passed my French driver’s exam in the fall, and I’m proud. Ask me anything about the French rules of the road, and I can tell you. I was certain I had seen it all — either on the road or in the practice exams.

But there seems to be a new creature in the array of options for the French intersection. At least the two examples I have driven through (and survived) were clearly new constructions. Read more

 

Cycling, Food, France, French customs, Paris

Sunday’s Picture and a Song: Bastille Day (La Fête Nationale) 2013 – On the third day she rested … Bicycling in Provence: A Very Sad Au Revoir –

Leave a comment
Print pagePDF pageEmail page

I haven’t been publishing the usual Wednesday’s Blogger Round-up for the last month because I simply didn’t have time to read any other blogs! Cycling and visiting all day and writing posts at night took up a good part of every 24 hours.

Although we arrived back on Sunday night just in time for Bastille Day, we decided to pass on it this year but Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris took some of her usual stunning photos. Meanwhile, Sylvia from Finding Noon was off on a Greek Island, eating lobster and discovering a wonderful English library. While we’ve been cycling along the Danube, Maggie LaCoste from Experience France by Bike has been bicycling through Provence. Enjoy!

Sunday’s Picture and a Song: Bastille Day (La Fête Nationale)

by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use

bastille_dayLiberté, égalité, fraternité.

There was a REVOLUTION of sound and explosions on the Champ de Mars last night. If you would like to relive Bastille Day (La Fête Nationale) 2013, here’s the spectacular firework show in its entirety! Read more

On the third day she rested…

by Sylvie from Finding Noon, an American living in Paris who appreciates fine art, good music, succulent food, and breath taking scenery

greeceNot that I’m comparing myself to the Great Creator, but s/he created the world in 6 days before taking a break, where as on holiday in Santorini, Greece last week, I only made it to three before needing a holiday from our holidays.

When I told a friend our destination she gave me a rather dry look, adding, “You know, you can’t wear heels.” The map of the nearest big city had a “No Heels” logo on its legend.  What wasn’t explained, and what I didn’t ask, is why. Read more

Bicycling in Provence: A Very Sad Au Revoir

by Maggie LaCoste from Experience France by Bike, an American who loves biking anywhere in Europe, but especially France, which has the perfect combination of safe bike routes, great food, great weather and history.

provenceProvence is a very easy place to fall in love with, and a very difficult place to leave. Four days here was only enough time to confirm that I should have planned on staying no less than a couple of weeks! Even though it never rains here in the summer, it rained in Bonnieux this morning. Maybe the rain was supposed to help me not feel so bad about leaving. But as I watched the fog settle over the hills, it made me want to stay even more. I was dreading the 7 km downhill ride on wet pavement. Read more

French customs, French language

Friday’s French – cloche

5 Comments
Print pagePDF pageEmail page

One of the most significant differences between French and English technical vocabulary is that the French terms often describe appearance while the English terms refer to purpose or use.

A prime example is cloche. It’s original meaning is bell, as in church bell, with clochette used to signify the smaller version. Church bells live in clochers, there being no distinction between the pointy ones (steeples) and the square ones (church towers).

cheverny_clocher

However, it is also means the lid used to cover a plate to keep the contents hot or to cover a cheese platter, because it roughly looks like a bell.

This has given rise to derivatives such as déclocher, to uncover a plate.

There is a verb clocher that actually has nothing to do with cloche and derives from low Latin clocca, whereas clocher comes from the popular Latin cloppicare meaning “to limp”. It has given a series of familiar expressions meaning that something isn’t right.

Qu’est-ce qui cloche? = what’s up ? what’s gone wrong ?

Il y a quelque chose qui  cloche (in which someone is saying) = Something’s not right. That doesn’t make sense.

Il y a quelque chose qui cloche dans le moteur = There’s something wrong with the engine.

Yesterday we were visiting Château de Villesavin near Chambord and came across another type of cloche or globe in the bridal museum.

cloche_room

At first glance, I thought they were graveyard flowers, which seemed an odd thing to collect, but Jean Michel said his grandmother had one so I took a second look. They were used to keep the bride’s headpiece after the wedding and have a high symbolic content.

It was the bride’s mother who designed and gave the globe to her daughter.

two_cloches

Nearly all of them had mirrors. A mirror means sincerity, only reflecting what it sees. The large mirror in the middle is the marriage mirror, the reflection of life. The small rectangular mirrors are the number of years the couple courted. The small losenge-shaped mirrors are the number of children wanted I (don’t know who decided that though, the bride or the bride’s mother!)

newly_weds

Inside the globes, doves are the symbol of peace, ivy leaves of attachment, grapevine leaves of abundance and prosperity ; oak symbolises strength, love and health, linden fidelity (which is why linden trees are often planted at the entrance of a property), clover means happiness, a sheaf of wheat is to remind the husband that he has to work every day of his life to keep his wife and children happy and daisies are the traditional flowers of lovers.

Does these exist in English-speaking countries?

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...