What French Stereotype are You

A little quiz to brighten your day...or not depending on the results. I thought it was pretty funny, of course, I am the Parisian Suductress. C'est vrai! Enjoy. And maybe next time, I will get around to sharing our journey to Rome. Click on the sexy image below and you too can find out what French stereotype you are. Be sure to let me know.

Naples, Italy 2009

We just returned from a week in Rome and Naples. It was a great trip, and it is always interesting to leave France and see how the rest of Europe lives. Italy is especially interesting.

Just a little over two hours from our house is the Italian border. The biggest advantage of the new EU stuff, besides everywhere having the same currency, is that there is no check point at the border. However, if you miss the little sign, you still know that you are in Italy. Every building seems as if it might fall down at any second, and the further south you drive, the worse the drivers get. In France, there are two lanes, and two cars can drive side by side, one per lane with the occasionally passing scooter-type vehicle. As you move south in Italy, there are three lanes, apparently, these three lanes are to accommodate 5 vehicles across with the occasionally passing scooter. As you hit Naples, the chaos intensifies and some scooters carry more then the usual 2 people. Some carry whole families. It is quite a sight to see 5 cars in 3 lanes being passed by a scooter carrying 3 people. Thankfully the autoroute is in excellant condition given the fact that the tolls are hughly expensive. It cost us just under $75 (US) to travel most of the length of Italy.

After visiting Italy twice now, it is a common opinion in our family that the Italians thrive on chaos. This is especially true south of Rome, where they can only manage to get their trash picked up occasionally. Lucky for us, we were there in the winter, so the smell was not bad. However, there were piles of trash surrounding every dumpster. I will give a bit of benefit of the doubt as it was the Sunday after Christmas, and it is possible that no trash pick ups were scheduled until Monday. Our area in France however has trash pick up nearly every night. Apparently, we are a bit spoiled even though we have to hand carry our recyclables 2 blocks if we want to be good environmentalists.

In Italy, I was pretty impressed by the sense of community that existed everywhere. Small groups of people were gathered on nearly every street talking and laughing. Children played nearby and everyone just seemed pretty relaxed. And, everyone seemed to know their neighbors. There was much kissing, greeting and friendship. The Italians also treat children as a blessing. No matter where you go children and family are welcomed. We never entered a restaurant where the children were not smiled at and made to feel welcome. This is a contrast to France, where we rarely take our children out to eat, especially for dinner. I know I have said this before, but some restaurants here would rather have your dog at it then your children. Maybe the child aspect just adds to the chaos the Italians love so much.

Italy really was a lot of fun and a great place to visit. We were only in Naples a couple days, and if truth be told, we went there mostly so I could purchase a few, not available in France, necessities from the US Navy base located there. For some reason, black beans and dill pickles are not to be found in France. And, who are we kidding, we also had to by a few boxes of Kraft Mac-n-Cheese. No matter how many times/ways we make homemade mac-n-cheese, the girls like the boxed stuff best. They also really like the fact that base has a few American fast food favorites such as Taco Bell and A&W. There is a KFC and a Subway too, but they have those here if we are really desperate for a touch of home and that happens rarely. I think the ducklings favorite part of visiting the base, was that they have a movie theater that shows first run movies in everyones fave language...English. However fluent they are in French, some things are just more fun for them in English. Could Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 really translate to French well anyway?

Also, while we were there we decided to visit a few sites….mainly Herculaneum (In the photo above). The ducklings love history and especially ruins. Located in modern day Ercolano, just south of Naples, Herculaneum was perfect. Similar to Pompeii in that it was destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, it is much smaller, much less commercialized and still absolutely incredible. It was the perfect half-day adventure for the family. We spent almost 4 hours exploring every nook and cranny. It was simply amazing, just as though you are walking through a pretty intact ghost town. You feel like you are actually in a working excavation site, and you are. Although no one was working the day we were there you could see where they did work, and although they did not have any pamphlets in English (why? Who knows), they did have French. Also, much of the, mostly well marked, signage was in both English and Italian. To end our really amazing visit, we had a late lunch at a nearby restaurant. It would have been prefect had the little blond duckling not left her raincoat there, where it remains to this day. Actually, you cannot really blame a 5 year old, but I will blame the Big Duck who you would think would have learned, after 4 ducklings, that you need to check the table when you leave a restaurant. I am thankfully in the clear as I was already in the car by that point.

All in all Naples was a fun couple days. Our next adventure took us to Rome, and that is where the fun really began. Until then...au revoir.

Our First Year....

It is definitely Fall in the South of France. The leaves are changing, the days are cooler and most important, the stands that sell ice cream in the summer are now selling crepes and chichis (deep fried donut-like pieces). Yum! Fall also means we have been in France for 1 year. So, in honor of this momentous occasion, I have compiled a list of things we have learned, things we will never get used to, and things we will really miss when we leave in 2 years.

Top things I have learned in France:

General:

1-Sidewalks are for dog poop and car parking, so watch out. As David Liebovitz writes in his book, The Sweet Life in Paris, when a French person says "I am a socialist", they mean "I do not pick up my own dog poop." So true.

2-Having your one good french phrase be "I do not speak French" saves you from many a telemarketer. However, a surprising number speak English. How is it that even the telemarketers are bilingual??

3-Even a mediocre baguette tastes amazing with butter and salami.

4-Favorite breakfast for French children...a glass of chocolate milk with a baguette for dipping. They don't eat again until lunch.

5-Favorite after school snack for the French (but don't call it a snack...the French don't snack) a third of a baguette with a large chunk of chocolate. Not all that surprisingly, my girls like it too. Nutella will do in a pinch.

6-If your child does not want to wear a coat and it is under 75 degrees, you will hear about it from every little old lady. If the temperature drops below 75, all babies will be bundled and with a knit cap. All French children will be wearing a warm coat with a scarf. My children will be wearing a cardigan. Please don't tell me they are cold. We lived in Canada for a year. That is cold.

Safety:
1-Bike helmets are not mandatory. However, if you want to ride at night, you must have a reflective vest and several lights. Seems as though the helmet should be required too. Very few children wear helmets, and the French seem a little puzzled that ours do.

2-It is perfectly acceptable to ride a bike or scooter with your child clutching you from the front or rear. If it is a bike, no one will be wearing a helmet. If it is a scooter, only the driver will be wearing one. Surprisingly, helmets are required for scooters or motorcycles, but I think that has to do with socialized medicine. I have heard that if you are injured while riding without a helmet, you will not be covered by the medical system.

3-Car Seats: Although there is a law mandating car seats they seem to be somewhat optional. I have seen many an acquaintance with their smallest children crawling on the floor of the minivan in traffic. Also, the tiny cars here do not fit a car seat so many baby seats are turned sideways. Maybe it doesn't say that the car seat actually has to be safe.

Fashion:
Yes, the French have style. They don't wear sweats or tennis shoes in public and even if they don't look what we might consider great, if they wear it with confidence, then they are fashionable. The French woman is supremely confident.

1-Wearing jeans that stop at your knees and boots that go to your knees is very chic. It must be paired with a wool, leather or fur coat that goes to mid-thigh.

2-What has happened to me? I now own 2, no 3 pairs, of black boots (dressy, casual, over the knee), 2 pairs of brown boots, and 1 pair of red boots. I also now have purses to match each set of boots and about 12 scarves. For a 4 day trip to Barcelona, I took 2 pairs of boots and 5 scarves. I also now have wool coats in blue, black and grey as well as 2 dress coast and a poncho style dress coat. I figure that I am pegged as an American everywhere I go, so I should at least be a classy one.

Things we will never get used to:

1-Everything is closed on Sunday afternoons. Most stuff never even opens. Luckily, the mini-mart down the street (where I do most of my shopping) and the market are both open Sundays, but forget about running errands at say, Ikea.

2-Carrefour, the giant Wal-Mart style grocery store, is always packed. I have been there at 8:30 on a Friday evening, and all 30 open check out lines were 6 deep. It is the same at 9am on a Wednesday or 2pm on a Thursday. It still amazes me.

3-Carrefour is self-bagging and the cashiers sit. They must have a great union. Everyone knows it is self bagging, and yet they are never ready to bag. To top it off no one (except me) ever has their Carte Bleu (the most popular debit card ever) ready for payment, nor do they have their Carte Fidelity (frequent shopper card ready).

4-How can everyone wait so patiently in all of these grocery lines, but when they get out on the street, watch out? It is like the Indy 500, motorcycles and scooters weaving in and out, horns honking. In a word, crazy.

5-How many people speak English, but are unwilling to admit it until you have completely butchered the French language. Really it is just easier to say that I don't speak much French, ask if they speak any English and go from there. They almost always fess up to speaking "a little English". It is almost always better then my "little" French.

6-Could the tequila and in turn, the margaritas be any worse? The rum is not that great either. We make do, but I sure miss a good margarita.

Things I will miss:
Sadly, most of the things I will really miss are food related, and the food hasn't changed my life or anything, although it has all been good.

1-Lardons: Small chopped up pieces of bacon that you can fry up. Perfect for eggs, salads or quiche. On the other hand, no regular bacon or turkey bacon either.

2-Wine at lunch and dinner and midmorning if you want.

3-"Junk" Food: It seems to be much less junky here. There are fewer preservatives and things just taste good. The ducklings faves? Chocolate crepes, Special K with Chocolate chunks, chocolate pretzels and well, I see a theme here. Chocolate is a big part of our lives.

4-Chocolate: Even the crappy generic stuff from Carrefour is better then most anything in the US.

5-Wednesdays off school: I thought it would be silly to have a day off in mid week, but I and the girls love it. Morning is ballet for 1 hour, and afternoon is whatever.

6-No rushing: I drive, tops, twice a week. School ends at 4:30, and that is really too late for after school activities. Snack at 5, playtime, homework, dinner at 7ish. Bed at 8. All in all pretty awesome.

7-Inexpensive wine: Anyone want the Gold Medal Bordeaux from the Paris wine show?? I can get you some for about $10 a bottle.

8-Good Rose wine: An awesome wine. Totally cheap and very much a southern French thing.

Now that I look at my list I realize we will really miss it here. And we will be leaving just when I can finally speak the language. All this work for nothing. Oh well, I am looking forward to the next 2 years and hope that we enjoy them as much as we have enjoyed the first.

Au Marche

There are few things I love more about France then the Market. Here in Toulon, we have two daily markets and both are amazing in their own way.

The big market, in downtown Toulon, is the biggest in Var, the "state" in which Toulon is located. It runs for several blocks, has every conceivable item from produce to clothing to jewelry to toys and then even more produce. The smell of all the produce mingling with the scent of olives and spices is exotic. The crowd of people pushing toward the tables is crazy, so many cultures melting together in what is a normal daily chore. The market is also a social event with groups of people gathered together, blocking traffic and chatting. It is quite nearly impossible to push a stroller through the crowd. I love it.

The small market is also pretty amazing. It is located in Mourillon, an area located a mere 10-15 minute walk from the big market. We fondly call this area the "village" for its small neighborhood feel. If you walk through every day for only a week, faces begin to look familiar. Visit the same stand at the market everyday for a week, and you become a regular. Everyday is different at this market. While the produce vendors remain the same day after day, the other vendors change. Some days shoes are popular, some days bedding and some days clothes. I still haven't figured out who is there when. However, every market day brings a visit to the olive vendor. Although, he sells not just olives, but tapenades (fig and black olive is a favorite), capers, pickled veggies and anchoide, a surprisingly delicious concoction of anchovies, garlic and olive oil which I can no longer have in the house as I spread it on bread and eat it for a snack. I shudder to think of the calorie count. The ducklings like the olive guy because they get a free bag of pitted green olives. Of course, free is relative, as we spend much money with the olive man.

However, what truly amazes me about the market, is that it is everyday. Well, every day except Monday. That means that every day from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. the market is packed. And then miraculously, by 2 p.m., there is no trace that the market was ever there. Until the next morning, the space becomes a road, a parking lot, a walkway or a play area depending on location. The city workers literally swoop in with their trash trucks and their hoses and their street sweepers and clean it up leaving nary a trace. It is a pretty stunning transformation. Photos are below. And, I apologize for them as I am still figuring out how to post photos. The order is a little confusing....think clockwise. Until next time....eat, shop and be merry.

The French Paradox

Much has been written about the French diet. They spend hours eating only cheese and cream, they drink a bottle of wine each day, every meal is 5 courses, etc. etc. Many call this the French Paradox. How can someone eat so much and not gain weight? How can someone eat so much and not have heart disease? After living here almost a year, I am not thin, but I have gained some insight as to the French diet.

First, just as all French women are not well dressed, all French women are not thin. However, many are and I, at the risk of great personal embarrassment, have taken an informal, "so what does your family eat every day" poll just to find out how the French do stay, mostly, thin. I cannot imagine what people must think when I ask this question at a party, but I figure I can coast a few more months on the "oh she is an American, what do you expect" line. Truly, most people probably think I am slightly crazy as this is a question I ask almost every French person I can, but I can't help myself, I find the answers fascinating. Maybe though this is why we don't get invited out much. In reality though, the eating habits of France are at the same time amazingly different then that of the U.S. and amazingly similar.

To start, the French do not eat breakfast as we know it. They would be appalled, or at least throw up, if they had to eat eggs, bacon and pancakes all in the same sitting with coffee and in the morning. Not that they don't love a good pork product, they do. Sausages are practically a national past time. It is just that the average French person is eating a very small meal that literally breaks the fast. Think a chunk of baguette (not the whole or half baguette, a small chunk) that is dipped in coffee or for children chocolate milk or coffee with a LOT of milk. Also, contrary to popular belief, croissants are a weekend breakfast treat. I have to say, that I am a bit surprised that the children can survive on such a small breakfast that to me, seems void of nutrients. However, I do chalk up the, in general, short stature of the population to the lack of breakfast nutrients. Most people do have another coffee at midmorning sometimes with a bit of sausage or cheese (again a small bit), and the children at school do have a cookie or small snack from home at midmorning. A note here, when I say coffee, I do not mean a Grande Mocha Latte from Starbucks (which sadly does not exist in this part of France), but a tiny, little cup of coffee similar in size if not strength to an espresso. If you want a normal size cup of coffee you have to order and pay for a cafe au lait. Someday, I will try and figure out how the thimble size cup of coffee can last for the hours some people spend at the cafe. No refills here.

Lunch is generally a bit more exciting. This is, usually, the biggest meal of the day. Lunch is the meal that consists of a piece of meat or fish, rice or potatoes and a vegetable all with wine and then dessert and coffee. If you are at a restaurant and order one of the "fixed price" meals, you also may get a salad or appetizer. The afternoon snack for adults is pretty nonexistent, unless one sneaks a piece of baguette on the way home from the patisserie or has a bit of chocolate or coffee but, if you are a child, you luck out. Nearly every child at school pick up receives some combo of the following, baguette with nutella, baguette with a large chunk of chocolate candy bar inside, a chocolate filled crepe, or well, I am sure you see the theme here. They also usually get a fruit product of some kind. The snack is large, by French standards as school is out at 4:30 and dinner is not until 7:00 or 7:30. Our girls love chocolate, so this is a tradition they have readily adopted.

Dinner in France, unless you are going out or are a guest in someone’s home, is quite a modest affair, soup or a sandwich a little fruit or maybe a little cheese and bread with a small glass of wine, nothing fancy and nothing large.

That is it, the French "diet". There is nothing unusual and no deprivation, if they want a few bites of chocolate they have it. Most of the food is fresh with most fruit and veggies from the daily marche. Everything is in moderation and everyone seems happy and for the most part thin. Now, if only I could follow this plan maybe I would be thin too.

OMG...it has been too long since I have posted anything...

I haven't posted anything as it feels as if nothing exciting has been going on here. Of course, it has, so now I will post.

First and foremost, the Marathon du Medoc was a success....mostly. I finished, I received my medal, I received my decanter and my wine. I was very slow but I finished. My running partner finished as well, albeit looking like a staypuff marshmallow. She had a weird reaction to something and swelled up. The swelling included her feet, so I am pretty sure that a week later, she has fewer toenails then when she started. The onsite doctor pronounced it "tres bizarre" and said to go to a hospital if she didn't improve. Tres bizarre indeed.

It was a great weekend, and we stayed at this fabulous Chateau near Bordeaux. It is named "Chateau Grattequina" and it is beautiful. The staff was gracious and helpful, the rooms were beautiful, and we loved it. A fun girly weekend was had by all with the exception of swollen feet, hands etc.

Since race weekend, it has been pretty uneventful. It rained all week, giving us a taste of winter. We celebrated the twin ducklings birthday with a very un-French "Barbie Cake". The girls were sick....as I said, a normal week.

Well, mostly normal. The "Biggest Duckling" has us laughing again. Yesterday at school, her class was discussing Indians. That would be Native Americans to us politically correct Americans, but the French, having no need to worry about such titles, stick with Indian. Anyway, it is commonly assumed here that as an American, you have direct knowledge of the Far West as they call it, as well as direct access to cowboy hats, chaps, tepees and the like. For this reason, the "Biggest Duckling" was called up to the front of the class to answer questions about Indians. One of the questions, "what tribes are you familiar with". When I asked the Duckling what she said, she said that she couldn't think of anything so she made a name up. Oh my, I am thinking as I asked her what name she came up with. She said I just called them "Gateau Blanc". "Gateau Blanc" I repeat. Yes, she says, "Gateau Blanc". I am unsure at this point whether to laugh or lecture. For those unfamiliar with French, Gateau Blanc roughly translates to "White Cake". I laughed, lectured (for making it up) and then spent some time wondering how many parents googled this strange new Indian tribe. If nothing else, 26 other students, plus a teacher have been told about a"new" tribe of Indians. May the education of France continue.

Until next time.......

Rentree (and yes there should be a ' over the 1st e)

Yeah! It is back to school time. The school supply list has been deciphered, several stores have been visited in the quest for said school supplies ("No, we don't have a 24 cm X 30 cm document protector. They don't make that size.") and it is time to relax. In fact, I think I heard a simultaneous sigh of relief go up from around the entire neighborhood as the children went off to school. This leaves the FMB (French Mommy Brigade) with time on their hands. To do what, I am still not sure and have not figured out, but whatever it is, it keeps them quite trim and relaxed looking.

I know what I am doing, and that is enjoying the quiet, that and preparing for lunch pick up. Yes, another thing that is different here. Unless you work, you must pick your children up for lunch from 11:30-1:30, breaking your day into roughly, 2.5 hour chunks before a pick up. This is actually not entirely true, as they do allow the children of the non-working parents to stay one day per week for lunch, an event known as Cantine. My girls love their Cantine day, but probably not as much as I love an entire day to do whatever I want with only the youngest duckling to hold my hand. This week, I took the baby duck to the beach, shopped for clothes, bought shoes and went to my favorite place, Carrefour (I hope by now, everyone knows my true feelings about my "favorite" place). It was amazing to have an uninterrupted block of time for me, or mostly me. I think that is the first time I have been on my own, or as on my own as I ever get, since June. It was pretty wonderful.

The best part of going back to school turns out to be the Swine Flu, or H1N1/grippe as they call it here. No, I am not looking forward to getting it, and am even quite a bit worried. What I am thrilled about is that it has lead to the demise of the "red cups of death". Last year at the twins school, they had communal drinking cups....disgusting, red, hard plastic drinking cups. These cups sat in a basket in the bathroom and as the children washed their hands, they could get a drink and then return the cup to the basket for the next child. I was appalled, this would never happen in the U.S., but as the newcomer, I was not going to be able to do anything about it. I begged the girls not to use the "cups of death", and began sending bottles of water for them. Well, the teacher would not let them drink from their own bottles and half the time the girls forgot not to use the "cups of death". It was a long year. Now, however, among the hysteria over the "grippe", the cups of death are gone. The "red cups of death" are gone and they can bring their own water bottles from home. I noticed right away, and danced a jig of happiness. Throw a little Purell their way and it might be an ok year.