France, the nation of the cheque book

When we left for France twelve years ago I very rarely used a cheque book. So rarely it was kept in a box in the bottom of the wardrobe.

In the UK now, cheques must be incredibly rare, if fact, I bet some people don’t even have a cheque book!..

If you crave a bit of nostalgia make your way over across the channel to France… the French love a cheque.

Imagine a busy supermarket, and here I speak from experience, a lot of experience, and the person at the front of the queue pays by cheque. First they fumble around in their bag for the chequebook, they write the cheque, then the cashier asks for their Carte d’identité. The cashier then copies, what seems to be, the WHOLE of the carte d’identité onto the back of the cheque. Then, the NEXT person pays by cheque and so it goes on…

It really is no surprise that cheques are so popular. Cheque books are free…. Debit cards cost about €40 each… so for a joint account you will be paying between €80 and €90 for two debit cards.

Now, I am no banker but SURELY it is cheaper for the banks to process card payments than cheque payments… and it would make to supermarket queues flow a lot quicker…

Mardi Gras

Today we celebrated Mardi Gras… a few days early I know but today is the last day of term so the perfect day to dress up!!

Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) is next Tuesday, the day before the beginning of Lent. Mardi Gras also marks the end of the Carnival period.

At the origin of the Carnival there were (of course !!) many old (and odd !!) habits from France. For example, the French took a fat cow around the roads of Paris to tell people not to eat meat during Lent. The word “carnival” means in Latin “to take away eating meat”.

We celebrated the Carnival today, and it didn’t have anything to do with a fat cow !!.

Today the young and the elderly of Reminiac came together. I arrived at the village hall with several other women, all heavily laden with crepes and cakes at about 3.00pm to prepare the hot chocolate for the children and to sugar the crepes.

But, we were beaten to it !!.. Five or six women in their seventies were bustling around the kitchen warming two huge pans of milk and worrying about the hot chocolate powder, was is the right sort ? and should they add some more sugar ?.

In the hall there were four or five bereted men, uncorking ten bottles of wine !.

At 3.30 the children arrived and they all went to have a chat to the waiting men and women, who, of course, complimented them on their costumes !!.. The hot chocolate was being ladled out into huge bowls and the crepes were being as eaten as fast as we could serve them.

We celebrate Mardi Gras

This afternoon the young and the elderly have come together in a very natural way. The interaction between the generations was just so easy and I really do hope that there will be many more events such like this.

Good things come to those that wait

Last month I contacted France Telecom to arrange for an engineer to visit La Maison Violet in order that this gite would have access to the internet, wifi.

‘No problem, Mardi 18 Février entre 13h00 et 17h00′ I was told.

So last Tuesday I waited all afternoon at La Maison Violet for France Telecom, 5.00pm and they still hadn’t arrived. Strangely, I wasn’t annoyed. I almost expected them not to turn up. Ten years ago, if I had wasted a whole afternoon waiting and waiting I would have been hopping mad!!…  I’m not sure if this means that I am getting more patient as I age (no, I don’t think so!!) or if I am resigned to the fact that the French work in their own way and sometimes they will turn up on the agreed time and sometimes they won’t and that is just the way it is.

Wednesday morning I called Orange (on a premium rate number…. they know all about Customer Services!!) and ‘held’ for 26 minutes paying the premium rate for the privilege .

I was then told that someone would call me to rearrange the rendezvous… no apology…

Thursday. Still no call from Orange.

The very welcome France Telecom van

Friday, 7.30am, a bang on the door, France Telecom!!  By 9.00am La Maison Violet was connected to the internet.

Is it safe to drink bottled water in France?

A question I pondered as I heaved 24 litres of bottled water from the supermarket shelves into my trolley, then onto the conveyor belt and then back into the trolley. Seriously resenting the 24 litres of bottle water as I lifted them out of my trolley and into the car.

Miles of supermarket aisles are filled with bottles water.

I know in the back of my mind, Yes, of course French tap water is safe to consume, but I don’t, why?

The preference for bottled water amongst the French is something of an historical legacy, for as late as the 1990s up to 13% of consumers in some areas of the country did not have drinking water that complied with quality standards.

However, in recent years (largely as a result of pressure from the EU, it has to be said) the French government has invested heavily in water treatment works, with a major programme of investment that is ongoing.

The system of quality control in France today is also rigorous, and carried out along the whole of the supply chain – at the point of capture, at treatment stations, and within the distribution network itself.

Not only do the water companies themselves do their own tests, but there are also regular independent tests carried by officials from the French Ministry of Health.

The frequency of these tests will depend on the size of the population served by a particular supply, and by the risks that may be present within an area.

The tests regularly show that over 99% of the supply complies with quality standards, which are set by the European Union.

If a breach of standards does arise, and the water is considered unsafe to drink, it is the responsibility of the local mayor to ensure that the inhabitants of the communeare informed.

So yes, the water in France is very safe to drink, but the French aren’t convinced, particularly in agricultural areas where the nitrates and pesticides contained in the untreated water is particularly high.

The French government have worked really hard to convince the public that tap water is safe to drink…

‘Water resources are exposed to a range of contaminants, but there is a rigorous regulatory framework in France (as elsewhere in the developed world) based on European standards, with regular controls by agencies, and treatment networks amongst the best in the world. This makes tap water one of the most monitored, most healthy, and most secure compounds we consume.’

In addition, the local council are required to inform all inhabitants each year of the result of the most recent tests. This information is included with the water bill. The results are also normally on the notice board at the mairie.

It appears that the French government can do no more to allay our fears as to the quality of the tap water so why do the majority of the French still prefer bottled water?

Is it a habit?, we have always drunk bottles water so we will continue to. Or, is it because the water is so heavily treated it tastes so awful !!…

To kiss or not to kiss?

The French love to kiss. They kiss everyone, family members, friends and work colleagues, but thankfully they do draw the line at kissing strangers.And yet sometimes they don’t kiss, it is very confusing. This kissing lark has caused me so much stress and embarrassment over the years, I dread to think how many hours I have spent worrying about kissing etiquette. On many occasions, I have meet someone one day and they ‘faire la bise’ and then the next time we meet I go in cheek to cheek and they hold out their hand for a hand shake…so embarrassing.

I have discovered there are four questions you need to ask yourself to perfect the ‘la bise’ skills. Quand?, Qui?, Comment? Combien?

Quand? (when?) Whenever you see your family members, your colleagues or friends for the first time that day. Once a day is the rule. If you arrive at work or at a party or the school gate start making the rounds and ‘fait la bise’ straightaway. It is considered rude if you don’t do this straightaway , but be warned it can take some time!

When does all this kissing start. Not at primary school. It starts the first day at collège (secondary school). There is no embarrassment girls and boys faire la bise with ease when they first get to school in the morning and when they leave in the evening…

Qui? (Who?)  This is complicated. You need to take into account age, social standing and in professional terms the seniority of your counterpart. Friends and close friends are easy, you can initiate ‘la bise’. For acquaintances and work colleagues I follow a simple rule. Let the older or more senior person initiate ‘la bise’. Up until very very recently I would always try an ensure that I was the first person at any social event and even at the school gate as it is the person that arrives last who does the rounds to ‘faire la bise’. If I was the first person there I didn’t need to initiate anything.. just stand and wait for either a cheek or a hand to be proffered.

One hard and fast rule that must never be broken… NEVER kiss your boss, the mayor, or your childs’ school teacher. Very very bad form!

Men greet other men with a hand shake. Men greet women with a kiss and women greet other women with a kiss.

Comment? (How?) It depends. A general rule is, the more distant the person, the less body contact. With friends and close family you may actually lightly kiss them on the cheek. With anyone else just a light cheek to cheek is enough.

Combien? (How many?) The Big Question. It depends on the region and how well you know the person. In Provence it is three times bit in Brittany it is twice for everyone apart from close friends and family when it is four kisses.

No Valentine? Build a fire and hurl abusive comments at all the men that have spurned you

Of course Valentines’ day is celebrated in France, it is after all the most romantic country in the world !!..  However, not all French customs are desperately romantic. The oldest Valentines tradition is  ”une loterie d’amour,” , where single men and women would enter houses that faced opposite each other and call to one another until they had paired off. If a man was not particularly happy with his chosen partner, he would simply leave the undesirable match for another woman.

After the pairing off had finished, women who were left single built a large ceremonial bonfire and burned images of men who had hurt them. During this ritual, the women would also yell abusive remarks and swear at the men. This brings a new meaning to the saying, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.!  It was the aspect of the celebration that got too out of control and the government had to step in and stop this custom.

Today, the French celebrate Valentine’s Day like people in many other countries by exchanging cards, small gifts, and words of affection. Fresh flowers are also a popular item to send or receive on this holiday.

It is said that the first modern Valentine’s Day card was sent by a Frenchmen. Supposedly, Charles the Duke of Orleans sent the first modern Valentine’s Day card, along with poems and other love letters, to his wife from his cell in the Tower of London after being captured by the British at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.

It is also traditional for people to visit the town of Saint Valentin in the French department of Indre, which is named after Saint Valentine. The village holds many fesitvals and events related to the February 14th holiday, including marriage vow renewals.

The E cigarette debate is hotting up to boiling point...

Yesterday, a leaflet was thrust into my hand as I walked through the sliding doors of SuperU.

E cigarette promotion..

If I use an e cigarette I can save €2,000 a year. Not quite sure how this saving applies to me as I don’t smoke… but I was intrigued by the leaflet. It is a long time since I have seen cigarette ‘e’ or otherwise advertised..

E-cigarettes are battery-powered devices that heat a nicotine-based liquid and turn it into vapour and have become increasingly popular in recent years, partly because smokers see them as a less harmful alternative to traditional cigarettes

In France alone, the market for e-cigarettes is expected to more than double this year to around €100 million from €40 million last year, according to a recent study from the French office for the prevention of smoking.

Eager to further tap this growing market, France’s 27,000 tobacconists—a fixture of French towns with their red Tabac signs—have called on the government to give them the exclusive right to sell e-cigarettes as currently the sale of e cigarettes is not regulated and anyone can sell these devises and the associated liquids to anyone.

Until yesterday I has no idea that you could ‘vapour’ strawberry and mint as well as tobacco. To me this is a little dangerous, at the moment there is nothing to stop a 12year old child from buying an e cigarette and ‘vaporising’ a strawberry liquid… and then it is a very small step to buying the nicotine liquid next time… I suppose it is a bit like alcopops and alcohol.

A French court in Toulouse has recently ruled that tobacconists should have the exclusive right to sell electronic cigarettes—the smoke-free alternative to tobacco products—dealing a potential blow to the burgeoning e-cigarette industry.

The surprise ruling could influence efforts to regulate the sale of e-cigarettes across Europe, which is grappling with the question of whether they should be treated as tobacco products..

The ruling, if it stands, could be a setback for France’s rapidly expanding e-cigarette outlets. If legislation were to follow the court reasoning, it would force e-cigarette stores to close.

Marisol Touraine, France’s health minister, has said she wants to ban e-cigarettes from public spaces and ban advertising on them.

The e cigarette battle is far from over… and for now anyone can buy an e cigarette from their local supermarket !!

Is French Patriotism waning?

 The origin of French nationalism and French patriotism is thought to have begun with Joan of Arc who fought for France and always addressed her supporters as “Frenchmen”. French nationalism rose as a movement after the French Revolution in 1789.  It was Napoleon Bonaparte who promoted French nationalism based upon the ideals of the French Revolution such as the ideal of  the French slogan ‘liberty, equality and fraternity’. It was Napoleon who justified French expansionism and French military campaigns on the claim that France had the right to spread the enlightened ideals of the French Revolution across Europe.

French nationalism from the 19th to early 20th century took on an assertive and extreme patriotism that supported military force to achieve its political goals. French national pride was however damaged in World War 1 by the long, drawn out war with Germany fought on its soil and this was compounded in World War II when the French government surrendered to Germany in 1940; and after France lost many of its colonies due to decolonization after World War II.

The war hero of Free France Charles de Gaulle became President of France and sought to resurrect national pride.

I have been observing the French for over ten years and there are signs that their strong patriotic views are cracking, just very slightly. Ten years ago the French were a very patriotic race, they were the best nation in the world, they lived in the best country, ate the best food, were governed by the best leaders and had the best ideals.

Why now, are the French becoming more cynical of ‘France is best’ view? Is the internet to blame, as it offers a different more global view?, partly yes.

But there has to be more to it….In the past on Bastille Day, 14th July, all of the houses, streets, town squares would be covered in French flags as a celebration of French patriotism… not any more, why?

One argument could be that if you act patriotic these days, then people will think you support the extreme right, and whilst there are an increasing number of French supporting far right groups such as The Front National no one wants to be seen as being this far right. It’s a valid argument, as many right-wing politicians try to arouse patriotism amongst their political constituents, much more so than any other political group here. So perhaps it is a reason why many are reluctant to be thought of as patriotic for fear of being associated with these groups.

There is no doubt that the French want to hang on to their patriotical heritage but it is becoming increasing difficult. It is therefore no surprise that both of my children have recently had lessons at school about the importance of France, what is stands for and the national slogan,’liberty, equality and fraternity’.

Il y a du pain sur la planche

I have just come across a saying which has taken a while for me to get my head around…il y a du pain sur la planche.

Literally this can be translated as, ‘there is bread on the work surface , board.’

I have been mulling this saying over for days and I think I’ve cracked it !!..

Perhaps it means, the English equivalent of, ‘he / she has a lot on his/her plate.’ There is a lot to do.

But now I’m puzzling over this saying, both in French and English. Why would you associate eating with a chore?  Surely eating is a pleasurable experience, particularly in France.

Pancake day in France...

Crêpes… It is my national duty to eat pancakes today...

The Catholic holiday of Candlemas, on 2 February, is a feast to commemorate the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of baby Jesus. In France, this holiday is called la Chandeleur, Fête de la Lumière, or jour des crêpes.

Not only do the French eat a lot of crêpes on Chandeleur, but the day is also shrouded in superstition and fortune telling. No crêpes must be eaten before 8.00pm!  It is also traditional to hold a coin in your writing hand and a crêpe pan in the other, and flip the crêpe into the air. If you manage to catch the crêpe in the pan, your family will be prosperous for the rest of the year.

There are all kinds of French proverbs and sayings for Chandeleur; here are just a few :

À la Chandeleur, l’hiver cesse ou reprend vigueur
On Candlemas, winter ends or strengthens

À la Chandeleur, le jour croît de deux heures
On Candlemas, the day grows by two hours

Chandeleur couverte, quarante jours de perte
Candlemas covered (in snow), forty days lost

Rosée à la Chandeleur, hiver à sa dernière heure
Dew on Candlemas, winter at its final hour

Quand la Chandeleur est claire, l’hiver est par derriere; Chandeleur couverte quarante jours de perte If February 2nd is clear, no more winter to fear; if the Chandeleur is overcast, forty days winter to last.

Soleil de la Chandeleur, annonce hiver et malheur A sunny Candlemas will bring winter and misfortune

Si point ne veut de blé charbonneux mange des crêpes à la Chandeleur. If you do not at all wish the wheat to blacken eat crêpes at Candlemas

Celui qui la rapporte chez lui allumée. Pour sûr ne mourra pas dans l’année Whoever arrives home (from church) with it (the candle) lit for sure will not die that year

I can’t do much about the weather.. but I think the French have got all the angles covered… it it is overcast, sunny, snowy or dewy winter will continue but I think it is my duty to all the French farmers to eat lots of crêpes today, after 8.00pm to stop their crops from spoiling!

Oh help… we have Bin Trouble

About an hour ago as I was taking Joe to school I passed the mayor driving into our hamlet… he could not be passing through as we live in a dead end road.

Ten minutes later, I returned home. The mayor was in the road outside our house with two suited men. Help, we don’t see many suits in rural Brittany !!

Our next door neighbour appeared and entered into the rather heated debate with the mayor.
By now, I had parked the car and was trying to inconspicuously get out of the car and into the front door…..

‘Madame Harrington.’

‘Bonjour Monsieur Le Maire.’

I walk over to join the suited men, the mayor and our red faced neighbour. Lots of hand shaking and out of the corner of my eye I see the Eloise, another neighbour approaching. After the formalities, bonjours and more handshaking she is off… aahhhh now I understand the problem. Bins. Where should the bin collection point be.

I had no idea that this could be such a controversial issue… but believe me it is.

Last year all of our communal bins were replaced by individual land fill and recycling wheelie bins.


We have to agree a hamlet bin collection point. After an hour of haggling my two neighbours eventually agree where we will put our bins on a Wednesday morning and one of the suited men marks the spot with green spray paint so there can be no doubt.

The much haggled over wheelie bin spot.

Feeling a bit sorry for the suited men as they head off to resolve another wheelie bin collection spot dispute.

Embracing seasonality

Thinking about lunch. This time of year, it is always soup and at the moment I have a bit of a parsnip glut so more often than not it is parsnip soup, which Joe tolerates as long as there is a LOT of bread !!..

Then, it is either lentils, something involving chick peas and it always comes out of a pot and for pudding, tarte tartan.

What we eat is to a large extent supermarket driven… and I am so pleased that France still follows the seasons. It is impossible to find a strawberry, nor a cucumber until June and I would find the concept of eating water melon rather odd in January. At the moment I want BIG foods, cauliflower cheese, cabbage and lardons and bœuf bourguignon. Conversely it would seem strange to the French to eat raclette (basically a cheese fondue) at any time apart from in the depths of winter.

Our diet changes with the seasons, this has to be a good thing. When supermarkets stock the same foods all year round it must be so easy to eat the same meals all year round.

The French may have got many things wrong (the economy !!… ooppps that was a bit controversial !!)… but their supermarkets have to be applauded for only stocking seasonal fruit and vegetables.

The Village Newsletter….

Every January the village newsletter arrives in our letter box.

The Village Newsletter

This thirty page booklet starts with ‘Le Mot du Maire’, where the mayor spouts on about what he has done during the last year and what he is going to do this year.

Then, the minutes of all of the village council meetings during the last year. The communes income and expenditure is also scrutinised in some detail.

Births, deaths and marriages are all recorded in ‘La Vie communale’ along with any personnel changes at the Mayors’ office.

The school and each of the village clubs are given a page to promote themselves, so I now know when the trout when be let loose in the village pond, that the football club is looking for a referee and that the boules club are looking for some more younger members as  a lot of the membership retired last year.

The last couple of pages are dedicated to practical information… the opening hours of the Mayors’ office and the local dump and when we need to put out our bins.

These village newsletters are put together by the mayor and his secretary. There are no glossy photos, no adverts, no hype, just village information… strangely refreshing.