Great big bonjour and bienvenue.Welcome to the Good Life France podcast.I'm your host, Janine Marsh, and I'm an ex-Londoner living in France in the far north, rural Pas-de-Calais, which I adore.
I have a large feathered and furry family, four dogs, seven cats, I have way too many chickens.I can't even eat all the eggs, it's just so many.My husband is allergic to them as well, which doesn't help.
But what we can't eat, we swap for beer in our local bar.
Wait, wait, wait, Janine.You're swapping beer with eggs at your local bar.That's what you said.
Yes. But much as I love it here, I also love to travel all around France researching all things French to write about for my website and magazine, The Good Life France, which is free at magazine.thegoodlifefrance.com.
When I'm not traveling or writing or looking after my animals, I love to chat to you on this podcast alongside my podcast partner, Olivier.
Bonjour tout le monde.Yes, indeed, a big welcome.I'm Olivier, but you can call me Oli, all my friends do anyway.I'm French, though I like to think that I may have a bit of British accent after living in the UK for 20 years.
Now I'm living and working in Lyon, where I am a radio presenter.And yes, I too love to chat to you wherever you are, more than 150 countries around the world.So that's us.And now to the nitty gritty.Janine, what's today's topic?
Please tell us, we're dying to know.
Well, the other day you and me were talking about the differences that you've noticed coming back to France after living in the UK.And I thought it would be really fun to talk about some of the really French things I love about France, like strikes.
Now, hear me out.I am not saying I love strikes per se, but I love that the French have the right to strike. and are prepared to stand up for their rights.And another difference I'd like to talk about is the mystery of French time.
Because let me tell you, coming from Britain, where we are somewhat obsessed with timekeeping, in France, the attitude to timekeeping is, let's say, a bit more laissez-faire.A little bit of French there.
They're a little bit more liberal about where the hands on the clock are.And frankly, it's a bit of a shock to a Brit in France.So we're going to talk about some of the things that make France uniquely French.
It is true.Coming back after 20 years away, I see things I never noticed before.Some things are wonderful, you know, like street markets, which I took for granted when I lived here before.
But now, having lived without them for so long, I'm so happy to have them again. But other things are just so weird to me now.It's a great topic.So let's go.On y va.We're going to get stuck right into very French things.Part 2.
The Good Life France podcast.Everything you want to know about France and more.With Janine Marsh and Olivier Joffrey. Okay, the great French writer Victor Hugo once said, La France est grande parce qu'elle est la France.
France is great because she is France.He definitely had a way with words, didn't he?But that in itself is a very French statement.It's kind of philosophical.
And we'll talk a bit more about philosophy, I'm sure, since that is a very French thing as well.So let's have a look at what it is about the French mindset that helps make France what it is.
I got my first taste of French life when I stayed with a French family at the age of 14 in the Bonheur, the suburbs of Paris.I discovered boulangeries and patisseries, markets, bistros, the goûter, which is a small snack in the afternoon.
I discovered drinking coffee out of bowls, the Eiffel Tower, Versailles, and greeting friends and family with a kiss, la bise.I lived in a council house in London at that time.We drank tea with milk and two sugars, had bread out of a plastic bag,
And dessert was a packet of chocolate powder and mostly starch to make it firm up when mixed with milk.We called it chocolate pudding.So France, to me, was incomparably exotic.
I never even dreamed as a 14 year old that I might one day live in France, but I do.And I'm still intrigued about the ways in which France is so very French.
I love people watching and I love to discover the way that French history has shaped how French people think and behave in their daily lives.
And if you have never lived in or visited France and know it from, I don't know, films, television and books, you might be tempted to think that life in France is all about living in a luxury villa in Sunkist, Provence, surrounded by vineyards and lavender fields.
Or perhaps you think we all live in balconied apartments overlooking the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
Or we all spend two hours every day eating long lunches where every meal is haute cuisine and that every woman is slim and stylish and every man is handsome and seductive.The latter is true though.
I have to say that this could be wishful thinking on your part, Olly. And yes, it's a very rosy view of life in France.
But we have to say, but there are some elements of truth in that statement that, you know, many view France through rose colored glasses.Provence is beautiful.There are gorgeous house, mainly in apartments overlooking the Eiffel Tower with balconies.
So there is some truth in it.But that isn't the whole picture.
On the other hand, if you read the newspapers, then you may think that we French are constantly on strike, protesting about this and that, or that we are all going around being rebellious, dressed in yellow jackets, and complaining about the fact that we do not, in fact, live la vie en rose, a rosy life of dreams.
Well, that scenario isn't true either, or at least not entirely.So like the picture you painted before, you know, the one with the villa in Provence surrounded by lavender fields.Well, this description also has elements that are right.
But again, it's not the whole picture, because the truth is that France is a really complicated country.It's not perfect.Nowhere is.But I have to say, I absolutely love it here.I can't imagine being anywhere else.
I love that the arts and cultures are honoured. that traditions and history are revered, that people are polite.Daily markets, like you said, with fresh seasonal food, excellence in cooking, fabulous local wines.They're just a way of life.
And I love the rich and diverse landscape, which encompasses stunning coastlines, majestic mountains, glorious countryside.And I love that the French have their quirks and unique ways.
And if you explore history, you can see how some of these things came to be very French.
It is true, Janine.We French have a strong sense of national identity and we keep a tight grip on traditions and honoring the past.We are enormously proud of our gastronomy, wine and beautiful country.
We are proud of our Frenchness as well, even if that includes striking.As you said, Janine, we believe it is our right to protest and strike.
We do.So let's talk a bit about the whole French striking thing.And it is a thing.There's even a website in France called a Selle Greve.Greve meaning strike.And it gives details of ongoing and future strikes by region.
Sometimes you look at it and you think, mon dieu.Though I did look at it just before we started the podcast and there was only one strike listed in just one city where transport workers are striking for a month by not working overtime.Nothing major.
So, you know, it's not all strikes here.
This is so French, that website.And you know, just because we strike doesn't mean we don't love our country.It's just the way it is.Some people say it's a national sport in France to strike.
But have you ever wondered why it's that way?I have, and I have a theory.
Oh, good.Let's hear it, Janine.
Well, as an outsider, the French can seem like a difficult bunch.I have to say this, Ollie.
If you're coming on holiday to France and you read air traffic control strikes, train strikes, et cetera, you're likely to be sighing with frustration at the very least.And let's face it, non-French newspapers take
great pleasure in reporting how strikers have shut down airports, ferry ports, railway services, or dumped tractor loads of cow dung outside municipal buildings.
And of course, we had the uprising of the yellow jackets, protesters wearing bright safety vests in a more recent episode of French civil disobedience, and that made worldwide headlines.
Absolutely.From my perspective, I have to say the Yellow Jackets that I met were mostly sat on roundabouts in the main roads having picnics, very French, and smiling as they told you what they thought about the government.
So as a non-Frenchie, when I came to France, at first I was like, why does everyone want to strike? And sometimes, I have to say this Ollie, the French can seem a little bit morose, a little bit miserable, make them want to strike.
Yes, I agree.Coming back to France, I see how you get that impression.I saw a report about a world happiness index where people filled in a questionnaire and only 50% of French respondents agreed that they were happy.
But, comme toujours, as usual, that's not the whole picture.
Only 10% of the people who completed the survey said they were actually unhappy, and 40% ticked the neither happy nor unhappy box, which definitely says something about the way French people think.Like, it's a philosophical question.
Are you happy or unhappy?Everyone non-French would say yes or no.French people, I am neither.
That's just so true.I mean, I don't know if I'm happy or unhappy.Very French.
And there's actually a really famous French economist called Claudia Senek, and she once said, the fact of living in France reduces by 20% the probability of declaring oneself very happy. But it looks like it's true.
It looks like from that survey, it could be 40%, not 20%, Claudia.So what she said made me laugh out loud, because I do actually think it's really true.Being French means that you will not declare you are happy.
Exactly.Yeah.We have a hundred of years old saying in France, Pour vivre heureux, vivons cachés.Live hidden if you want to live happily.
very French.Anyway, to get back to that strike thing, I think that the right to strike goes back to the French Revolution, when people had to fight hard for their rights.And so hard, it's just never been taken for granted.
And it's seen as a fundamental entitlement of Frenchness to make sure that the ruling powers know when you're hacked off.To be fair, there were strikes even before the French Revolution.
You know, the French peasants were frequently rioting, especially about the right to have decent bread. which was such a huge part of their diet.
So it seems that protests, striking, are a very French thing generally, but I do believe the French Revolution made the right to strike a non-negotiable privilege.
I agree 100%.And you're saying about the happiness thing, that's something I totally agree with as well.There's a lot to be happy about in France.Great healthcare to start with, marvelous markets, fabulous museums, the best vineyards in the world.
and beyond, but we do love to complain.That's it.
I think that most French people, not including the yellow jackets, strikers and unhappy overworked farmers dumping cartloads of manure outside municipal offices, aren't as miserable as they think they are all the time, but rather as much as they think they ought to be.
That is absolutely spot on.That is true.Underneath it all though, there is a general acceptance that on the whole, to be French, it's to be grateful.Except when the government tried to mess with your standard of living.
For instance, wanting to increase the retirement age. or trying to introduce changes that may not be beneficial to living life the way you want to, then to be French is to have the God-given right to complain.
And if that doesn't work, strike, demonstrate and rebel.
Basically, it's a very French thing.We protest and careful, don't complain about it.
So now let's talk philosophy.I cannot tell you how surprised I was to see so many French TV shows about philosophy and to see how many philosophy books there are in the shops because bookshops are a big thing here now in every town.
and they are full of philosophy books.Philosophers in France achieve celebrity status.I mean, I don't even think I could name a single British philosopher, but here in France, philosophy is actually mandated on the French school curriculum.
When them kids grow up, they love to talk about philosophy still.For example, Emmanuel Macron, president of France, he studied philosophy, And French newspapers just love to consider how his studies have a bearing on his policies.
So, Olly, are you a philosopher?
Well, je pense, donc je suis, I think, therefore I am.
Yeah, it does sometimes feel like everyone is a philosopher in France. Honestly, I'm not sure.
You will anyway.René Descartes invites a date to a restaurant, right?The sommelier gives Descartes a date, the wine list, and she chooses the most expensive wine on the list.I think not, says Descartes.
Oh, I kind of want to laugh.I want to laugh and I don't want to laugh.Zut alors, that's what I'm going to say.Zut alors.
No one French says zut alors, Janine.
That joke deserved a zut alors.Do you know what?Even my French, my bread man is a philosopher.He delivers the bread to my village.He's not the Pillsbury dough boy.If you know what I'm talking about, that'll make you laugh.But he's not made of bread.
If you ever go to dinner with a French person, be prepared to tackle philosophy in some form or other.It really is such a big deal in France.The first time that happened to me was in the lovely Loire region.
We were staying at a chambre d'hôte, a B&B, owned by the village mayor, who lived in a mini château next door.And they're really nice people.
He invited us to dine with the family one night and we were sitting around the table and over the meal, the whole family, including teenage kids,
discuss the works of the great French writer, Alexander Dumas, and in particular, his outlook that, quote, learning does not make you learned.There are those who have knowledge and those who have understanding.
The first requires memory and the second philosophy.And they were serious.It was fascinating.So, yes, philosophy, it is a very, very French thing.
It is indeed.OK, something I have noticed when I came back to France is that we French have a different attitude to shopping from some countries.In the UK and the US, for instance, you have Black Friday and people go mad to get bargains.
They fight each other often.I think not really bargains, but yeah. It's about you have to spend a lot of money to save money.But it's big news.Your inbox is full of Black Friday offers.They say everything is at irresistible price.You need it.
You want it.You have to buy it.In France, we're still a bit like, c'est quoi Black Friday?What is Black Friday?
fighting for bargains.Yeah, that doesn't happen so much in France, does it?Because although Black Friday has become a bit of a thing in France, it's not a big thing.
The place where I buy my dog food sort of got it last year, but they called it Green Friday.I'm not quite sure why.Perhaps because they sell plants or maybe they don't like the colour black.I don't know.But I did get a 5% discount on my dog food.
I think we are not as big into shopping as some countries.In the UK for birthday and Christmas, we bought presents for each other, family, friends, you know.
But here, it's more like to be that we buy a very good box of chocolates or a cake or a bouquet of flowers or some good local products wrapped up to look pretty.It's less about the amount and more about the gesture.Quality versus quantity, basically.
Absolutely, I totally agree.And I really love that on Sundays, most of the shops in France are closed so that people can have a proper work life balance.And it has changed quite a lot in the last few years I've been here though.
And the rules have been relaxed, so some shops can and do open on Sundays.Florists and supermarkets now commonly open in rural areas on a Sunday morning, which they never used to do.And in cities, many shops open for several hours on a Sunday.
But still, the majority of shops remain closed on a Sunday.Many shops actually close on a Monday as well, a half day Monday, so that staff who worked on Saturday can have a full two days off.I think that's brilliant.
Workers' rights are fiercely protected. many shops, offices, even banks close for a two-hour lunch break.I mean, how else can French people enjoy a decent three-course lunch?Which leads me to another very French thing.Time.
What do you mean?Can time be a French thing?You do have time in the UK as well, right?
We do.But Olly, I've got to tell you, French time is a mystery that is yet to be solved.The French treat time a little different from the rest of us.
So, for instance, if you're wandering somewhere or driving somewhere, even, and you ask a French person for directions, they will say, tu dois être cinq minutes, five minutes that way.Keep going.Five minutes.Fifteen minutes later, you will arrive.
It's true.10 minutes, they'll say.10 minutes this way.Keep going.French time, 10 minutes equals 20 to 25 minutes.You know it's true, Ollie, don't you?
We just walk faster. Ok, maybe you have a point.And you know when you ask to dinner with friends, it's customary to turn up later than the time you were told to be there and still be considered perfectly punctual.
It's called le quart d'heure de politesse, ou le quart d'heure de courtoisie, or even le quart d'heure parisien, or toulousain, depending on where you live.
It's accepted that guests will be anything from 5 to 30 minutes late when asked to dinner in France.
Not just dinner either, is it really?So when I meet friends for drinks or turn up for a meeting, the same thing happens.Never quite on time.It's weird, frankly.And talking of meetings, here's a fun fact.
The French spend more time than anyone else in the world dealing with administration.OK, I made that up, but it could be true.
Yes, cool, definitely.I agree.Another thing I have definitely noticed is how much administration there is here in France.
Even though things are moving more online now, paper copies of your tax payments, electricity bills, rates, phone bill, driving license, birth certificate and marriage certificate are frequently required in paper form by one or other banking or, you know, bureaucratic body.
Do you know that around 22%, almost 6 million people of the active population of France is employed by the state?No wonder we have so much administration to deal with, they have to have a job, right?
God, that's crazy, isn't it?That sounds so much.I wonder if it's the same everywhere.I'll have to look that up afterwards.
On the plus side, where the French are not on strike, the country runs fairly smoothly with a world class health service, excellent holiday allowance, usually five weeks per year, often more.
shorter working hours than many countries, systems that support those who need assistance, a generous pension scheme, support for the arts and culture on a grand scale.And here's a tip.
If you ever go to a meeting with a French person, because we're talking about meetings, I don't mean meeting a friend, I mean like for a job or with the bank manager, or government office, that type of thing.Do not smile.
Seriously.Don't smile.French people can be suspicious of you if you smile too much, especially if you have nothing much to smile about.They think you're trying to hide something.
This is so true.You know, when I first came to France and I was studying up on how to behave in meetings, open a bank account, all that stuff.And I read some information that was written by a French company for foreign employees.
And it said, quote, the French sometimes disagree for the sake of discussion and to test conviction.They potentially view humor as a lack of seriousness.And it also said losing one's temper may be seen as a sign of leadership.
And they were totally serious.That is very French.
Yes.OK, let's end on something very French and very funny.I think a while back, President Macron was interviewed on TV by a French journalist who, for fun, had a copy of Le Misanthrope.Why not?
A famous book by a 17th century French writer called Moliere.That's our French Shakespeare.It's about a cynical French aristocrat. who constantly grumbles about the shallow lifestyle of the times.
Anyway, the journalist suggested that Macron take the book and get back together in a month's time when he had had time to learn it and they could perform some scenes from the book.
Yes, of course, for fun.What, you think that wouldn't be fun?
Well, I can't really imagine the leaders of some other countries doing that, can you?No.I definitely can't imagine any politician outside of France doing that.
It's because they don't have Molière, Janine. Well, Macron said, I don't need a month.Let's do it now.And he started to quote from the book off the top of his head.
The very French thing is that you can guarantee that many people watching will also start to quote from the book by memory.
Now that is absolutely a French thing.My neighbor Claudette, she is always quoting Victor Hugo, Honoré de Balzac, and my French friend Jacqueline.She says that French people like to show how clever they are by being able to quote great writers.
But it goes deeper than that.Those at home doing the quoting alongside Macron as a journalist will not upstart to argue about the accuracy of the quotes.Someone will get a copy of the book.They'll look it up.They'll call a friend.
And if they can't find the book, they will be obsessed.The dinner could catch fire.No one will care.They must settle the point.And trust me, you don't want to lose 10 years from now, 20 years from now even.
If you were the loser, you will still be reminded of it.
It's so true.That is the Frenchiest French thing ever.So there you have it.Some very French things, part two.I'm pretty sure a part three will be coming up soon.
And if you miss part one, you'll find it on all apps or on my website at goodlightfrance.com.
I should say that I haven't read Le Misanthrope.Oops.
Maybe we should learn some quotes to say on the podcast.What do you think?
Yes, please.Especially Molière for an English speaking person.That can be fun.It's not going to happen.This is The Good Life France podcast.Oh la la.Le podcast The Good Life France.
We just want to say a huge thank you to all of you listening to our podcast and to everyone for sharing it too.
We really love sharing the France we know and love with you, the authentic and real France with its wonderful history, culture, gastronomy, wine and much more.It always amazes us that people are listening in about 150 countries around the world.
Yes, thank you so much, everyone.Wherever you are, we really appreciate it.
You've been listening to me, Janine Marsh and Olivier Joffrey, and you can find me and a ton of information about France, where to visit, culture, history, recipes, everything France at thegoodlifefrance.com.
where you can subscribe to the podcast, a weekly newsletter about France, and a totally brilliant, completely free magazine, which you can read at magazine.thegoodlifefrance.com.But for now, it's au revoir from me.And goodbye from me.
Speak to you soon.The Good Life France podcast.Everything you want to know about France and more with Janine Marsh and Olivier Joffrey.
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