Geography, Americans and the French

Well, Americans tend to be criticized for their geography skills - or should I say, lack of.  Now I've been defending Americans about this for a long time.  My theory is, while the French learn about Europe, Americans are taught American geography first and foremost.  And then they learn about the rest of the world.  And America is big.



The French media loooves US 'oops' moments.  So, sure enough, when a Republican presidential candidate, Herman Cain, didn't know anything about the Obama administration's handling of Libya, the French Press had a field day with it.
Check out the video:

Killing two birds with one stone

So is this the greatest idea ever ?  Well, maybe not the greatest idea
EVER but pretty darn convenient.  I was in the Louvre yesterday and
had to use the restroom.  Part of the sink was the faucet, of course,
and then there was another fixture attached to the counter top.  If
you look closely you will see that it is a water fountain.  I have
never seen this before but it is such a clever idea.  First of all,
convenient because it is all in one place.  I also think it is great
for the environment.  If lots of places had this feature there would
be less need to wander around with a plastic bottle of water.  Saving
money and more importantly, there would be a lot more space in our
landfills..

The French-English dictionary doesn't always have the answer

It took me a long time to find the equivalent of my favorite products from home in France.

Today I'm going to talk about Crème Fraîche.

 

Yum.  But it's not the same kind of cream that you have in the supermarkets in the United States.
And it's definitely not like whipping cream (liquid cream that you can literally whip into cream, right?).

So, what is crème frâiche?
Well, ever hear people talk about the great sauces in French cooking?  A lot of that comes from yummy ingredients combined with crème frâiche.  Crèms fraîche is a mix between heavy cream and sour cream.  It has a slightly tart taste to it, but not as tart as sour cream.  It's not as sweet as heavy cream.  Come to think of it, it's kind of close to half and half.

It comes whole or light (about 20%).  You can get the liquid kind, or the solid-ish kind.  Both are good for sauces.  Here's an example of a recipe with crème fraîche.

Chicken with a mustard-cream sauce for two.
You'll need,
- 2 chicken breasts - cut into tiny squares (or as close as you can get to that).
- 2 tablespoons mustard - without seeds in it
- one small container of crème fraîche (or entière; it's the same thing, as least for me it is)
- 1/4 cup of white wine
- an onion chopped into small pieces
- a dash of herbes de provence

Ok, so cook the chicken in a little butter (salted is better), and add while cooking a dash of herbe de provence.  Add onions.  Once cooked, take the chicken out.  Try to keep as much onions in as possible.  Add white wine to the pan.  Stir in cream.  Add mustard.  Taste.  Add more mustard or cream depending on how you like your sauce.  Once all mixed together, add the chicken, heat it all up, and serve (with rice or pasta).

This is Lindsay, kind of hungry, signing out.

French Confessions is moving

Hi guys, French Confessions is moving over to Wordpress. Here's the new address, www.frenchconfessions.com/blog. Not only will you find the blog, but other information on living in France. A survival guide, pictures, and you can even join if you'd like. Please stop by! I might continue writing some articles here until everybody gets a chance to move over to my new location. Thanks a lot. Lindsay

Tuesday Tips - How to avoid strikes in France

France = wine, food, beautiful countrysides, cheese (good cheese and the moldy kind if you like that sort of thing), Paris and the Eiffel Tower, did I already mention wine? and STRIKES.

I know I've already written once about strikes, but there's so much to say about them.
First of all, I'd like to say for the record that I understand why certain strikes occur.  They are not all bad.  But, as a person who commutes to work every day, I can tell you that it can be a little unnerving at times.

So, today I'd like to give you tips (which I try to do every Tuesday even thought it doesn't always work out that way) on how to avoid anything strike-like in France.

1.  Don't take the subway
2.  Do take the bus - in towns where buses are run by private companies (like where I live)
3.  Learn to ride a bike
4.  Don't travel by plane
5.  Don't put your kid in school, or if you have to at least don't sign your child up for lunch at the cafeteria.
6.  Get a back-up plan for random days when school is cancelled the day of.
7.  Have the website www.francegreve.com handy.  It lists all of the upcoming strikes in France.
8.  Don't move to France if you can't stand strikes.
9. Or...become one of them.  A 'strikee' or a 'strikette'.

This is Lindsay, signing out.

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Is age taboo in France?

A fellow blogger, Keith Eckstein from A Taste of Garlic, writes a review of every Tuesday "of some of the posts from the last week that have made me smile, made me chuckle or, even…. just made me think."
I wrote a post about my Birthday a little over a week ago, but I didn't mention my age.  The truth is, I could care less about people knowing my age.  Keith tried to figure out how old I am.  I'm sure that he probably figured it out - it takes a little googling to do so, right? - but to be polite or due to lack of time, he apparently things I'm anywhere between 21 (which I know he's kidding about- and 30.  Keith, I'd like to thank you for that one.
So, do French women talk about their age or not?  About a month ago I went to the States on a business trip (I know, there are worse things in the world).  My American colleague told me about a time when her French (and male) boss asked her how old she was.  She was shocked.  Now, I think the French women are different.  It's not such a secret, and it's not insulting to ask.  Most people even put their age on their resume.  I believe it's better that way.  If somebody doesn't want to hire you because of your age, than why would you want to work for them (unless of course you're close to retirement because it's harder to find a job in France at that point)?  Age isn't taboo in France, even among friends and acquaintances.  Maybe this changes when you get much older, but all in all, the French women are not as afraid of ageing as American women are.  They actually embrace it - maybe I'm getting a little carried away here.
So Keith, any idea how old I am after having read this article?  There are about two clues in there.
This is Lindsay, wishing you a happy Monday, signing out.

The French-English dictionary doesn't always have the answer

You say tomato, I say tomato.

If you don’t say it out loud, it sure seems like the same thing, right?

It took me a long time to find the equivalent of my favorite products from home in France.

First of all, I never found some of them.  Maybe some of you out there will be able to help me with that down the road.  Secondly, they’re never exactly the same, but you get used to it.

So, I’ve decided that there are so many things to discuss under this topic that I’ll need to split it up into weekly articles.  Are you as excited as I am?  Good.  So let’s get started.

So, today let’s talk yogurt, or ‘yaourt’ in French (I still don’t know how to spell that by the way).  You can generally find yogurt in the ‘cremerie’ aisle (crème/dairy), or with the deserts.

Take baby yogurt for example.  France is like the mecca of yogurt.  It takes up the same amount of space that snack food does in the States.  No, I take that back…the chip aisle.  And 99% of the yogurt in France totally fatty, made out of whole milk.  So, if you’re looking for light yogurt, you might find some.  The name of the two biggest fat-free or light yogurts are Taillefine and Sveltesse (couldn't find their website, sorry).  Anwyay, that’s not my point.

Yogurt in France is creamy and thick.  When my son was born, I fed him lots of yogurt.  I usually fed him the Dannon baby yogurt.  The stuff is creamy and delicious.  Then I went to the States to see my family when he was like 6 months old.  I searched and searched for baby yogurt.  99% of the yogurt section is fat-free.  And all of the yogurt is liquidy.  Even the baby yogurt that I found after like 10 minutes of roaming in the dairy aisle.  Why is that? 

To make a long story short, if you’re used to very liquid, fat-free yogurt, you can find it in France, but there aren’t a lot of products like that out there.  I suggest you get used to the creamy, delicious yogurt that France has to offer and deal with it!

This is Lindsay, signing out.

Attention walkers

So I was out walking around today admiring the beautiful fall leaves
with the palace of Versailles in the background and I almost got run
over while crossing the street.  I had waited for the the green
light...at least I thought I had.
   I am pretty sure the sign I took a picture of says something like
"Attention walkers, crossing is in 2 stages."  I figured it out when I
looked at the sign rather than the green crossing light.  I did have a
green crossing light but only for the "first" part of my crossing.
The "second part" of my crossing had a red light.  Mind you there was
no sidewalk to wait on, just lots of cars and buses going by.  I am
not sure that I have ever seen this configuration before or perhaps I
have just been lucky and not gotten run over.  Anyway, no harm done,
and the leaves were amazing; once I learned how to cross the street.`

Contributing writer, Christine.

Tips in France

I'm on vacation in a far away place, which is why I haven't been blogging as much over the past couple of days.  So, anywhere you go, you always ask yourself, 'How should I tip here?'. 
I bet a lot of people ask that question in France.  The French do not tip as much as many cultures.  The reason is, the price generally includes the tip.  This really pertains to restaurants.  At a meal that costs you around 35 Euros, it's odd to tip them more than 2€.  On the other hand, you should give them something.  If you take a taxi, you generally round up.  For example, if the total comes to 23.50, you'll round up to 25€. 

That's just a little tip for the day.

This is Lindsay, signing out.

Happy Halloween, or not...

My oldest son goes to an English school on Wednesdays.  He's be hearing about about Halloween for the past month.  French bakeries decorate their windows with spooky spiders and cobwebs.  Disney World in France turns into a gigantic Halloweened land...But in reality, nobody in France acutally celebrates it.

First of all, the Catholic population in France is very high.  They celebrate 'All Saints Day,' 'Toussaints.'  This day is meant to celebrate all Saints that don't have their own holiday throughout the year.  It's on November 1st.  The French celebrate it by visiting cemeteries to pay respects to loved ones, and going to church.  Halloween is like the antithesis of All Saints Day.  If you're intersted in finding more about this, here's an interesting link I found.

Halloween was pretty popular in the late nineties until about 2005.  I remember it being popular when I first arrived to France.  Now it's pretty much over.

Last year, I went to an American get together, and we all celebrated Halloween at someone's house.  It was fun, but it wasn't the same thing as trick or treating, getting candy that your parents have to sort through to make sure some twisted person didn't inject them with poison (did your parents do that?).

This year there was no American party.  So, I got my kids costumes and painted my son's face.  They both had their trick or treat bags (that I obviously got in the States).  I got them candy corn.  On Saturday we 'celebrated' Halloween.  My son was like, 'OK, we're ready to go out trick or treating.'  I was like, 'nahh, what's so fun about that?' (trying to disuade him from actually wanting to go out, rather than disappointing him).  My son was like 'To get candy!'  OK, so, I told him the truth, told him we'd make cookies instead, and that was that. 

It's too bad we don't celebrate Halloween in France.  That was one of my favorite holidays (hmm, after Thanksgiving and Christmas).  Maybe it will be 'à la mode' sometime soon, before my kids get old enough to want to throw toilet paper and eggs at our neighbor's houses.

This is Lindsay, signing out.

Buy your bags in French supermarkets

Message from contributing writer, Christine

So here is something I think the French do so right, and I understand
that it it being done in the U.S. as well, just not all over.  I went
into a store today that sells nothing but frozen foods....a story for
another day...and the sign said that they would charge me 3 cents for
each bag I needed to put my purchases in.  I have a fold up bag in by
handbag at all times, so I did not spent my 3 cents...but the point
is..I had a fold up bag in my handbag  just for this purpose.  I mean,
really, at home my supermarket asks me if I want paper or plastic.
Many stores in France charge you if you want a bag for your groceries.
 This is annoying at first and believe me I complained about spending
3 cents for a bag the first time I was charged for it.   But after a
minute of thinking about it it made good sense to me.  I really never
know what to do with the hundreds of plastic bags I have at home.
Think about it.  We actually can purchase bags to hold our bags in the
U.S.  At the end of the day, a minor inconvenience because you have to
carry a bag with you at times, but I really thing the French are onto
something.  I know that I am helping save a little bit of our planet
every time I bring my own bag...a great idea for my children an my
grandchildren.

A strike, again!

What a surprise, another French company is on strike.  Air France is, yet again, on strike.
The flight attendants are on strike against possible and probable job cuts.  Ok, that sucks.  But should customers have to suffer because of this?

I'm supposed to fly via Air France tomorrow.  My flight might be cancelled.  argghhh.  All I can say is, 'The French are always on strike.  All the time.  Enough already.'

This is Lindsay, signing off.

Check out Gare de Lyon...

...It's a really cool subway station.

Growing up, I remember getting blood tests or throat culture directly at the Doctor's office.  You can't do that in France (for the most part).  A Doctor will send you to a laboratory testing center for any kind of exam that requires blood or bodily fluids (you get the idea).

So this brings me to my point:  Train stations in France are happening places, and Gare de Lyon happens to be one of the hippest ones of them all (and believe me, I go through a lot of train stations every day to commute to work).  About a year ago, a hair salon called 'Beauty Bubble' opened up.  You can get your hair cut or styled in like 20 minutes max, and it's cheap.  And (drumroll please) about a month ago, a laboratory testing center in the middle of the long hallway that connects several different train lines together opened up.  Am I the only one who thinks this is cool?  You have to get a blood test of some sort?  No problem; you can stop by here on your way to work.

I'm so excited about this that I have this odd urge to go to the Doctor's to get a prescription for a test of some sort.  I want to keep these guys in business for the day I'll actually need them; you know what I mean?

How to survive the longest school breaks EVER!

In France, rather than having a super long summer break, kids get nice long bits of vacation spread out throughout the year.  This in of itself is a great idea.  It gets them back on their feet every couple of months.

On the flipside, these breaks are tough on parents.  So here are a couple of suggestions to get through this.
1. Live close by to your parents and or in-laws.
2. Take time off every time your children are on school break (I hope you have lots of vacation!)
3. Hire a super-nanny who's available and willing to work full-time over school breaks.
4.  Put your child in camp (but you have to pick them up by 6PM at the latest).
5. Or - don't have children.. Booo.
6. Or - Get divorced.  That will free you up for half of the time. Booo.

It's my Birthday!

Hi everybody.

It's my birthday tonight, and you know what I had for dinner?
Macaroni and cheese - the best meal EVER - and chocolate cake with vanilla frosting.
Totally not French (except for the wonderfully luscious wine), but totally yummy.

So, instead of writing insightful pieces of information about France tonight, I'm full and going to bed.

This is Lindsay, happily signing out.

Do you like your meat raw?

The French like their meat pretty raw.  They even eat it raw.  It’s called a ‘Tartare.”  If you like good meat and you like it raw, you’d love a tartare.  If you DON’T like raw meat, but you enjoy eating meat, then you have to know how to order it correctly.

Here’s a rule of thumb: if you order a hamburger in a French restaurant (please don’t if you’re only here for a week…) and you want it medium, then order it well-done.

Take a look at this picture and you’ll get what I mean.
I ordered my burger ‘medium’ and it’s practically mooing.

I’ve been here for over 11 years.  I should know this by now.  But every time I think to myself ‘No, if I order it well-done, it might come out that way.’ 

Anyway, if you order a burger or a steak, and you want it cooked a certain way, go up a level to get it right.

This is food for thought – literally – and Lindsay, signing out.

Taking the bus in France

Hi, this is another article from our contributing writer, Christine.  She travels to France a lot throughout the year, and lives here for 4 months every Fall.

The bus system in Paris is really wonderful, really it is....but every once in a while I just have to ask myself huh??  Yesterday I was taking the bus to the Louvre.  I was meeting a friend there at a specific time.  No problem.  You can go online and check out what time the bus will depart from your local stop and how long it will take to reach your destination.  Yesterday I was on the bus reading the nice red signs, "welcome to bus route number 22.",  "Route 22 wishes you a good day." "Destination Hotel de Ville." which was perfect because this bus route takes me right by the entrance of the Louvre on its way to the Hotel de Ville.  As I am reading the signs , feeling very smug because I can actually understand them in French, I notice that all of a sudden the red sign says "Destination changer." HUH????  The destination has changed, no explanation, just that the destination has changed.  One more stop and the driver asks  us all to get off of the bus and wait for the next one with no explanation.
Now what I also don't understand is not one person said anything or even questioned it.  We all got off of the bus.  I did not wait for the next one, it was a beautiful day in Paris and I walked the rest of the way.

Paris and/or New York

I'm in New York on business.  I went to college in NYC.  I moved to Paris right after graduation.  I remember moving to Paris and hearing Parisians say "Ugh, Paris is such a busy, fast-paced and tiring city."   And I always thought that that was kind of silly.  I mean, try spending like a day working in New York.  I'm not talking about vacationing in Manhattan.  New York is a busy, loud, very faced-paced city, filled with sky scrapers, stores, taxis, buses, tourists, people, neon lights, honking, coffee to go, take-out, more stores, and offices; and all of that is mixed together without any rhyme or reason.  Mind you, there are many very beautiful neighborhoods in Manhattan.  But it's true that everybody is in a rush to go somewhere, to do something.  And that's also what makes NY so wonderful and vibrant. 

Paris is such a beautiful city.  Everything seems so put together, like it was built on a fairytale.  All the buildings match, and when they don't, it looks so elegant.  La Défense, the semi-skyscraper part of town, is actually outside of Paris.  It's like the French thought 'this is kind of ugly.  Let's push it out of town.'

So to conclude, Paris is not a difficult city to live in.  It's gentler, a little less exciting, and a little more romantic than New York, with a touch of 'je ne sais quoi.'  Paris is so très French.

Subway Stations in France

Ok, so what's the purpose of this half-chair / half-creature in the subway station?  See the guy sitting there?  Now take a look at his shoes.  That's right, you have to wear industrial shoes with thick rubber soles to actually be able to use these things.  Got heels on? Forget it.  Ballet flats? Nope.  You'll just slip and slide.  The question I have is, why don't they just put down normal chairs?  These lean-thingies don't take up less space, and they're uncomfortable.  Yes, they've got an urban feel to them, which is what I imagine they’re aiming for, but citizens don't want cool, urban things in subway stations.  They want comfortable, practical stuff.  If anybody reading this happens to work for French public transport, please pass this on to the furniture department.

This is Lindsay, signing out.

We're not in Kansas anymore

This is ironic - a French Confession's contributor editor sent this article to me today:

As Dorothy said to Toto in "the Wizard of OZ"  We are not in Kansas
anymore.   I am always amazed how the French take something American
and make it their own.  Today I was in the subway and I walked by an
advertisement....for the McChevre.  that is a wrap with fried goat
cheese.  Now I had to go and see what this was and perhaps try it.
Even though as an American in Paris I would NEVER admit to eating at
McDonald's, and I usually don't, but I may start.  I went into my
local McDonald's and stood in line and while I was looking at the
drink menu, Coke, Coke Zero, what did I see but "1664."   To those of
you who are unfamiliar, it is a French beer.  Now.....if they only
start serving a nice red wine we are in business!

New website coming soon

Hi guys, In case you haven't noticed, I've been writing fewer articles over the past week. The reason is, I'm working a a new websitethat will replace this blog interface and my current website. But since I'm technically challenged, it's taking longer than expected. I'm hoping to get it up and running by November 1st (ish). So please hang in there. I'll still be writing articles on this blog, bit I might not get one in every day. Thanks! Lindsay

French boulangeries

So, I went to the boulangerie this morning, the one right next to my home. The owner there knows me pretty well; she always says hi, asks about the kids, smiles, etc. So, why, when I give her a 10 dollar Euro bill, does she give me my change back on a little tray instead of handing it to me? It's odd when you think about how the French greet each other with a kiss in pretty much any given situation. The truth is, while they always come across as tactile when you meet them, in truth, they are very reserved. This 'tray' scenario is pretty much the case in any boulangerie you go to. Rather than handing you your change, it is placed in a tray. Sometimes I take offense to it, like 'Why won't you just hand me my change? Do I smell bad?' But you can't take it personally. It's a cultural thing.

So think about that when you go to the boulangerie tomorrow.

This is Lindsay, signing out.

The French don't like fast-food...

The French pretend they don't like fast-food...They claim it's one of the many horrible American inventions on earth, that it tainted the great old-style European way of life. They may have a point. However, the truth is, they can't get enough of the Micky D's!...Because let's face it, fast-food is practical, and kinda tasty.

One of the things that's so wonderful about the French is their love and passion for food. So, McDonald's had to take that into account. So if you happen to run into a McDonald's in France, don't be surprised by the menu; it's adapted to the French food culture. For instance, on their menu, they've got croque monsieurs and sandwiches with goat cheese.

You know, come to think of it, their version of McDonald's is probably tastier than ours. Actually, I'm not so sure of that because they don't have strawberry shakes or real honey sauce for chicken Mcnuggets with a capital 'M' (I'm sidetracking here).

Anyway, just some food for thought for Friday evening.

This is Lindsay, signing out.

Driving in Paris

Hi, this is an article from an new contributing editor.
I'll let her write up a profile this week...But here's her first article.


So just a brief note about driving in Paris. I had an appointment
today in Paris to apply for my visa. A person drove me to
the appointment and no offence, but next time I may take the metro
home. Did you know that there are not a lots of street signs in
Paris that are visible to cars...kind of necessary if you are driving
especially when the GPS says, turn right on blvd Murat. Great, it
would be ever so helpful is there was a sign for that. Oh yes, and
then there is the road rage. We were driving, while looking for
street signs that were non existent, and this lady started to
tailgate, and I am talking within inches!!!! She tried to push us
along for about 1/2 mile. Never mind that there was a school that was
just let out and we were trying desperately not to hit any of the
children, no matter, the tailgating continued. No matter that our
left turn was blocked by not only oncoming traffic but by a bicycle in
the road. We were turning on to a major road connecting us to a
highway. What I loved was that when we finally turned onto the road
we were searching for, we got a BIG honk of the horn. Guess she was
saying goodbye! Now my driver went over the edge and wished she could
have turned around and given the other driver a lesson!!! But, I did
get my visa.

I love that French medecine!

I've got an ear infection, yuck. Anyway, the Doctor explained to me that in order to treat it, you have to treat every single cause. In other words, antibiotics are not enough. You have to get everything up and running. I won't get into the details, because it's kind of gross...

Anyway, see the picture? I have to take all of that medicine between two to three times a day for a week. But you know what? I guarantee you that by tomorrow I'll be feeling realllllllly good.

I love and live for that French medicine!!

Customer Service lesson n°2 - Apple

An Apple store opened up in our local mall a couple of weeks ago.
I went to the store yesterday with my family.  Now this is an example of GREAT customer service! The store is staffed with about 50 people.  It's the total opposite of FNAC (for all of you who live in France, you know which store I'm talking about). 

So, back to my story...Three people came up to at the same aisle to ask me if I needed help.  One of them started speaking English to me, and it turns out he was born and grew up in New York.  He asked me to stop by even if I wasn't buying anything (with a smile) because he just wanted to speak in English.  My children sat together on a very cushiony and child-friendly seat.  They played a Star Wars game and one of the Apple guys came over to help them get the game started.
There were three training sessions going on throughout the store.  Everybody was smiling.  People gave room to my little girl who was having a little trouble getting down the very modern stairs.
To make a long story short, this store is everything that most stores in France are not.

I'm starting to wonder if Apple has like a special breed of people that they raise and train in some confidential, private Apple community.....Anyway, since I often criticize customer service in France, I wanted to be fair and tell you about my great experience yesterday.

Apple Store:  http://www.apple.com/fr/retail/parly2/

Things are smaller in France

Things seem to smaller in France than in the US.  Take toasters for example:  A big store like 'BHV' only has one toaster oven and like 50 toasters.

Anyway, I'd like to illustrate this point today with a parking lot.  I'm sure I'll show you other examples later.  So, take a look at this video:

I am driving my Smart car (practically the smallest car you could possible drive) in France, and look how hard it is to get into the parking lot...

By the way, refrigerators  are smaller too.  Did you know that in France the biggest models are called 'An American fridge'?  What we consider average in the States is huge in France.

Coffee makers are smaller, cars are smaller, roads are narrower.

Maybe that's why the French are so thin???

That's some food for thought, and this is Lindsay, signing out.

Why are houses gated in France?

Americans love gated communities. French love gated houses.

I think it goes with the phrase 'Vivons Cachés, Vivons Heureux' / 'The less everybody knows, the better off you are' (I apologize for a pretty bad translation). Anyway, the French are pretty private. Take outside decorations for example: ever notice in France that x-mas decorations are always great inside a home, but pretty sad on the outside? People are more reserved in that respect, which also has to do with respecting others. Americans are more outgoing in that respect. Yes, I miss the open front yards like on Desperate Housewives, because that's how I grew up. But there is also something nice about coming home and the comfort of being in an enclosed, private space. If anybody can enlighten me on the sociological explanations behind this, go for it.

Local ad for a French women's basketball team...

I work in marketing and advertising in the lingerie field, so I'm always on the lookout for ads our brands that hit me in one way or another.

found this ad for a local French all women's basketball team that just came out, and also happened to create a lot of buzz, but not in a good way. Associations of all sorts are in an uproar over this 'sexist and patronizing' ad campaign that 'treats women like meat.' The head coach defends the ad (he's the one who had the idea and worked on the campaign) saying that he doesn't understand why people are shocked and that when Rugby teams do the same thing (calendars, etc.) nobody seems to care. I think he's right. But maybe I'm becoming too French.

Tuesday Tips - How to survive a French office meeting

I really enjoy working in France. But it's different from many other cultures. The French love to think over things, discuss all possible solutions, and think over all scenarios before making any decision. This is good and bad. Sometimes you should think things out, and sometimes you should just do it...

1. Show up 15 minutes late. You'll be the first one to arrive.
2. Bring coffee and water. It might take longer than expected, and you're going to talk a lot.
3. Bring your blackberry. Check your emails during the meeting. This means you have lots of work and you are driven.
4. Be as theoretical as possible when you talk.
5. Prepare to argue. If you agree too much with people, you are considered weak.
6. Do not plan any meetings for at least an hour after the meeting is planned to finish. The meeting will go on longer than expected.
7. Do not expect to come out of your meeting with conclusions; instead you will come out with 'next steps' needed in order to draw a conclusion.
8. Write the meeting minutes. Keep a record of them because somebody at one point will tell you that they never said 'that' or it never took place.

How did big buses in France drive in such small lanes?

That's a good question. Thanks. You're welcome.

So, streets in France were built like hundreds of years ago. Pavement was basically poured over existing paths. And then came the buses.

I would like to congratulate all the French buses out there (not for your timeliness) for navigating through such narrow streets. I can't even drive an SUV without my palms sweating. You drivers must have gone through a really difficult driving school to learn your moves. I'm surprised I don’t see more bus accidents. I've never seen one now that I think of it.

Now let's be mean. Why must you break all the rules that exist, like pedestrian stops and right-of-way yields? It's not because you're a bus and French that you can trample over people. And why are you always, always running late? Aren't the schedules calculated on specific time frames?
And why must you break so hard at a stoplight? Not everybody is lucky enough to sit down for the ride...On the other hand, if you see someone running desperately down the street to catch you (that would be me on a daily basis) you generally wait...So thanks for that.

This is Lindsay signing out.

French driving lesson number two

As I promised, here's another French driving test question.

Ok, how about this one.

The traffic sign means:
A.  The traffic light is 50 meters after this point
B.  All traffic coming from other intersections must yield the right-of-way
C.  All traffic coming from other intersections must yield the right-of-way for the upcoming intersection
D.  The speed limit is 60K/H, 50 meters after the traffic sign.

Going out tonight? What is dinner in France like?

Like many different countries and cultures, the French love to wine and dine. When I first graduated school and moved to France, what struck me was how important dinner was during a night out with friends. Even when our main plans were to go to a concert with friends or clubbing, the evening always started with a nice dinner together.

And, it's still the same 10 years later, minus the clubbing...

So, typically everybody is invited around 8:30. Most people do not show up before 8:45/9:00.
Dinner starts with a cocktail that lasts I would say 1 and a half to 2 hours. So you don't actually start dinner before 10:30ish. And you start with an 'entrée' (an appetizer), then the main course, then the cheese, then the dessert, then the coffee or tea for girls, then the 'digestif' (whiskey, etc.) with an occasional cigar.

What do you talk about for so long?
1. FOOD, FOOD, FOOD! Whether it's the beginning, the middle of dinner or desert, food is the main topic of conversation. The more you get into the meal, the more food comes up. Like, "I love this cheese! Where did you get this? Speaking of cheese, I just found a great cheese store in town...etc." And it goes on and on.

2. Politics - You're not really supposed to bring politics up at the dinner table, but it happens 75% of the time. And people get riled up. No hard feelings.

3. Sex - When having dinner with friends, sex comes up pretty much every time. Don't by shy.

4. Wine - not to be confused with food; these are two totally different topics.

So, hope this helps if you're going out to dinner in France tonight.

You gotta love the French

This is a ad in for a magazine in the La Défense train station in Paris.
The cover of the magazine says "Paris, the most beautiful city in the world."

That's about all I have to say about that. The picture says it all.

When in doubt, go on strike.

The French are big on strikes. You can always expect a big strike or two in September. The reason is, most people are back to work after summer break, the government is in full swing, and this is one of the major months out of the year when the majority of the French population depends on government infrastructures (school, post offices, trains, etc).

Last year, there was a huge public transport strike. That was really fun for me (my commute to work takes me through every form of public transport out there). Anyway, schools like the whole striking too.

As part of the plan to lower the deficit, the government has been cutting back on public employees; school staff is part of that plan, the idea being not to replace teachers who retire.

As a result, in the past couple of years the number of teachers has diminished, and schools in small towns have closed.

So French schools went on strike this week. In Paris alone, more than 25% of the staff in 420 schools out of a total of 660 went on strike on Tuesday (ouch for the kids and the moms out there). 136 of those schools were 100% on strike, and thus shut down for the day. This year, 16 000 teacher jobs were eliminated and next year the plan is to cut another 14 000. And for the first time (in a long time at any rate), private schools have joined the strike.

You know, I understand that this creates an issue, and may the force be with you. But, the striking thing is really annoying and effects parents and children more than the government. Can't they find another way to fight this?

And now I have a cranky child who doesn’t want to go to bed, but who has the chance to go to school tomorrow…

This is Lindsay, signing out before I get too carried away.

Tuesday Tips - How to eat out in France when you have no time?

image credits: Roy Nixen - cartoonnetwork.com

1. My first advice is, don't. If you are in a hurry, get a sandwich at the local bakery.

2. If you still want to, first things first, tell the waiter when you sit down that you are in a rush. The more you smile, the easier it will be.
3. When you get the menu, order your drinks right away. That way the waiter will be back in a couple of minutes (or should be at any rate).
4. As soon as you're done with the menu, put it down...don't look at it! If the waiter catches you doing that, he (let's go with 'he' in this article) will walk away.
5. As soon as the waiter comes with your drinks, be ready to order. This is a crucial step in the process. Do not miss this opportunity to order. If you do, you will not get your food on time.
6. When you get your meal thank him; tell him you're sorry but you're in a rush so you'd like a coffee (if you do) and the check right after your meal. This is phase 1 of the process.
7. Phase 2 - during the meal, when you're just about finished, ask for your coffee and the check.
8. Phase 3 - the coffee will come, the check will not. Trust me. So when you get your coffee, ask nicely (being nice throughout the whole process is crucial) for the check.
9. Phase 4 - get your credit card / cash out. In France they come around with a handheld device for credit cards. As soon as the waiter comes over, show him your credit card. He won't take it. He'll come back with the device. Three times out of four this phase takes at least 5 to 10 minutes.
10. Phase 5 - get up, go to a cash register; your waiter will appear. You will pay faster and get out faster if you do this.

This is Lindsay wishing you a happy and 'fast restaurant experience,' signing out.

What's better - A Sunday walk in Central Park or Versailles?

Hard to say...But let me tell you, the park at 'Chateau de Versailles' has a lot to offer


1. Versailles has a castle - 1 point for Versailles
2. Central Park was designed by Olmstead - 1 point for Central Park
3. You can get food in Central park, everywhere... - 1 point for Central Park
4. You can go row boating in Central park - 1 point for Central Park
5. Wait, you can go row boating in Versaille too! - 1 point for Versailles
6. It's cheaper to row boat in Versailles - 1 point for Versailles
7. There's a playground for kids (of course, who else?) in Central Park - 1 point for Central Park
8. There's an ice skating rink in Central Park and a ball field - 2 points for Central Park
9. Cars can't drive through Versailles, even during the week - 1 point for Versailles
10. A tree from Marie Antoinette's era is still in Versailles (see picture) - 1 point for Versailles (because that's pretty cool)

11. You can visit Marie Antoinette's house in Versailles - 1 point for Versailles
Who's winning here?? It's a tie - unless you have something to add to my list...

Healthcare in France - A couple of facts

There are a lot of things that seem 'normal' to me now, but as an American or an expat, shouldn't:
I'm feeling pretty sick tonight (laryngitis), which made me want to talk about health care in France:

1. When you go to the doctors to get a shot, you have to bring the shot with you (yup, you have to go to the pharmacy to pick it up first)
2. In order to get the shot in the first place, you have to see a Doctor who has to give you a prescription - that's kind of annoying.
2. You don't have a maximum number of sick days at work. You go to the Doctor, he/she gives you a form to fill out (if you really are sick), you bring it to your office when you feel better as proof that you really were sick. If you are out of the office for more than 3 consecutive days, the French government and the company you work for reimburse you; under three days, you don't get paid.
3. If you want to consult a specialist (like a cardiologist), you have to see a general practitioner first.
4. Most medicine in France is reimbursed - you can leave a pharmacy with a bag full of medicine, for free.
5. When you get an MRI or an x-ray, the Doctor (not yours) at the hospital gives you the results right after the exam. You don't have to wait for your Doctor to get the results.
6. Doctors in France make a good living, but far from what American Doctors make.
7. Every French citizen has complete access to healthcare.
8. To become a general practitioner in France, you have to go through 9 years of school after college.

Driving in France - lesson n°1

'Priorité à droite' / The RIGHT of way

When you are driving down a street, any car coming out of a side street to your right (without a stop sign), now matter how small it is, has the right of way. See the drawing above: Car A is driving down a main road. Car B is coming out of a smaller side street. Car A has to yield to Car B. Wierd right? And I'm talking any kind of side street (except if it's a street coming out of a parking lot or a small passage parallel to the main street).

F anybody who has left/right issues (I do) this becomes very confusing.
So basically, driving down any street with several intersections is an issue for me. It's like bumper cars without the bump (at least let's hope so).

And to make all of this even more confusing, French people don't always respect the rules (I'll get into that at more length another time), meaning that even if they should stop, they don't always. So, add that to the equation and all I can say is, either don't drive in France, or slow down at intersections JUST IN CASE.

Paris is NOT made for heels.

French women live for glamour and femininity, and heels are an essential part of achieving that.

So here's the dilemma...Paris is filled with cobblestone streets; the ones that make Paris so beautiful, that remind us of its historical past. So basically, if you want to overcome this obstacle, you've got two options:
1. Wear flats on your way from point A to B. This is not always easy, like if you're going out to a restaurant you can't really show up with another pair of shoes.
2. Learn, and suck it up.
Here's a little tip (I now pretty much consider myself a master at this form of art) to help you get a head start. Shift your weight to the balls of your feet. Don't overdo it; you don't want to look like a kangaroo. Your heels should be ever so slightly off the ground. You should also try to avoid the big gaps between cobblestones; those are killers for your heels.

The other advantage out of this is it's great exercise!

If you're interested, I'll make a step-by-step video...

A message for all you expats out there...

The most common conversation starter when you meet someone...anyone, whether for business, or with friends is, "Do you miss your country (in my case US)?"

First of all, word of advice; unless you want to play 'psychologist' for the evening, please don't ever ask that question to anybody who moved within the past year to a foreign country....the answer is YES!

So, let's go to the second scenario.

You're talking to someone who has been around for at the very least a year. Unless they fled the country for a specific reason (and in that case you would probably know about it and thus would not have to ask the question in the first place), the answer is pretty simple - yes and no.
I never really answer the question completely because frankly I'm bored of being asked.

So, here's my real answer:
Yes, I miss certain aspects of life in the States and there are also things that I don't miss.
I miss bagels, going to the supermarket at midnight, not sounding strange (accent) when speaking...oh and I miss cream cheese.
I miss having my friends I grew up with around me, the spontaneity of Americans...

I don't miss - running shoes and kaki cargo pants representing a 'fashion staple for men', restaurant chains sprouting up every 100 feet, the AC blasting in every building, huge servings of food, having to drive everywhere (unless you live in a city of course). I don't miss the sameness of everything. I miss Bed Bath and Beyond (actually, no I don't), I miss 8$ manicures and walk-in nail appointments, I miss HUGE supermarkets, and motorcycles that drive within the lane and not between two. I miss stores being open on Sunday, making life easier for anybody who works. I don't miss bad food (except for Dunkin Donuts - yummy) or bad wine (unless you buy the expensive stuff), but I do miss getting great coffee to go in any place and on every block. Oh, and I miss kinkos. Why doesn't France have a store like that? I don't miss the diluted coffee is in the States, nor the fact that it's nearly impossible to find a nice place outside where you can sit down and enjoy a cup of diluted coffee. I did miss Doritos and (kind of good) maple syrup but halleluiah you can now find them in your local supermarket in France! I miss being able to talk loud in a public place without getting stared at and being able to take children out to a restaurant. I don't miss going to restaurants and having to listen to screaming (though very adorable) kids. I miss volunteering, sarcasm (or people understanding sarcasm), and great TV shows. I don't miss eating fast oh but I do miss being able to eat a quick lunch over vacation. I miss straight to the point meetings, but I don't miss the lack of vacation days in the States. I don't miss i-phones, because they have them here...and that's what I'm using to write this. Ok. I'm getting bored here.

Is that answer good enough for all of you?

I Love French Pharmacies!

In this day and age, everything you want to know about products can be found on the internet. But you know, there's something wonderful about going to a pharmacy in France and getting a touch of that old school medical advice; who doesn't love that one on one consultation for a cold remedy, learning which toothbrush is best for your child, or how to treat your stomach ache? That doesn't mean that the medecine in France in of itself is old school. On the contrary, you can get the best, strongest and most effective medecine in French pharmacies.

The icing on the cake is getting along well with your local pharmacist. And get this...I can get any prescription meds without a prescription! (most of the time)...It's like having a whole CVS store staff concentrated in aisles 4 and 5!

The flipside is for some of the more personal stuff, which is often behind the counter. "Hi. I'd like a pregnancy test please... No. Not that one. Clear Control... What? You don't understand me? The Cleeer Controlle brand" (with a French accent and 15 people standing in line behind me starting to get impatient). "Nevermind. That one's fine...Do you have anything to stop my face from turning bright red?"...

Tuesday Tips - Shopping in France

 Every Tuesday, I'd like to give a tip on living in France to make your life in France and Paris more comfortable...

5 tips on how to get help in a store
let's say that the person working at the store is a 'she' (to simplify the text below)

1. To start off, smile when you get to the store and say 'hello' / 'Bonjour'.
2. Allow the salesgirl to finish her conversation with her fellow collegue.
3. Once she's finished, ask her if you can 'bother' her for a second or two.
4. If what you want isn't in stock, DO NOT ask her if she can call another store to see if they have it; ask her if she would mind telling you if she knows of another store that might carry it.
5. AND, if you want to be helped next time, thank her for her time, tell her to have a nice day, and you're off!

 Happy Shopping!  By the way, France has loads of GREAT stores and brands, so even if getting help can be a bit frustrating at times, you won't be let down by all that great stuff you can find!


 picture credit:  liege-urbain.skynetblogs.be

First names that don't work in France..

I know that original names are interesting and all, but the world is turning into one big community (maybe that's a slight exageration on my part, but you get the idea). In my opinion, the new trend is names that work in several different languages. It's makes life easier. Names like Michelle, Marc, and Isabelle are easy to pronounce in many different languages and accents.

Let's use my name to illustrate my point: Lindsay.
I like my name, always have. I like it a little less now that I live in France.

The French pronounce it,
LynDE-SAY

So, imagine you're on the phone and you ask to speak to Jon Doe. Try making yourself clear with an accent on top of it all... It's a hard task that I'm faced with on a daily basis as an American in France.

Just some food for thought for any of you who are thinking of baby names and want to live abroad one day.

(ps. the video is my voice illustrating the difference between the normal way to say 'Lindsay' and 'Lindsay' with a French accent).