One of the most exasperating – and admirable – things I have discovered about Frenchwomen is that they are slim – and don’t talk about diets. Yes, if you asked me to list a few of the things I appreciate about Frenchwomen, way up at the top I’d put “They don’t stand around helping themselves …
One of the things I love most about Paris is that anytime I get restless chez moi I can run out the door, cross the street, and go sit in a nearby café. This is definitely something I did not do when growing up in a small town in Iowa (not exactly a café culture, …
When our children were little, I delighted in reading to them in English – in spite or because of the fact that they were immersed in a French speaking world. Although my husband spoke very good English, he’s French, and his French family and most of his French friends did’t speak English. Our children attended …
Bonsoir Lune – Teaching my French granddaughter Goodnight Moon Read More »
I’m in a really good mood today. Objectively I shouldn’t be. Our Paris apartment looks like it was hit by a major orage (storm) which in a way it was. Why? A rash New Year’s resolution (maybe we’d had too much champagne): We decided to get two small bathrooms and our bedroom renovated. After …
Good Food, Good Mood! French chefs go back to the kitchen Read More »
I recently read an article by a former Wall Street honcho who wrote that he had changed his job and his life, downsized, got rid of most of his stuff. He says he feels lighter, better, and happier than he ever did when he had lots of money and material goods. And I thought: hey, …
“The French don’t smile” is a comment I’ve heard many times, sometimes by visitors to France, sometimes by people like myself who have lived in France a long time. As I was writing “Joie de Vivre“, I began wondering: How could I say the French had joie de vivre if they (supposedly) don’t …
I’d heard the story so many times I was starting to think it was an urban legend among Americans in Paris. But the last time I heard it – from a young half-French, half-American fellow – I gave it my full attention. This was definitely a winner in my collection of cultural differences. He told …
How to make friends and bonjour people (in France) Read More »