.....an individual who has a strong positive predisposition or interest toward the government, culture, history, or people of France. This could include France itself and its history, the French language, French cuisine, literature, etc.
That's me for sure, a Frencophile. I effing love France. I love learning French and speaking it when I visit. I love their food, wine, tiny apartments, and snooty-proud ways. I am hooked. We are headed down to Paris tomorrow on the Eurostar = stoked. I am enjoying being 2 hours from Paris to the full extent, I have been there twice in the last 2 weeks......
Obviously, the French are not prefect and they have their issues with economics and unemployment, as well as immigration and cultural integration. But overall, they do a lot of things right (per the A. Ashton standard of "right"). Perhaps we could learn a few things.......
1) Cafe Culture: I love that sitting for 45 minutes with an espresso watching the theater of the street, maybe with a book - maybe not, is considered a worthwhile pastime. And OMG and the variety of beverages (beers, krieks, lambics, ciders, syrups for sodas, juices), all there for your sitting and drinking enjoyment. And don't you DARE get your effing cell phone out while you are at the cafe - très gauche!
2) Food Food Food (and Wine): There isn't much to say here that you haven't heard before. The French know food and wine. They are serious about it in a way that seems so foreign to Americans, except San Franciscans, I imagine. France must be the only country in the world where a warm croissant or a glass of Burgundy can move me to tears. And I love that food is worshiped in France. Animals are generally treated well for no reason other than a happy pig
tastes better. A non-stressed out, pasture raised (NO CORN) cow makes
tastier milk for your cheese. After all, I grew up in the Midwest where poor quality food is generally consumed in large quantities without much thought as to where it came from or how it was prepared. Perhaps I find the French food and wine obsession so intriguing because it seems so different to what I learned about food growing up.
3) Architecture: Much like the food/wine-thing, this also goes without saying. Unless you hate Beaux-Arts......but even if you do, there is still Gothic, Baroque, Neoclassic, and Modern to choose from. Bordeaux, Amboise, Paris, and Avignon are my favorite cities as far as architecture. I cannot wait to see MORE of the country to add to that favorites list.
4) Qualité de Vie (Quality of Life): In the U.S., a discussion of quality of life generally revolves around how much money you make. There isn't much of a discussion beyond that, political or otherwise. Really, what does quality of life mean to Americans? I am not sure a lot of people have ever even thought about it. This is markedly different in France, where 5 weeks of vacation per year is the minimum people receive (talk about quality of life). Let's not mention the gloriously humane maternity and parental leave policies. In fact, the current French mayor ran on a platform of improving the quality of life for Parisians, including more civic events and activities for people to enjoy, less vehicle traffic in the city, and better transit.
5) The Little Things Are Important and To Be Enjoyed: The French believe that life is to be enjoyed, of course you will have a champagne apéritif before dinner on Tuesday, because it's Tuesday. Yes you will take a proper lunch break EVERYDAY! Of course you will have dessert, because that's what you do.
6) People Read: There is a respect for culture, philosophy, and serious literature. On the Metro, it is normal to see people reading Sartre, Camus, and Dumas. Being intellectual is highly valued in France. In the U.S., it seems as though who you are = what you do at work. To be cultured means that you are quirky or pretentious, or you are a New Yorker. I remember going to a friend's house in Paris. This guy works with my husband at a tech company, you would think that was his life - working full time at a big company. But no, in addition to having 2 beautiful children, he also is a writer and has a book collection that covers an entire wall from floor to ceiling. And the books just astounded me: art, philosophy, architecture, politics, theater...... It gave me a whole new level of respect for my the French culture that finds such value in an life.
In any case, off to Paris tomorrow. We are going to try and do some off-beat things that don't involve major tourist attractions. I'll report back in a few days.
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