France on balance

France is a flawed country, like all countries. The extent of these flaws can best be seen by how many of the local customs I appreciate and participate in. How much have I abandoned my English culture, and how much new culture have I adopted?

I work part-time in an international business school lecturing on speciality subjects. My students range in age from post High School to deep into a Masters programme and may well be aged 24, and still studying for their Masters Diploma. Very very few of these students have been abroad at all, not even for holidays. Most French people take their holidays in France, and why not? France, as a tourist destination, has almost every type of leisure destination available - no need to go abroad.

If the French do go abroad it is generally with little enthusiasm for the destination, little desire to learn about how others live. The French way of life is so appealing, and the French are so convinced of this appeal, that any sortie outside the territory is at best with distant tolerance.

So my students have little knowledge of other cultures, disappointingly bad, especially with the plethora of information and opportunity available.

If you ask these same students why their own country is such an appealing destination, for tourists, then they will start with Paris, and its monuments, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elyssée, the Louvre, Montmartre and Notre Dame. The theatres (if you speak French) and a host of other galleries and exhibitions give so much to do if you're interested in a blast of French culture, and appreciation of the arts.

This is fair enough. Paris is an exceptional city, compact, cosmopolitan, a certain romantic sleazy feel, beautifully laid out even if there are few substantial green areas.

Luxury

Then the students talk about shopping. Me, being a male, and being a more practical type, have little interest in what the students are talking about - luxury brands such as Yves St Laurent, Chanel and more "popular" versions like Naf Naf and Poivre Blanc. This is supposedly the centre of the fashion world because of this, but you wouldn't know it looking at the way the French women dress. The styles worn are almost always classical, elegant and black. The French style doesn't allow them to be extravagant or flashy. Elegant and classic is the only real interest.

Let's not talk about French men who are very casual dressers, having little concept of smart, nor of fine cut suits or elegant shoes. They  look like they've thrown on some clothes in any order without a mirror, and just got out of bed, unshaven, unwashed, and clothes picked up off the floor. So I wouldn't go to France for any inspiration from the world of fashion.

French man

There are other summer tourist destinations, either a place like Brittany full of tourists, but also with many coastal villages lined along the coast with second homes of Parisians, locked up for eleven months a year, maybe all year. The Midi has a longer season, and an even more international appeal, with better weather, but for that is full of the nastiest tourist, the very rich and pretentious ones, and the nastiest of exploitants, such as the Russian Mafia. You can always go hiking in the summer too in various types of mountain terrain.

Gite

The winter offers excellent skiing, but has a reputation for being horrendously expensive compared to other European countries.

The regional cities are, in fact, very beautiful, but because of the domination of Paris, get forgotten.

Strasbourg

The students can't fail to mention French food. Amazingly the French are great fans of fast food, big industrial canteens in the hypermarkets where the food is dire, or of course, McDonalds, which the French worship. A typical bistro, or even transport café, is where you really want to eat. They'll probably offer steak and chips, or mussels and chips, the two French standards, but the real value of these establishments is some interesting things on the menu, even if you're not sure if you really should be eating it. The gourmet restaurants are out of almost everyone's league, as in all countries, and have no real interest. The most highly-awarded chefs at this level are not in France.

Mussels and chips

For me, there's  one good thing about French food, and that is lunchtime. The French love to make a good break at lunch, and respect your right to pause at this time. I've always been a lunch eater, as opposed to an evening meal, so I much appreciate this. The French take their time, and are prepared to be sociable. The food is not really the issue.

Family meal

My students admit that the French, as a people, don't have a good reputation. They are rude to foreigners, and rude to each other, and construct gigantic family feuds. They have no respect for other people's time and space, and moan non-stop. A reputation comes from somewhere, and I have no proof that the French are otherwise. It's rather funny.

I, exceptionally for a Brit, work in France (most retire here). My French colleagues have, by comparison with other nationalities I have worked with,  little pride in their work, collectively or individually. They don't socialise at work, and prefer to be left alone to carry out as straight-forward a task as possible. They are  conservative, non-creative, non-flexible and obsessed by rules, traditions and procedure. Curiously, time-keeping is appalling. Meetings then drift on endlessly with no objectives, protocol or structure.

Timeless days

So, I haven't given you much good news up till now.

I love living in France. It is a beautiful country with beautiful weather, and excellent infrastructure, including hospitals and schools, although these do suffer from typical French workplace tics.

It is civilised, well-organised and practical. The country has been designed to live cheaply, but decently. If, like me, that's what you like, then I can only recommend it.

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