Bonjour!

I was just wondering if we had any members here who lived in France or were maybe planning a visit?

I'm down in the SW part in the "Charente". Very pretty, lots of vines...hic!

LOL.. I used to live in France..for a while.. I was up in the north..

I've been to Montpelier and a couple of areas around there...

Loved it all and miss it very much.

I learnt a bit of the language, not an expert by any means though. Almost wish I was back there...

Really miss the daily drop of vin rouge.
loved going to the bar on the weekend for a couple of demi's.

A bientot

Yeah, the local stuff is the best... ..hic!

I get free Cognac and Pineau each year from the local "Vineculteurs" who have the vines that surround my old house on all four sides, I return the favour with my "home-brew" beer.

Wot a bunch of p*ss heads eh.






[edit on 16/5/2008 by nerbot]

Oh yes, they do like a drink.

When you compare the way the French live to the English, the French have a much more relaxed attitude to life and living, much closer to their families.

There is also a refined taste when it comes to partying or popping to the local for a few drams or getting involved in many of the festivals the French continue to hold and have been holding for thousands of years.

Goosey fair in Cornwall, UK has gone from an old medieval tradition of selling crops and meat and the festival it represented into a typically lost idea where nothing more than those traveling fair grounds can offer.

Even the big show at Egham, Surrey (near to where tha Magna Carta was signed) is now a dim shadow of its former self, mostly due to red tape, health and safety issues and costs.

In my life in England i only ever saw one Morris dance.. I was about 8 yrs. old at the time.. only saw that by accident as it was.

Yet in France, there is ALWAYS something going on.

The English have sold their souls to the media and fashion icons and hollywood fame for the sake of a few bucks whilst losing their entire cultural identity of individual historical beliefs and ideals.

Even fish and chip shops are becoming a thing of the past.

Vine wood... nah..you want to try apple wood..

Use some oak for white meats.

You see, this is something else that doesn't seem to be as pleasurable in the UK.

BBQ's are regular all year round in France, but the UK sees it as a seasonal thing.

And yes, BBQ's do save on gas... and i think the food is much more enjoyable as it's been cooked the same way we have cooked for thousands of years before gas and electricity.

Add to that the fact you're cooking outside in air that is so much cleaner than most areas of the Uk, you know the food is as fresh as you can get it. and you can cook whilst have a few beers or glasses of wine..and continue to do so with your meal.

The Uk kinda leaves you with a paranoia of not indulging too much.