purelyfrance

The ’cost of living’ in France is a topic which often arises with our guests.

While one is tempted to make a comparison with other countries, it is fraught with danger. There are so many imponderables.  The COL can be ‘lower’ or ‘higher’ depending on circumstances and one’s own particular lifestyle.

Pinning down the COL is like those health industry reports you read. One says nuts are bad for you, another says not. Some say chocolate will send you to an early grave, others not. The same for red wine. I loved a recent quote by a centenarian when she was asked of the secret to her longevity - ‘I never touch vegetables ’she replied!!

I digress. The largest ‘economic’ adjustment we have had to make is the ‘high’ level of tax, and the contributions towards ’social’ costs such as your pension, medical, and contribution towards social’ welfare’ funding.

But there are upsides to all that cost.  For example the quality of the French medical services is widely recognised, and we can tell you from first hand experience it is excellent. In fact, it is superb.

And just like in most countries, there are many legit methods for minimising your tax. The important thing is to seek out expert, current advice. I say current as the tax laws are frequently amended. 

One of the standard COL tests is the weekly shop - food and domestic provisions of course being a central cost of our living expenses.

I have always enjoyed supermarket shopping and am like a pig in muck as I while away a couple of hours each week. France is well served by supermarkets and the consumer benefits as the supermarchés tend to compete with each other very aggressively.

We tend to use E.Leclerc mainly because they are located next to a ‘Grand Frais’ fruit and vegetable specialist who Anne swears by for variety and quality. Anne is not in the centenarians camp!

For those of you interested in comparative prices here’s some extracts from our weekly shop, all costs in euros. Firstly from Grand Frais

Banane 1.19 per kg - Citron jaune 2.95 per kg - clemintine 2.99 kg - orange 1.50 kg - royal gala .69c kg - patate douce 1.99 kg - carottes .99 kg - choux de bruxelles .99 kg - haricots gros 2.99 kg - tomate grappe 2.25 kg - poivron rouge 1.99 kg.  

And from le supermarché: café x2 5.33 - 500g of musli 2.31 - 1l soupe 3.00 - 6×1l evian eau 2.92 - 1.5l coca lite 2.54 - 6×100g savon palmolive 3.60 - 8×100g yahourt 2.52 - 1l lait fraich 1.09 - beurre 1.05 - 6 x oeufs 1.57 - 2 tranche jambon 1.44 - 70cl rhum bacardi 13.62 - 300 gr tagliatelle 1.15.

In reality, in many cases a move to France is rarely influenced by the cost of living. If life in France appeals to you sufficiently, you will cut your cloth to fit!! 

A Bientot, Bruce. 

A peaceful scene in our garden - ideal for outdoor dining.

Hello, what’s that lurking there………..can you see it?

Zut alors!  It looks like a…………..

No, not a koala bear,  it’s a wasp’s nest…….un nid des guêpes……un grand nid des guêpes!

Fortnuately, our femme de menage’s husbands sisters husband is a pompier. So, Nicholas rides to the rescue.

Elsewhere on this Blog I’ve been talking of the warm dry European summer.

Another word for all that is - thirsty weather!  As wine afficinados will know, the summer weather in France brings out refreshing drinks such as pastis and rosé.

In Burgundy, Kir falls into a similiar category.

The recipe for KIR is very simple - one part Cassis (blackcurrant extract) to three/four parts white Burgundy wine - but my favourite is the mix with Cremant, Burgundy’s white sparkling wine.

Personally I find one part cassis far too sweet, so I tend to just pour a ’splash’ into each glass, giving it both flavour and colour without looking like a raspberry soda.

As refreshing as the drink is, its history is equally delightful - although there are many variations to this story.

Kir is named after Cannon Felix Kir, a priest, World War 2 French resistance hero, and mayor of Dijon from 1945 until his death in 1968.

There was a time when the lower quality Aligote white wine was being difficult to market. A keen promoter of Burgundy and its products, Cannon Kir imaginatively started adding cassis to the wine being served to visitors to the Town Hall.

The drink’s fame gradually grew beyond Burgundy and eventually throughout the world. 

In reality, blanc-cassis was popular in France well before Cannon Kir’s initiative. But being renamed Kir was in honour of his standing and war time exploits.

Some note the health positives of Kir. Blackcurrents contain around 7 times more vitamin C as oranges.

The drink certainly seemed to agree with the Cannon, he was 92 when he died!

So drink up without guilt!!

There are many general perceptions of how the French live their lives.  And also what makes them ‘tick’.

Passionate, expressive, disinterested, unpunctual are some of the adjectives which spring readily to mind. 

However, if you asked me to name the most impressive aspect of French societal behaviour, instinctively my answer would be ‘the value of respect’.   

In many western countries, one could argue that genuine ‘respect’ for fellow citizens and property have long disappeared.  Not so in France.  

Visitors to France are exposed to the well worn iconic images; a gentle cycle ride through idyllic countryside; the aroma of warm freshly baked bread wafting from boulangeries;  a peaceful game of petanque played under a clear blue Provencal sky.  Beneath all this lifestyle lies a national characteristic rarely observed by the visiting holidaymaker.    

It is only after a period of social interaction with the French do you begin to appreciate how ‘respect’ is a core ingredient to the French psyche. Respect is part of their tradition, their heritage, and is an embedded strain of their ongoing attitude. 

It is after all inherent in their every day language. As any student knows, you use ‘vous’ to an elder or if you do not know the other person well. Conversely, the pronoun ‘tu’ is perfectly acceptable between friends. 

The ‘kiss - kiss’ on both cheeks is a respectful greeting applied universally.  We were standing in the ticketing queue at Dijon railway station when two staff members arrived to start their day. Their first action is to ‘peck-peck’ their way down the line of their colleagues. This suspension of customer service is irritating to us foreigners, but is considered perfectly appropriate behaviour by the French.

There was a time not all that many decades ago when the French would not enter a shop unless they intended to make a purchase. To do so was considered disrespectful to the shop owner. This lead to the placement of window signs ‘entrée libre’ which can still be seen displayed to this day.

Some of the shopping traditions are so subtly respectful they would pass right over the heads of many foreigners.  Mireille Guiliano in her widely acclaimed book ‘Why French Woman don’t get Fat’ tells how she would not dream of visiting her local boulangerie dressed in track pants and sneakers. To do so would be hugely disrespectful to her boulanger. 

This show of respect is not confined to adults.  Once weekly, four of us receive French language lessons from Isabelle in her private home. When Isabelle’s two young sons arrive home from school, without any prompting they move around the table.  ‘Bonjour’, and ‘kiss-kiss’ are respectfully exchanged. 

Consider how public property is treated in many countries today.  In France it is uncommon to see public property vandalised.  While some graffiti does exist, in the context of the size of France it is rarely sighted. 

Here in Burgundy, wine bottles sit outside, unfettered, on display atop of wine barrels. Would a wine retailer in say New Zealand have confidence that his bottles would remain untouched? 

The attitude to wine and alcohol is another illustration of their ‘respect’.When drinking wine with French friends I always empty my glass first. While I guzzle, they sip, giving the wine the respect it deserves. Often they will take their leave with the bottle unfinished. Where I was raised you would be drawing another bottle from your cellar. 

The environment and neighbours are also respected.   In our village by-laws exist that prohibit the use of noisy mechanical devices on Sundays and public holidays other than between 10.00 and 12 noon.  

To what extent the value of ‘respect’ has been lost in other societies is probably debatable. However, it is useful to reflect on how a centuries old country such as France is able to preserve such a positive and powerful form of social behaviour.  

It is a behaviour that many communities could well emulate for their own benefit.  

As one’s thoughts turn to August………

August is an iconic month in France.  Warm sunny summer days…….lazy lounging at seaside resorts…….outdoor al fresco dining…….bottles of rosé chilling in ice buckets……celeb spotting in Cannes or St Tropez……….as for commerce and industry - pouff - that can all wait until September!

One may as well go on holiday, because everyone else is. I kid you not. Look at this list of ‘absentees’.

Our boulangerie - closed for the first three weeks of August - catastrophe!

Phoned for a rendezvous for a haircut. Karine is en vacances the first, third and fourth weeks of August, can you make it the second week.

A letter arrived yesterday from our Accountant - le bureau est fermé between 10 and 21 August.

An email arived today from a real estate agent - we are closed 01 to 15 August.

And if you still have any doubts about August being a ‘lost’ month then read this.

During June, we applied to have our bank loan modified to incorporate more advantageous interest rates. We said it would be good if it could become effective from July. That would be very difficult we were told, I have to prepare the dossier, make application for approval, and then I will be en vacances for all of August, so it will be September or October before we can finalise the adjustment!!

 Is it any wonder that President Sarkosy keeps talking about lifting productivity levels!

 Of course it is not only the French who kick back during August. The main motorway south, the A6, is inundated with cars, caravans, and motorhomes bearing Dutch, Belgian and German license plates.

The French joke about the best time to invade the Netherlands is the middle weekend in August between 12 noon and 4 p.m.  Half the population have finished their holidays and have not yet returned home, while the other half have commenced their holiday and have departed already!!

Hhmm, I wonder who is guarding those great masters of art in the Rijksmuseum; or all those diamonds in the jewellers’ windows; or even the Heineken factory for that matter.

Oh dear, I have just read that Sarko and the delectable Carla are going on 3 weeks holiday. I guess ‘ productivity’ can also wait until September………….

Here in Burgundy the grape harvest is once again in full swing.

Given that vines have hung around since the Romans invited themselves into Burgundy in the 1st and 2nd centuries, this year would be about the 2000th harvest!!  However, in spite of the Romans’ best efforts, most credit for establishing the quality and fame of Burgundian wines is generally given to the monks of Citeaux circa 12 c.  Today it is claimed Burgundy wines are the best in the world. (I have two brothers who grow grapes in Marlborough, New Zealand who may contest that claim!)

Harvest time sees a rapid change in the landscape. Only the other Sunday we were cycling through the vineyards of Santenay, Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny Montrachet.  There was a clear blue sky hosting golden sunshine, the vines heavily laden with their grapes, and practically no one to be seen other than the odd stray dog. We absorbed ourselves in the tranquil and peaceful environment.

But when the balloon goes up to commence the harvest, it is all change and it is impossible not to know it. Over the previous week or so, literally thousands of workers have made their way to Burgundy in anticipation of the harvest. While some vines are harvested mechanically most of the premier and grand cru grapes are hand picked. Then an assortment of tractors and machinery start to ramble past your home any time after 0600 each morning. Buses, vans, people movers, motor homes congregate all around the region to pick up the ‘les vendangeurs’ and transport them to the vineyards.

The vineyards themselves look like they have come under attack. People everywhere, crates and containers galore to carry the grapes, tractors pulling large storage vessels used to take the grapes off to be pressed. There is activity everywhere and you sense the urgency of having the vines stripped in the shortest possible time. Les Vendangeurs put in long hours and at days end many a weary body is mollified by the finished product!

The last day of harvest is time to ‘make merry’. Mock fights errupt with unused grapes acting as the ammunition, pickers and tractors are decorated with vines, and a parade around the village celebrates the last bunch of grapes have been picked. Of course the celebrations go on well into the night, and well deserved they are too! 

Which leads me to this ‘cute’ wine quotation:

“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.” - Anonymous

A Bientot, Bruce.