Languedoc-Roussillon knocked!

General Discussion
61

Yes, Vincent, it is very shallow and full of sweeping statements but I'm sure most can read through that. I also attached a link to more reliable stats on crime, economy etc. It was a follow on post from an earlier discussion, nothing more than that but has provoked all sorts of reactions. As for food and what the French eat, my French OH and her family have been serving me up the usual stuff for a good few years now - not much variey though! Having said that, the standard of school and uni dinners here in France is far higher than in the UK! (I've taught in both countries)

The original discussion struck a cord as we have family who left the Aveyron to live and work in Carcassonne and they never stop complaining about the problems there! I had a place in the Hérault too, still have a boat there.

62

Andrew,

Typical journalism and with the usual shallowness. I use that term, because most journalism is based on quick punchy stuff, that doesn't go deep, because the general readership, now a days, has a bad attention span. Being a journalist myself, I know the score: not really enough time to do proper research and then the subs just cut it to pieces.

Someone mentioned the "vile duke" and his treatment of Carcassonne. Often wondered why the walls of Avignon look so well preserved? Say no more! He had an acolyte by the name of Paul Abadie, who demolished and rebuilt the cathedrals of Angoulême and Périgueux. His crowning masterpiece is the white monstrosity in Paris.

As to food in the south/ south east. Quite a few writers have disparaged the cuisine of the south, especially that of Provence. One should read Ford Maddox Ford on the subject. Regional food can be quite limiting, e.g. in this area the most famous are Confit de canard and fois grass, but one gets a bit bored after a while, so other things are found.

Most expats seem to think that what they see on the endless cooking programs on brit telly, is what the french actually eat, day to day. There are two grades of cooking in la France Profonde: household (day to day) and restaurant "dinner". The routiers supply home day to day cooking, though in some cases it can be quite stunning. I once had lunch in a routier near to Bergerac, on the Bordeaux road. The place was full of workers and most of them had chosen steak tatare as their entré: remember Mr. bean? (lunch €11 4 plats)

Restaurant dinner menus have more refined dishes on offer, because to eat a dinner in a restaurant, the clients are expecting something more sophisticated than pot au feu, or boudin noir.

Marie-Elisabeth, my french co presenter, read a couple of years ago that moule frite was now the most popular dish in France: it is belgian.

Since being here, I eat "french" and don't yearn for the brit prole food.

Besides suffering from the Vile Duke, the Isle de France king Louis and his bands of thugs, some english, did the most harm to the south, especially when they destroyed the Langue d'oc, though having said that, around here Dordogne/ Sud Charente, a lot of people still speak it.

63

"lamenting leaving the forces" - please re-read, it was from the financial point of view, no other. The killing for oil was a direct reply at your statement. Surely you can take things in the context they're written, faut pas se mélanger les pinceaux quand même M Allen. Allez, je crois qu'il vaux mieux laisser la discussion là, c'est tellement loin du point de départ...! ;-)

64

@ Andrew,

I used to be a royalist, loyal toast, the Quuen the Duke of Lancaster, but then changed my mind. It was seeing a politician looking down on you at this wedding that made me change my ideas again. I wouldn't have been happy to have Harold Wilson or MT looking down on me in the UK, so not purely a french issue.

I still do not like the bowing and scraping and the children calling their mother, the Queen, instead of our mother. As you have probably guessesd I am not a great advocate of the honours system, expecially whitehall wallahs getting gongs just for doing their jobs for so many years and having just retired on an index-linked pension. And just how long ago is it that the UK had an Empire?

Voluntary work is another matter, but then it seems that it is just that kind of person who is most surprised to be recognised.

I do think that recognition within a profession by ones fellow peers is the most worthwhile. After all we all want to do a good job.

65

If you apply that on a purely distance based value, then Kent could be in France!

66

Indeed, I'm not hopeful frankly. The little I have is invested in assurance vie and some protected shares, but the options are limited here if you don't want to risk the lot. I can't afford to lose so I'm stuffed basically.

67

Hi Sarah,

Your options are a lot less here in France than they were in the UK some years ago.

The head of our investment management company from UK is coming here this morning, just been baking, and he will get some flak. To get the best out of our savings we had to invest before we came to France. We have half in a SIP in sterling and half in an Assurance Vie in euros. As you know interest rates are poor and we have found that our need to stay quite risk averse does not give us what we had hoped before the crash.

Having said all that it is a good idea to see what options are available.

Good luck.

68

I am referring to this one, which I have now removed for you.

*

I hope you find happiness one day you obviously have a lot to get over.
Given your beliefs etc, do you ever question the fact that you sell cigarettes to addicts?
69

Andrew - the glass WAS half full last night, then I finished the wine! Lovely wine, made here in Le Sud de France. Now I have to wash the glass. :-) As I said earlier, there will always be problems in towns and cities anywhere in the world.

As Celeste has pointed out, where we live (Aude) is a beautiful part of L-R. Our village has a centre for refugees but there has been no trouble, as far as I am aware.

We both work hard but love the life here, making friends and improving (slowly) our language skills. Madame D. in the mairie doesn't shout at me anymore, instead she speaks a little bit more slowly.

We will always be Irish (and proud of it) but we don't think of ourselves as guest per se - we work here and pay taxes here. However, any foreigner when abroad is to some extent an ambassador for his/her own country - behave badly and it is a poor reflection on your country of birth.

70

Sarah,

We are back to Dubai shortly but once back in France I’ll speak with our man and see if he is interested.

71

Catharine,

Perhaps you could enlighten me!

72

For what it's worth, I didn't think your comment was remotely 'nasty' or even pointed -just a statement that you were unlikely to get any recognition for your achievement!

73

Andrew,

Well done. You seem to flit between lamenting leaving the Forces and then a comment about killing people for oil!

Enjoy life and hopefully you will get round to changing your passport.

74

Martin - your last comment (presumably directed at Andrew?) was rude, uncalled for and in contravention of our Netiquette standards.

Please remove it and think more carefully before you post again. Thank you.

75

Jane - the BA etc was very toungue in cheek and yes if you're a royalist it must be a bit odd having Hollande and M le Maire doing a wedding. You get used to it though ;-)

Martin - not really, if it wasn't me it'd be someone else! I have fewer qualms with it than if I'd had to serve in the various gulf wars killing people for oil and political ends.

Thanks for your concern too, "getting over" things quite nicely hereand have found happiness too with my OH and our two gorgeous kids. Obviously not as "protected" having been a freelance lecturer as I would have been if I'd stayed in the navy especially given the last round of changes in the enseignement supérieur which meant a lot of change for us but things are coming together nicely now. I hope you manage to adapt to civy street, free thinkers and the expat bubble ;-)

76

idem, divorce, young kids etc. would have been a lot easier financially if I'd stayed in the Navy - 2 and a half by now and looking at a nice early retirement but no going back! Recent change and new project here will mean good capitalisation over the next - to 7 years but I still think retirement will be nearer 70 :-O I'm 47 and my kids are only 6 and 4 so we've got to wait a long long time before they'll be financially independant and I'll be...!!!

77

Jane,

Trust me if you are from London’s East End then Brum is up north

78

I have very little to invest thanks to divorce, modest salary and two boys but I'd be interested to know what my options are. Thanks, Martin.

79

Martin, love the new photo.

By the way Birmingham is not "up North" it is in the Midlands.

80

Hi Andrew, my husband does not use his doctorate as he is retired and what's more, stopped using it after finishing pure research.

The whole brevet rank of retiring 'one up' from where you finished off, I find totally ridiculous, I can say this to you as I know that in a previous life you were a naval officer.

We are still waiting for the 'gong' we will posthumously receive for my father-in-law's service on the Arctic convoys.

I did find it rather strange when we went to a wedding here in Cluny to see Monsieur Hollande beaming down on us, and, in fact, it made me feel much more warmly about our royal family than I had done previously.

I hope you are selling lots of iced cream!