From ‘On Rue Tatin’ by Susan Loomis

 ……… I had always heard the French were cold and somewhat austere………

 

Admittedly, France is set up for small children. Working mothers get a lot of time off to have children, and a good deal of financial support from the state as well. There are many options for their babies when they do go back to work- either a state-run creche, which is like a daycare center but more personal and set up for tiny babies and very young children, or nounou, babysitter, who generally works at her home and takes no more than three children at the time. At age three children start school, and they can stay there from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day if parents desire, as lunch, snacks and nap time are provided.

 

It had three gas burners and one electric, a curious but common quirk in French stoves. The electric burner was like an emergency burner should the gas be cut off, apparently created after the Second World War when this often happened.

 

I have seen her sewing on buttons in the dark, refinishing banisters, painting, scraping, organizing, cleaning. I asked her why she works in the dark………… I think I know why. I've met lots of older people in France who do much the same thing. I think it dates from before and during the Second World War, when electricity was scarce, then very expensive. It is still outrageously expensive. One look at a French electrical bill and anyone would be tempted to spend their lives in the dark.

 

Working in the dark is one of those French ‘things', like the national dislike for Jerusalem artichokes (they were the main staple for most people during the war); The conviction that all ills result from the liver (though we hear fewer references to le foie than we used to); The notion that crying is good for babies because it strengthens their lungs. There is no real sense in arguing about any of these things, nor in trying to change one's opinion. It's part of the national character and you have to love it or ignore it.

 

French doctors have a penchant for prescribing quantities of medicine for the slightest ailment………. truly the quantity of medicines prescribed often borders on the absurd……

 

…… the multiple skin treatments which help French skin look so lovely

Applying a unique scent is an innate French skill, shared by men and women. I never fail to be charmed when, for instance, a plasterer or friend comes to help Michael work on the house and I catch a whiff of his perfume as we exchange our obligatory four kisses – two on each cheek. Parents as they walk their children to school leave a sweet scent behind them, as do babysitters and truck drivers, cafe owners and the mayor.

 

Dogs are royalty in France and nothing, but nothing, is too good for them.

 

Her background is Portuguese, which is noticeable in her jet black hair, beautiful white skin and stately proportions, and in her food, which is fresh, lively, unusual.

 

On the other hand, corn on the cob is something of an exotic in France, where it has only recently become available at all.

 

Showrooms in France aren't like showrooms in the US. They don't usually have much in them, and the customer is required to have a great deal of faith in photographs, and the salesperson.

 

……… Italians aren't noted for the quality of their kitchen equipment. In fact Italian kitchen equipment manufacturers are rather like Italian politicians- they change all the time and have short staying power.

……… For all the glories of French cuisine, most meals cooked in a French home today are prepared in kitchens the size of a large bathroom on the simplest of stoves with maybe four Cold this girl, but often just three burners and one tiny oven. The grandiose French kitchen belongs to a bygone era

 

I wondered, understanding how important conformity is in this often frustratingly conformist country.

 

……….. shoes slightly scuffed - Frenchman always seem to ignore that one detail of their dress.

 

……… In general French parents yell at their kids a great deal, so we weren't entirely surprised that this carried over into school.

 

As the pregnancy progressed I met the considerable obligations imposed on me by the French medical system, which included the monthly blood test for toxoplasmosis. When I asked doctor at the clinic why I had to have a test every single month he rolled his eyes. ‘It is a disease discovered by a Frenchman. We are very proud to have discovered it, thus we must test constantly for it. It is ridiculous.’

 

Champagne, I had learned, is an integral part of a French pregnancy. Every single time I announced to friends that I was pregnant they broke out a bottle and insisted I drink a glass. ‘Champagne is good for pregnant mothers,’ they would say. I believe them and sipped completely free of guilt

 

There appears to be no taboo in France on alcohol during pregnancy……….