In a daring follow up to the jingoistic blog of last Thursday, I thought I'd better prove to my French friends that I really do appreciate the wonders of francophanie so they won't cancel any more drinks rendez-vous...
So here goes... all the splendours of la France that deserve kudos:
1) Aires every 10 km on the motorways
2) Croissants, fougasses, etc etc etc
3) Fresh produce that doesn't taste like water
4) 24-hour bakeries
5) Flyovers and underpasses instead of roundabouts
6) Cheap, good wine
7) Philosophy
8) Museums and collections of art that are unrivalled
9) Loverly countryside
10) Brilliant health care system (despite a scary tendency to prescribe suppositories)
11) Mimosa Festivals and Citrus Festivals
12) Socca
13) Some things can only be expressed with French swear words
14) Culture and culture both
15) An actual separation of Church and State
16) One of the first countries to allow for civil unions
17) Café culture
18) TGV and good train systems
19) Some of my favorite people are French (and named Marion)
Please add your own and together we shall celebrate the French!
Related Links
Fête du citron
What some random guy thinks are the best things about France
Eurovision 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Bloody Frogs (for those sensitive to slurs against the French people, look away now)
The French complain of everything, and always.
Napoleon I (1769-1821) Napoleon Bonaparte. French general.
Ahhhhh! The French! Because they do not want to have to work an extra year in public service to earn their pension, they're striking. Again! And Again! Yesterday fishermen blockaded the Calais port to protest a rise in marine fuel prices (this will help how?!) and today the whole freaking nation is striking to protest that fact that Sarkozy is actually trying to make plausible pension reforms. Pfft.
So, all this boils down to the the French can do what they please (it is nice to see action against government, the English could take a lesson) but not when it affects my holidays! (Ah, now do you see... it is all about me). So, instead of ferrying my way to Paris to see Miss Sheila, oh, pardon, DR. TUREK, I'm here on my computer, waiting for the laundry to finish, contemplating going into work to print out A.B.'s emails.
There's not even any point of trying to just hang around Dover because the motorway is so backed up with lorries that they recommend bringing food and water in case of queues... can you imagine?! Don't even get me started on the British Motorways... the system is absolutely ridiculous. But that's really a rant for another day (pretty much any other day)- today we're focusing on the French.
Ah, the French, those kings of grammar and dictation, those masters of croissant and the smell of french bread in a can, those whinging frogs who take their benefits and government services for granted and burn cars when the government dares to suggest that perhaps they should work for their money...
Well, enough of this, it's time to hang the laundry on the line.
Related links:
Bring food and water for a trip on the Motorway?!
French Industrial Action
Napoleon I (1769-1821) Napoleon Bonaparte. French general.
Ahhhhh! The French! Because they do not want to have to work an extra year in public service to earn their pension, they're striking. Again! And Again! Yesterday fishermen blockaded the Calais port to protest a rise in marine fuel prices (this will help how?!) and today the whole freaking nation is striking to protest that fact that Sarkozy is actually trying to make plausible pension reforms. Pfft.
So, all this boils down to the the French can do what they please (it is nice to see action against government, the English could take a lesson) but not when it affects my holidays! (Ah, now do you see... it is all about me). So, instead of ferrying my way to Paris to see Miss Sheila, oh, pardon, DR. TUREK, I'm here on my computer, waiting for the laundry to finish, contemplating going into work to print out A.B.'s emails.
There's not even any point of trying to just hang around Dover because the motorway is so backed up with lorries that they recommend bringing food and water in case of queues... can you imagine?! Don't even get me started on the British Motorways... the system is absolutely ridiculous. But that's really a rant for another day (pretty much any other day)- today we're focusing on the French.
Ah, the French, those kings of grammar and dictation, those masters of croissant and the smell of french bread in a can, those whinging frogs who take their benefits and government services for granted and burn cars when the government dares to suggest that perhaps they should work for their money...
Well, enough of this, it's time to hang the laundry on the line.
Related links:
Bring food and water for a trip on the Motorway?!
French Industrial Action
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Pink Bucket
'Tis the season for BBQs... lots and lots of BBQs.
As a vegetarian, there is the general concern that any vegetarian offerings will be chucked on with the meat and that all juices will meld with the nice tofu steaks and bean burgers. Not wanting to defend myself against the general banter that accompanies the voicing of this concern, I tend to stick to cheese and chip sandwhiches and the occasional nibble of an overly mayonaise-y potato salad (note: in the UK, potato salad is literally just potatoes and mayonaise... *gack!).
But! In addition to the UK being generally friendlier to vegetarians and doing moderately less mocking, I have also procured a little pink bucket bbq! Sinéad brought it home for me on Friday in advance of a very bbq-y weekend. It is important to note that because shopping is so crap in Oxford, she schlepped to High Wycomb, just to get me a present! (*gold star for Sinéad)
As a vegetarian, there is the general concern that any vegetarian offerings will be chucked on with the meat and that all juices will meld with the nice tofu steaks and bean burgers. Not wanting to defend myself against the general banter that accompanies the voicing of this concern, I tend to stick to cheese and chip sandwhiches and the occasional nibble of an overly mayonaise-y potato salad (note: in the UK, potato salad is literally just potatoes and mayonaise... *gack!).
But! In addition to the UK being generally friendlier to vegetarians and doing moderately less mocking, I have also procured a little pink bucket bbq! Sinéad brought it home for me on Friday in advance of a very bbq-y weekend. It is important to note that because shopping is so crap in Oxford, she schlepped to High Wycomb, just to get me a present! (*gold star for Sinéad)
So we had a little veggie grill for veggie hot dogs on Saturday at Pete and Kate's birthday bbq bash and we took the bbq along to Nat and James' on Sunday for yet ANOTHER bbq (with colleagues) except that I forgot the veggie dogs and ended up eating a high percentage of Helen's grilled haloumi.
Not only that! but this Sunday coming, we'll be using our little pink bucket again (menu as yet undecided). All in all, my little pink bucket bbq is fab and cost effective. Just what anyone could ask for!
Related Links:
You can buy one too!
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