France is not a country you can go around on a week-tour, but if you do go to France on a week-tour, you need to know that you would be missing out.  The good side of this is that you can go back some other time and discover something totally new and different.

Each region in France has its own personality and pace.  I’m sure this is true for any country, but it’s most certainly true for France.  You can hear a difference accents and even witness a different mentality, depending if you are in the north, in the south or other regions of the country.

The Different Tastes of France

If you hang out in Strasbourg you will observe a German allure, if you hang out in Carcassonne you will find a taste of Spain, if you hang out in large cities such as Paris, Lyon or Marseille you will see a lot of tourists and immigrants which obviously bring their own flavor to the décor, and if you dare to travel in the smaller regions and villages you will be in direct contact with the deep France.

I love all of the facets of France, but my favorite one is the small villages that you can find in the heart of the country.  I am talking about the France were you can still find some people who may have never been in another country, and back in the years, some people who had not even been in another region.  People who used to speak “Patois”, local French dialects which have basically died with the people who used to speak them, and where older widows would wear black until the end of their days.

I grew up in such place where older folks were speaking among themselves in “patois” unless they were in the presence of young people who didn’t understand it.  When I think back, I am so glad I did grow up in such a place, because such types of French regions would give you peace of mind and the love of slow pace and quiet that you would carry with you all through life.

French Accents

Even though “Patois” are pretty much extinct in most parts of France, accents are still alive and well.  You won’t hear the same accent if you go to Lille, Paris, Marseille or Lyon and that’s just few examples.  Just about every regions of France has its own accent, more or less.  This is what makes France all the more interesting.

I will never forget how years ago in New York, an American friend of mine who loved to practice her French with me got so depressed when she found out while watching a movie from Marcel Pagnol that she couldn’t understand French when spoken by people from the south who have what we call the “accent du midi”.  I had to laugh when she asked me if “I” understood it.   Well, any French accent is not a problem for anyone born in France, but it can be for a foreigner who is learning French, as words and tunes do sound different.  That’s what accents do!

Hotels in France

If you are planning a Trip to France this summer, I would suggest that you decide where you want to go in advance.  If you are in France for at least a week I would suggest that you move around if at all possible, versus staying the whole time in one city like Paris, most likely.  If you do leave the city, having an itinerary will save you both time and money.

The prices for hotel rooms have gone up, especially during the past 5 to 8 years.

The cheapest hotel rate that you will find in Paris this days for a single room is around 70 Euros, which is around $88 per night (at the time I am writing this article).  If you go for double you need to expect to pay a minimum of 115-150 Euros ($146-$190).  Just keep in mind that those are the LOWEST prices.  Most hotels will be above those rates.

If you manage to find a package where your flight and hotel would be combined you would most likely save money.  For packages in Paris, you can check hotels such as Hotel le Petit Paris, Park Hyatt Paris Vendome, Hotel Sainte Beuve and Le Relais Montmartre in Paris.

Your Dollar Bill in France

Remember that your dollar notes won’t be accepted in France. You will need to pay everything you purchase in Euros.  It will save you money if you actually use your bankcard at ATM machines to get money which will be cheaper for you as the percentage-based fee is usually less than to exchange you currency.

On the Road of France

If you drive in France, remember that the seat belt is mandatory. The minimum age to drive is 18.  While the speed limits are higher than in the US (81 mph on autoroutes) they are more closely watched by police.  As most of your know gas is more expensive in France and the price that you see is for the “liter” not gallon (one fourth of a gallon).

It is absolutely prohibited to drive while you are on the phone in France, and you will get a ticket for this more than anything else.  A friend of mine who had no cell phone in her car was stopped by police because they “thought” she had one as she was holding her hand nearby her ear.

French people do drive faster in general than American, but are much more disciplined in following the rules. NO slow drivers on the left lane are tolerated.  You would be “honked down” if you’d tried and maybe even reported to police. Just remember, slow traffic right, fast traffic left. No exception.  The rule of thumb is that unless you are passing a vehicle you have no business on the left lane.

French Food and Wine

French food could be a whole post on it’s own.  If you go anywhere in France, ask for what the “special” dish is, and make sure you taste some of it.  Of course, we know that the number one favorite drink in France is dry red wine.  Make sure you ask for a good quality local wine at your table.

So, what do you think? Are you planning on traveling to France soon, or maybe one of these days? Do tell…

I am very excited today, because I have the honor to present you with a great interview with Annie Andre form AnnieAndre.com Practical Adventure-ology She and her family have moved to live aboard in Marseille, France this past year.   In this interview, Annie is telling you the Whole story, answering many questions you may have.

If you ever have ever dreamed about moving and living abroad in a foreign country you MUST read this, because you are going to get some valuable hands on information.  Annie really gives you some priceless pieces of information that you don’t want to miss.

If you have never thought about moving abroad, you might still enjoy this interview, and learn a lot of things you never knew.  So, without further ado it’s Annie’s turn.

Sylviane:  So, my first question to you Annie is how in the world did you decided to move abroad to France with your husband and three children?

Annie:  I’ve always had the travel bug. I was born in Thailand to a French Canadian Father and a Thai mother. We lived in Thailand until I was almost five years old. After that, I spent time in both California and Montreal Canada growing up.  I knew early on I wanted to travel and see more of the world and because of my French Canadian side; I always had this draw towards France.

When I was 18 I thought about spending a year travelling through France but I couldn’t find work so I ended up working and living in Japan for 3 years working as a model and English instructor. In between assignments I traveled to over 15 countries and I vowed one day I would try to live in France. That opportunity didn’t happen until 20 years later 2011.

Sylviane:  How long did it take for this dream to go from the thought of moving abroad to actually being able to do it?

Annie:  I think I’ve been preparing for this my whole life. It’s hard to explain but I knew sooner or later it would happen.  The actual time from the decision to actually arriving in France on October 6^th 2011 took us just over 14 months.

Sylviane: What were the main challenges you had to overcome while preparing your move?

Annie: From August 2010 to October 2011 we literally had no home. We lived between Montreal and Maryland with Family, Friends and even stayed with complete strangers while we got our paperwork in order.

We could only keep what we could carry in the back of my husband’s truck which was some suitcases, some personal effects like my son’s guitar, my husband’s books and a few toys.  I travelled with my sewing machine because I was making sleeping masks for my web based sleeping mask business.

Home-schooling the boys, was another challenge to do on the road, while running my business while also getting things ready for our trip to France.

Another challenge was to actually find a place to rent in France that was fully furnished that was also within our budget.  Most places don’t even come with a stove when you rent them so finding one with everything included was quite a challenge. Most were out of our budget. But we found one in Marseille, and now that we are here it’s easier to look for other places because we can actually visit them before we sign the lease.

Lastly, being around your family 24/7 for over a year straight travelling in a small truck up and down the east coast can be very stressful.  It put a huge strain on my relationship with my two older boys and I was really glad once we arrived in France and we all had our own space to live in.

Sylviane: What were the main challenges you had to overcome once you first arrived in France?

Annie: Learning how to set up basic things that you take for granted in your home country is a challenge.  Like what is the name of the electric, gas and telephone company? Opening bank accounts. Figuring out where to buy groceries, how to get places and get the kids enrolled in school. The first 2 months were literally spent just setting up house and learning the ins and outs of the French system. We had to learn it all at once and learn it quickly.

Sylviane:  Was the language ever a challenge?  When I heard you speak French to your daughter in one of your videos I detected in Canadian accent, did you learn French in Canada?

Annie: Honestly I didn’t have much of a problem adapting except getting used to the French accent which is different from the French Canadian accent.  It’s like being an American and then getting used to the Scottish or British accent.

I learned French from my father and from going to high school in Montreal.  My Father’s side of my family is all Francophone dating back to 1680. “Yes, I was able to trace back my heritage back to my first French ancestor who first came to Quebec from Poitou France.

Sylviane:  If you don’t mind me asking, what is your family legal status in France right now and how did you made it happen?

Annie:  My family has a “Visas de long séjour”, which gives us the right to live in France for a year. We are not allowed to work so we had to prove that we could support ourselves.   This Long Stay visa allows our children to attend school. We can also open bank accounts, get library cards and other various activities required to live here but we must provide our own health insurance.

We made it happen by doing good old fashioned research. I called the French embassy up and then we provided all the required paper work. We had to apply twice because the first one was rejected for various reasons but overall it was pretty straight forward to make happen. It was just a lot of paperwork.

Sylviane:  How old were your children when you moved abroad to France and how well did they adapt?

Annie:  My two older boys were13 and 14 and my youngest daughter was 4. They all have adapted fairly well. The biggest issue was the friends my boys had to leave behind. It’s hard to drag teenagers from their life.  But after about six months they seemed to finally adjust to being away from their school mates and they are making new friends at their schools.

I think since we had been to France several times before, it made it easier for them.   They don’t much like living in Marseille. They find it too urban and we are looking into moving to a less urban city soon.

My youngest daughter who is 4 years old has had no problems adapting. She is quite a good traveler and knows the drills going through airports, train stations and bus stations. She’s spent half her life on the road.  I have always spoken French to her since birth so she is perfectly bilingual and actually speaks French better than English. Her ability to move from English to French easily makes things much easier for her.

Sylviane:  What is your occupation in France beside blogging?

Annie:  Part of the reason I came to France was to accomplish goals. One of my goals was to start a web based service business helping that I can run from anywhere in the world.  I hope to help other families; couples and busy professionals learn how to take time off from life to accomplish their own personal goals like we are doing.  Over the past 20 years I have taken 4 total breaks to accomplish different goals.  This is my second break abroad. So officially I guess you could say I am a solopreneur in the early start up stages.

Sylviane:  What do you like the most about France?

Annie:  Food.  I love how the French appreciate food.  Food is savored and eaten slowly together not in a rush while you’re running to your next appointment. I love all the little outdoor markets and cafes. I love that I don’t see people running around holding their coffee in a paper coffee cup like you do in the U.s. People sit down and relax more…

Sylviane:  What do you like the least about France?

Annie: Nothing comes to mind except I am sad to see more and more fast food places popping up everywhere.  McDonalds, Subways seem to be everywhere.  I can’t explain why I don’t like it, I just don’t.

Sylviane:  What are the first 3 most important tips you would want to give to anyone reading this and thinking about moving abroad anywhere?

Annie:

1-If you are moving to another country that speaks another language: at least learn a few words in that language.  It will make your life so much easier. You can order water, ask for the restroom, the atm etc.

2- If you can, spend a month abroad or a month travelling somewhere to prime yourself and see if it’s what you really want.  Especially if you have kids.  The fact that we had travelled so much with the kids really helped to prepare them.

3-Unless you are loaded, make a budget for your trip for the duration of your trip. And give yourself a slush fund for unexpected expenses. There are always unexpected expenses. ALWAYS!!!.

Sylviane:  How long are you planning on staying in France? Are you home sick sometimes?

Annie:  We plan on staying in France for 2 years. We may stay longer but it’s too hard to tell right now.

I don’t miss the US.  I do miss Montreal a lot.  Mostly because I miss my extended family. I miss hearing the French Canadian (Quebecois) accent. I miss certain French Canadian dishes and I miss the city of Montreal.

Sylviane: I know that after over 15 years in the US I am home sick sometimes and one of my dream goals is to purchase my childhood’s house, from whoever owns it now, and live there at least 4 months out of the year.  Did you ever thought about splitting yourself between the two countries?

Annie:  Yes I have often thought about splitting my time between two countries.  I’m not sure we would want to buy a house abroad but the idea of doing an annual house swap with another family for 2 to 3 months out of the year is something we’ve thought about doing in the future.

Sylviane:  Thank you so much, Annie for answering all my questions with such delicious details.  I am sure that whoever is going to read this is going to learn a lot about moving and living abroad.

So, what do you think? Did you learn something? Do you have other questions for Annie? If you do, please, leave a comment or ask your questions below.

I had promised you Annie Andre’s interview for today’s post, but since she was out of town that post has been delayed until next week.  Sorry about that, but life happens.

Instead this week I am proud to present a book review that is not your typical book review. Why is that? Well, to start with I am not linking to any affiliate link whatsoever – I’m not making any money with this.  and secondly, I happen to know the author of the book personally because he’s a friend of mine.

I wanted to introduce you to my dear friend and writer Jean-Louis Tailly and his new book which he has just published in soft and hard cover titled “We Are Joseph“.  But before I tell you about the book, let me tell you…

About the Author

Jean-Louis Tailly, Joseph, for friends and family was born in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.  He moved to France in his early teens and completed his education there.  During his stay in France, he enjoyed all the fun and the good food a teenage boy can enjoy there.  He lived in and around Paris for eight year before moving to the United States in 1991 where he has lived ever since.

However, as they say “you can take the man out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the man”.  After so many years away from home his love of Africa never left Joseph, and his book was born from the love of his roots.  Mixed to this, his social activism and his Christian beliefs inspired him to write We Are Joseph.  Because of this he also became the Founder and President of Radiant F.A.C.E.S Foundation which is an organization for the education African children.

How I Met Joseph (Jean-Louis)

I met Joseph two years ago on a job, and because we both spoke French we also discovered that we had a lot in common and became fast friends.  When I met Joseph his book  We Are Joseph (Nothing to do with his own name) was already well advanced, but need still needed some editing.  In 2011 he left North Carolina where he lived for Pennsylvania for a year and came back with a finished book.

About the Book

We Are Joseph is describing the striking similarity of the African slavery experience with the slavery of Joseph in the Bible.  Therefore, the story of Joseph forms the backdrop of the book highlighting Joseph’s painful separation from his family, his life as a slave in a foreign land, and his rise to power.  The author is making a striking comparison with the African people who were sold into slavery and shipped to a foreign land, and forcefully separated from their families.

Like Joseph in the Bible reconciled with his brothers, the author is now looking at African American who will reconcile with their African brothers and bring them peace, stability and prosperity.

The author is looking at slavery not from the human perspective but from a godly perspective.  We Are Joseph is a powerful book about the history, identity and destiny of African Americans.  It answers the question of why African Americans were brought to America and gives compelling reasons why they are God’s chosen instrument to redeem the African people.

We Are Joseph is both a human history and a spiritual book which many study groups already have selected as their study book as soon as it came out of the press.  We Are Joseph is also a dream come true for Joseph, the author, to have been able to write about his vision and his fellow country men, as well as being able to publish the book.

So, what about you? Are you contemplating the idea of writing a book? Do you have one written somewhere? Do tell us…  You can also ask any question you may have, Joseph will be answering you in the comment area.

Recently I landed on Annie Andre’s blog, which she created around the theme of living abroad.   I was really interested in checking her out because she chose to live abroad in France. And as some of you know, I chose to move abroad in the US from France.

Annie and her family have decided to live in Marseille, France, and on one of her most recent posts she mentioned a bunch of traveling blogs which are part of a challenge.  If you like traveling, adventures, and read about it, I suggest that you check them all out.

But before you do, however, let me tell you about my moving abroad and some of the things I’ve learned from it.  Thanks to Annie I came up with this idea for this post, and she accepted my invitation for an interview about her moving abroad story.  So, make sure you stay tuned as I plan to have this interview with Annie on my next post next Friday!

Moving Abroad Opens Your Eyes

When you move abroad the best thing that happens is that it opens your eyes to other cultures, languages, customs, and ways of life.  While living in the United States for over 15 years now,  I’ve learned a lot about not only the American culture, which I didn’t know back then, but also, the South American culture, especially Mexican, Korean, Japanese, Russian and Greek cultures.

What Brought Me Aboard?

I was born in Lyon and grew up in a small village right outside of it.  When I was 21 I moved to Paris where I lived for 5 years.  I moved to Paris for the purpose of my occupation back then, the theater.  Very few people who know me today know this , but I have been in several plays in Lyon and Paris.  I did one commercial and I had a part as a cameo in two movies.  While doing this, I had the pleasure and privilege to work with few famous French actors from both the movie and theater worlds. I worked closely with Michel Galabru and Bernadette Lafont and I met big movie stars such as Jean-Paul Belmondo and Catherine Deneuve among others.

So, the theater is what brought me to the United States in the mid 1990’s to try my acting in the Big Apple.  And also I was fed up with France back then.  In New York I belonged to what is called an Off Off Broadway theater (no, it’s not a typo) which specialized in French plays in French version.  There I worked with Marcel Luidgi a French-American bilingual director from whom I learned a lot.  Later on I belonged to a small company theater working in New Jersey where I had my first big role in the English language in Barefoot in the Park.  My partner playing my husband was a Jewish actor from Brooklyn, NY.  Now,  when could I have done that if I’d stay in France?

While this was all fun and wonderful, it didn’t last.  However, what did last were my adventures in the United States.

The Challenges of Living Abroad

The one think anyone who has moved abroad had to face in one way or another is becoming legal in the country they moved or are moving to.  I came to the US with a student visa and when that expired I had to find a way to get that famous “green card” which is not green anymore for at least 25 years, but the name stuck.

There are basically only two ways to become a legal alien resident in the US.  One is being sponsored by an employer, and the other is getting married to an American citizen.  In my case, it was a little bit of both, I was engaged to someone who was sponsored by his boss, and thus I was allowed to apply with my soon to be husband.

That’s how I became a legal permanent resident of the United States.  What you need to know about being a permanent resident is that you can’t live outside of the US for more than 6 months at a time or you will lose your green card.  A green card is a privilege, not a right.  So, the next best thing to do once you have a green card is make sure you don’t get lost too long back home.

From Legal Resident to Citizen

After 5 years as an alien resident you can apply for citizenship.  In order to apply for citizenship you can either hire a lawyer, or do it on your own.  It’s really easy to do.  You will have to fill out some paper work answering very specific questions and learn some basic American history facts.  There are 120 questions that you need to learn the answers to.  Don’t worry if you forget them later on, most American citizens don’t know the answer to all those questions either.  At the citizenship exam you will be asked only 3 to 5 of those questions, the only problem is you don’t know which ones in advance.

So, basically to be able to become a United State Citizen you need to:

• Be a permanent resident for five years
• Be able to speak English
• Learn the answers of the 120 US history and facts questions
• Fill out all the paper work
• Pay for the fee which is now around $300 without a lawyer (If you hire a lawyer for the job, you need to add $500-$1000 dollars for legal fees) depending on the lawyer.

Luckily, when I did my own paper work for my citizenship application I was working for an immigration law firm, so I did my own legal work and handed the papers for my boss to sign.  He gave me his signature for free.

Will You Lose Your Citizenship of Origin?

When you become an American citizen, depending on the country that you come from you might lose your citizenship of origin.  In my case, I have now dual citizenship and carry my two passports when I travel to Europe.  The reason being that it is not to my advantage at all to show my American passport in France.  Having a dual citizenship is very practical and I love it.

The reason why I never lost my French citizenship is that France doesn’t care what you’ve become.  If you are born in France, you are French forever in the eyes of the law.  Which in my book it’s a very good thing, because as much as I wanted to live here,  I never wanted to lose my citizenship of origin.  No matter what I do, it’s still and always will be part of me.  Have you ever heard the saying “you can take the man out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the man”? I can assure  you that it’s very true.

So, what about you? Have you ever lived abroad? Would you like to do it? Would you just want to know what it’s like while you’re staying at home? If so, stay tuned for next week’s post and found out what it’s like for buddy blogger Annie Andre to live abroad in France.  In the meantime, let us know what you think of this in the comment area.

I have to admit that I have a few connections in France and Morocco who, once in a while, are sending me delightful articles; which articles have been the inspiration for some of my blog posts on this blog.

A few weeks ago, I was forwarded a very interesting article about the incredible healing qualities of the lemon for cancerous cells.  This information came right out of the “institut des sciences de la Santé” (Institute of Health Science).

The lemon, from the citrus family, is a fruit that has the property to kill cancerous cells.  Yes, that’s right!  You might be even more surprised if I told you that the lemon is 10, 000 times stronger than chemotherapy according to a research from  the Institute of Health Science.

Now, why is such valuable information not a known fact since so many people are diagnosed with cancer every day?  Well, the article goes on to say that it’s because some very powerful laboratories are only interested in manufacturing synthetic versions of cure that bring them huge monetary benefits.   If people start curing their cancers, lumps and tumors with lemon, no one is making big money anymore; except, maybe your corner grocery store or the lemon tree merchant.

However, we shouldn’t be too surprise by this, for centuries Chinese have treated all kind of diseases, even found natural medicine for longevity all within the resources of our wonderful planet.

The Healing Power of the Lemon

The lemon is credited with many virtues, but the most interesting ones are the effect it produces on cysts, tumors and against all types of cancer.  The lemon is also considered an antimicrobial agent with broad spectrum against bacterial and fungal.  The lemon is also effective against internal parasites and worms, and it regulates blood pressure.  The lemon is also an anti-depressant and a natural medicine against stress and nervous disorders.

The article goes on to say that a major drug manufacturer has done over 20 laboratory tests since 1970 which revealed that the lemon can destroy malignant cells in 12 types of cancers, including colon, breast, prostate, lung and pancreas.  Interestingly colon, pancreas, lung and prostate cancer are known to be deadly.

Many Ways to Consume Lemons

Probably the easiest way to eat lemon is to make lemon juice and drink it mixed with water or other juices.  You can also add lemon in many dishes escpecially fish.  Make sure you consume the pulp of the lemon as well.

During strawberry season I like to make my strawberry salad, which includes, for two persons: 10 to 12 large strawberries, 2 bananas, the juice of a lemon and two full tables spoons of non processed sugar.

Eat that every day during strawberry season and you will feel great!

Did you know about the miraculous healing of the lemon? What else do you know about the lemon? Do tell…

Yesterday Google celebrated French photographer, Robert Doisneau’s 100th birthday. This is Google’s way of celebrating all the famous artists of the world, whether they are still alive or dead.

This actually gave me the idea to write this post on the brand new design of my blog.

Robert Doisneau pronounced (dawno) in French, was a talented and famous photographer known for capturing true life scenes of the street of Paris from the 1930’s through 1960’s.

Early Love for Photography

Robert Doisneau was born on April 14 1912 nearby Paris, two days after the sinking of the Titanic.  Robert Doisneau discovered his taste for the art when he was just in his early teens.  However, his taste for photography started when he was 16.

Doisneau had a rather unhappy childhood.  He lost both his mother and father by the time he reached the age of 7 years old.  He was raised by an unloving aunt who could have well made him a very angry person which resentment could have affected the rest of his life in a negative way.  Fortunately, Robert Doisneau, on the contrary was a good nature guy who was known as a playful joker who enjoyed every moment.  Some of such precious moments he photographed and became famous pieces of his art, here to stay forever, and for us to enjoy.

Early Career as a Photograph

Robert Doisneau started working as an industrial advertising photographer for the largest French car industry, Renault from 1934 to 1939 when he was finally fired for chronic tardiness.  It was while photographing employees working on cars at Renault factory that he developed a taste for photographing people.

After he was fired from Renault he started his solo freelance career as a post card photographer, which industry was the largest of its kind in whole Europe at the time.  Soon after that, however, he was hired by a famous Paris Photo Agency which introduced him to his new and long career as a street photographer.

Even during the 6 years of World War two in France under German occupation, Doisneau served as a soldier and a photographer of France in war against Germany.  Since he never wanted his photos to ridicule his subjects,  while photographing post war Paris, he refused to photograph women whose head had been shaved for punishment for having being sleeping with Germans soldiers.

After the war he was contacted by two famous magazines, Life and Vogue.  While working for Vogue, he quickly got tired of photographing only beautiful women in beautiful surroundings.  His true love was to the street with everyday people.

Becoming a Famous Photograph

Robert Doineau was famous for his photographs of children and adults in the streets of Paris.  His most famous photograph is called “Le baiser de l’Hotel de Ville” (The kiss of City Hall) which he took in 1950.  Doineau was famous for taking instantaneous pictures of regular people going about their daily lives. Whether children at play or adults at work his pictures are one of kind.  None of his subjects ever expected to be photographed for posterity.

Enjoy more pictures of Robert Doisneau right here!

Few days ago, I came across someone online asking the question, how French people who eat so much rich food can stay skinny? While I was sending the person a quick reply to that question, I thought I would write a whole blog post on the subject to try to explain this from what I know.

First, let me remind you that I am from France. At this time in my life I still have spent the better part of my life there. So, yes I am qualified to talk about the subject (in case you’re wondering). On the other hand, I have also been spending enough time in the United States to know a thing or two about the food habits of Americans as well.

There are probably several reasons why French people are smaller in size in general than Americans in general, but in my opinion, the three main reasons for are the following ones:

• French don’t believe much in junk food and snacks
• French eat more natural food and less process food
• French eat larger lunches and smaller dinners

If you were able to examine closely or count how much junk food and snacks your typical coworker consumes in a week, you might be shocked. Or maybe you have, like I did!

What about you?  How many vending machine snack bags are you consuming in a week? How many bottles of soda? How many snacks are you consuming in a day, but more importantly, what is your snack made of?

Now, if your snacks consisted of a couple of carrots, some cereals or a yogurt, you’d be fine, but how many people actually do that? For someone coming from France, I had never seen so many adults eating unhealthy snacks until I’ve got to the US.  The unhealthy snacks have got to have an impact on your weight.

French People and Snacks

French people don’t believe much in snacks. As a matter of fact, during my time living in France I can’t really remember seeing adults eat snacks, unless it was more like a small meal to compensate between a very early breakfast and late lunch. For example, when I was little the recurring comment from my mother was that snacks cut your appetite and prevent you to have a full healthy meal. This still reasons in my head.

The truth is that sacks might or might not cut your appetite, but it will definitely add to your calories intake when it’s not a healthy snack. What I call dead calories will make your gain weight while not being nutritive to your body at all.

So, if you want to be lean like the French, cut back on unhealthy snacks and replace them with more healthy choice. Or, eat a bigger breakfast and Lunch and you won’t even need a snack at all.

French People and Processed Food

French people eat way less processed food then Americans do. A very simple reason why is that they cook more. As a child growing up in France, I can’t remember a day when my mother fed us processed food. Everything was homemade cuisine, and gosh, delicious too.

If you ate the same amount, or even the same kind of food while one type being processed and one being fresh, the fresh food will always be best, not only for your health which of course is the most important, but for your weight control as well. Processed food is responsible for weight gain and fat to a large degree.

Cut on the processed food and cook more at home.  Get yourself a great French cook book and try it!

French Lunch and Dinner

Any weight control expert would tell you that the worst killer meal when it comes to gaining weight is dinner. If you don’t want to gain weight, do like the French people do.  Eat larger meals at lunch and smaller meals at dinner.

In France it’s custom to eat more at lunch time and less at dinner time. Even when you invite guests on Sunday (it’s a French common tradition) it’s a lunch feast. In such case, dinner is sometimes completely skipped or very light. Of course, people do go to restaurants to dinner on occasions, but it’s not something one does on a daily basis. Most people don’t even eat dinner out on a weekly basis, but more like occasionally.

However, even for those who might go out to dinner once or twice a week, don’t forget that French restaurant portions are way smaller than American restaurants portions are.  Also, French people drink rather wine, juice or water during meals while soda is almost none existent.  The sugar and calories contained in a glass of soda is alarming.

So, there you have it. You might be thinking that those reasons why French people are skinnier than Americans are not such a big deal, but you would be wrong. Such reasons (there might be more) are the main reasons why there is a difference in overall general people’s size.

I know, a lot of people who are going to France from the United States are heading to Paris.  If you have never visited Paris, by all means I would encourage you to go there once.  Paris is rally one of the most beautiful city of the world, and like any other large cities the city has  its share of noise and fast pace life.  However, Paris, also has its beautiful French taste to it with beautiful “terraces de café”, beautiful parks and quiet river shores where you can slow down and enjoy being there.

However, if you have already been to Paris or if you wanted to get to know other parts the country, Lyon and its beautiful surrounding villages will really make your day.  If you are up to it, I will give you an itinerary to follow that should satisfy your eyes and palate without a doubt.

Take Advantage of the TGV

If you land in Paris you can take the TGV train and be in Lyon in just two hours.  The Paris-Lyon TGV was the first line of the now huge TGV network in Europe.  For the first time in 1981 the fast train joined the two cities in just two hours on a non-stop trip.  I used to take the TGV to go back home every month when I was living in Paris.  If you have never been on the TGV, you need to try it.  It’s very affordable and the most comfortable train you’d ever have the chance to ride.

There is a TGV train station right at the Charles de Gaulle’s airport and you could be in Lyon by train before you’d board your transfer flight.  I should know because I’ve been there and done that!

The City of Lyon

Once in the city of Lyon, you should have no problem traveling around the cities with the subway, the buses or tramways.  You will even have access to a low price  rental car city service or even bicycle renting system created in Lyon if you are up to it.  Whatever mode of transportation you will be choosing will allow you to move from place to place in the city without any problems.

The Lyon metro (subway) first opened in 1978 with two lines.  I remember still this  beautiful orange train with a super modern look; with a dark beige interior and orange seats matching the color of the cars.  There was a digital female voice announcing the station coming up and again once the train had made a full stop just before the doors opened.  Back then, when compared to the much older Paris,  not so clean subway, Lyon subway was a breath of fresh air.  The metro in Lyon has now 4 lines called line A (red line) opened in 1978 line, B (blue line) opened in 1978, C line (orange line) opened in 1981 and D line (green line) opened in 1991.

Each of those lines will take you from Lyon to the surrounding cities such as Villeurbanne, Vaulx en Velin, Venissieux, Gerland, etc…

Enjoying the regions around Lyon

The regions around Lyon are called “Les Monts du Lyonnais” (the mounts of Lyon area) because Lyon is surrounded by hills and small mountains.

To me the most obvious difference between being in Paris and being in Lyon is that Lyon has a much larger and more beautiful surrounding than Paris does.  Paris is surrounded by flat looking plains while Lyon is surrounded by beautiful hills, mountains, vineyards, and old beautiful villages that will be worth your while.

I grew up in a beautiful small village 20 minutes up the hills surrounding the big city.  On a clear weather day I would go all the way to the highest part of my garden and see the large city of Lyon and its eternal famous flame from the infamous refinery of Feyzin, an industrial two just outside of Lyon.

Saint-Sorlin, the village that I grew up in was as far from the hustle and bustle of the city as it could be, but what’s amazing is that it was only a 25 minute drive from it.  In that village, however, as I like to say, there were more cows than cars passing by for years.  As time went on, the number of cars increased of course, but to this day, Saint-Sorlin in the department of the Rhone is still a small and quiet typical French village.

The Beaujolais Region

Another great place to visit while you are in Lyon is the Beaujolais region and all its wine tasting places, of course.  The Beaujolais vineyard region includes Julienas, Moulin a Vent Fleurie, Chiroubles, and more. The grapes harvested in each region make the wines baring the same name as the region they come from.  If you happened to be in Lyon do not miss the Beaujolais region located only about 20 miles north of the city.

The Monts du Lyonnais area, will offer you a not only a breath of fresh air from the large cities, but will introduce you to the deep France that you will fall in love with.

January 6 is a religious holiday in France.  Being a Catholic country, people celebrate what is called “La Fete des Rois”, or more officially, Epiphany, which is the celebration of the Magi to the infant Jesus.

This is the reason on January 6 people eat “la gallette des rois” where one or two little statues made of plastic which represent a king are inserted in the pie.  This is why it’s very important to beware of each bites one takes, because, one of the guests will find the king in his slice of gallette.

Even though la gallette is the pastry of choice for many on that celebration day, la brioche is also very popular and even preferred by some.

In this post, I wanted to share with you my brioche recipe with step by step pictures.

Ingredients For Two Medium to Large Size Brioches

500 grams of flour (4 cups)
10 grams of salt (a coffee spoon)
20 grams yeast (2 packets of active dry yeast)
5 eggs
250 grams of unsalted butter (at room temperature) (9 oz)
60 grams of sugar (3 full table spoons)
1 deciliter of water (2 cups)

Clean your kitchen counter thoroughly with dish detergent, rinse and dry it with paper towel.  fill half a glass of warm water (not hot) and pour the yeast in it. stir with a spoon a little and let it sit for a minute or two.

In the meantime, pour the flour on your working counter and make a hole in the center.  Add the eggs, salt and sugar in the center. Then add the yeast mixed with the rest of the  water on the opposite site of the salt ( if the salt is directly in contact with the yeast it will prevent the yeast to be active).  Mix very slowly without breaking the flour wall until all the ingredients are mixed together.

Start Working The Dough

Beat and fold the dough for about two minutes until it’s not so sticky anymore and start shaping up.  Then let it sit for about 1 or 2 minutes. 

After one or two minutes start working the dough in the same fashion for 7 minutes.

When 7 minutes have passed, start adding the butter cut in cubes and at room temperature so, it’s very soft.  Incorporate the butter in the dough piece by piece and work the dough for 3 to 5 minutes until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is a bit dryer.  Then,  let the dough sit for 1 or 2 minutes again before working it another for 7 minutes.

Let it Sit Overnight

Then, form a ball and put the dough in a bowl with a bit of flour at the bottom and cover with plastic film. Put in the refrigerator over night.

The next morning take the dough out of the refrigerator. spread a little bit of flour on your kitchen counter and cut the brioche dough in 6 pieces.

Shaping of the Brioche

Then take one piece at the time and flatten it with a pastry roll as shown on the pictures.

Then, with your hands shape the pieces in string shapes of the same length.

Then, start forming a thick braid with the three strings.  Make sure the ends stick together.

Let Sit the Shaped Dough For 3 Hours

Cover with a clean piece of cloth and let the shaped dough sit in room temperature (70+ F) for 3 hours.

Getting Ready to Bake

Preheat the over at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Use the yoke of an eggs to spread over the brioche with a kitchen brush just before putting in the oven.

Bake for about 20 minutes. Make sure you don’t over bake and open the oven once in a while to check. You can tell that the brioche is ready when it’s golden in color.

The Results

Bon appetit and enjoy your brioche anytime!

Please, leave your comments below if you enjoyed this!

I had such magic Christmas times when I was a child that they could not even compare with the Christmas of my adult life, even in the best of times.  But, that’s OK, I am not complaining, because, yes, indeed, I had the best magic Christmas times as a child and this blog post is my way of telling you all about it.

Christmas Eve At Home

The magic of this time of the year always started on Christmas Eve.  All day my mother, my aunt and I were preparing all the succulent food for Christmas Eve dinner and it was quite a feast.  Christmas Eve was more like a standing up dinner with canapés of Foie Gras, pate, Caviar and cheese.  It took use all day to prepare those delicious canapés on small pieces of special bread.

We arranged all the canapés by flavor and style on beautiful trays used specially for the occasion.

When we were done with that we started preparing the dessert trays with the 13 desserts of Noël which are tradition in French Christmas and which includes, walnuts, nougat, figs, nuts and tangerines among others.  Check here for the full list of the 13 desserts of Christmas.

Of course the table was also going to be filled with chocolates boxes and papillottes (special Christmas warped chocolates) orangettes and marrons glaces.

When we were all done preparing the feast for the evening, it was time to get all dressed up for Christmas Eve before the guests arrived.

Another good feeling about this time of the years is that I knew that I was going to spend a good time with my aunts, uncle and cousins in a festive ambiance like none others.

At around 6 O’clock in the evening our family guests would arrive and we would start eating our Christmas delights all through the night while talking, and having a good time.

Just before midnight, us kids, would be sent to bed and that was the time (we didn’t get to see) when my mother, aunts and uncle would go to the attic and bring all the toys downstairs near by the Christmas tree.

Since there was always a minimum of 5 kids, sometimes even more, with an average of 5+ gifts each the living room was literally filled with toys.  I remember that it really looked like a toy store.  For us children it was just magic.

Christmas Morning The Real Magic Began

On Christmas morning when we woke up, rather early because of the excitement. it was when the real “movie-like magic” began.

With the toys all arranged by which kid they belonged to all around the tree, I remembered the room looking “unreal”.  My family liked to keep the toy unwrapped which actually  added to magic.

To add to it, my aunt would turn her super 8 camera on with a very strong flash that totally illuminated the room and made those dolls, trucks and other toys shinny and bright, just like in a perfect dream.

It was like a ferry had touched each toy with her magic stick.  Quite a memory for a child between the age of 5 to 10 years old.

When I think about Christmas, this is definitely one of the strongest images that come to mind.  For us children, this made Christmas morning really magic.  Nothing could compare with it!

All through the rest of the morning when we finally snapped out of the amazement of all the new toy discovery, we all took turn in the bathrooms to shower and got ready for the rest of the festivities.

While the adults, mostly my mother, were busy preparing our Christmas lunch/dinner we were busy playing with our new toys.  I remember fondly what a joy time that was.

When lunch time came, we would all sit down around the huge family dinner table and enjoy a fancy Christmas lunch with roast turkey, escargots, and all the good foods of the holidays including the famous chocolates of this time of the year.

Later in the evening when it was time for the family members to go back home was always a little sad for me, but what a wonderful time we had.