Life in a small French village for an old American

[corkybstewart]

I married a French woman with a very large family 41 years ago and we've visited almost every year so this is a long term observation.
First of all, French people in this area of France love life. Life revolves around family and community, much more so than in anyplace I've lived in the US. Almost every day we are invited to somebody's house for drinks(aperitif) or meals, not because we just got here, but because somebody is inviting others over and want to include us. Sunday we went to the fall festival of a village nearby and spent the day with friends and family drinking wine, beer, eating too much, but mostly just hanging out.
Alcohol is a part of every part of every day, but alcoholism isn't. If I go across the street to my brother in law's house in the morning I will be offered coffee or rose wine, one serving of either. Before lunch there is aperitif which can be complicated or simple. If someone shows up here before lunch we bust out the peanuts, pretzels, chips, and ask the guest what their drink preference is. Choices are usually port wine, whisky, pastis, beer, or wine. Generally 2 rounds are served, but in a well planned aperitif setting half the day can be spent drinking. I rarely have more than 2 drinks, but if I'm next door all bets are off. Planned aperitif can involve vast amounts of elaborate snacks, exceptional wines, and other drinks. Strangely, a person can be invited for lunch aperitif(or dinner) without being invited to stay for the meal and no offense is taken.

All of this observation hit me this morning as I surveyed the furniture we bought from a friend who was cleaning out her dying mother's house. Most of this furniture will be storage for the tools of alcohol consumption. We have armoires and buffets filled with glasses-40 red wine glasses, 14 white wine glasses, beer glasses, whisky glasses, glasses for both Pernod and Ricard. Shot glasses, champagne flutes, water glasses, coffee cups of all sizes and shapes. Decanters, ice buckets for champagne, stuff I don't even really understand but that has to be available in case someone wants it. We have another buffet for liquor because who knows what the next guest will want to drink so we have to have a very full range of booze on hand. Cheap Scotch, single malt, Jack Daniels, Woodford Reserve, tequila, gin, vodka, at least 2 kinds of rum. Our friend gave me her mother's refrigerator which now holds a decent assortment of French and Belgian beers, including several varieties of non alcoholic beers for people who don't drink.
And the best part of this is that we really drink very little or at least we drink very reasonably. All this booze is on hand so that we will have something to offer to whoever comes by for whatever reason, at any time during the day. Rural French people(in this area) value the art of hospitality and they will prove it to you whether you are family or a total stranger.

 

[MaxStout]

The French definitely know how to balance work and relaxation. Drinking and eating well are ingrained in their cultural DNA.

We went to Cote d'Azur several years ago, and really enjoyed it, especially up in the "hill towns." We so want to go back.

 

[Dland]

Heck of a lot more civilized than around here. Working stiffs scholg all day to keep our rich clients happy, then get semi-bombed at end of day to numb the aches & worries. At least I get to do it w home brew. ;}

 

[corkybstewart]

One of the biggest drawbacks to this life, especially when 9 of her siblings live within 3 miles. is that people pop in all day long to say hello and have a quick drink or a cup of coffee, which means you have to stop whatever you are doing and provide hospitality. Last week an acquaintance of my wife stopped by while we were caulking the front porch windows, and she proceeded directly into the house and sat down for a quick drink. We both had to stop our work, clean up and sit with her for 30 minutes, by which time a nephew came over and proceeded to stay all evening. \in th US we live in New Mexico, hundreds of miles from family, and too far out in the woods for drive-by visiting, so we're not as used to it as everybody else is.

 

[corkybstewart]

Today I was having no luck finding a local white wine for lunch, we live in a red wine for everything area but there are a few good whites when you can find them, So I broke down, went to a grocery store and found a couple of bottles and got in line. A guy let me go in front because he had a cart full. I watched him put about 8 bottles of wine, 3 bottles of rose sparkling wine, 3 bottles of white sparkling, a bottle each of cheap Scotch, a single malt, Jack Daniels and a bottle of Pernod on the belt. I asked where the party was and he said he was just stocking up on aperitif drinks for the weekend. Again, this is all stuff that will be offered to guests, although I bet that like me he is happy to stop what he's doing and share a drink with whoever stops by.

 

[corkybstewart]

We're back in France for the summer. Another 3 months of drinking, eating, and visiting. Visiting involves drinking and eating. At 11 AM my 78 year old BIL came over to discuss building us a new walk-in gate which means I have to pour a Ricard for us, and the wives wanted gin/tonic. 2 rounds in and still not discussing the gate another neighbor stopped by with a basket of artichokes from his garden. He drinks dry rose wine so I opened a bottle for him, and poured another round of Ricard By now my wife is in full "feed the world mode" slicing salami, cured pork tenderloin, filling bowls with walnuts and peanuts. BIL and his wife went home(across the street) to prepare steak and fries, but I poured the other guy and myself a glass of rose, then he left and we went across the street. We finished 2 bottles of red wine with the steaks, and then at 4:30 PM it was nap time for this old guy. But now it is, according to my internal clock, Beer Thirty. Cheers

 

[DBhomebrew]

Still haven't discussed the gate?

 

[redrocker652002]

Deleted post as it seems I overstepped. My apologies to whoever I might have upset. Rock On!!!!!!!!

 

[bellhp]

Growing up coonass in South Louisiana, I can relate .
Everything revolves around food and drink in French/Cajun culture.
I pray every day I don't develop some food allergy/ celiac desease or the like . I like to go to bed every night Fat and happy .

 

[jambop]

I live in SW France and in a wine producing area too and one thing really stands out in a very small village that has no resto or brassiere I have never seen any French person drunk in the street ever. High quality food plays a far greater part of the lifestyle here than drink does. Coming from a large Scottish city this is refreshingly strange

 

[corkybstewart]

Still haven't discussed the gate?

Tomorrow he'll show up at Ricard time to discuss the gate.

 

[corkybstewart]

I live in SW France and in a wine producing area too and one thing really stands out in a very small village that has no resto or brassiere I have never seen any French person drunk in the street ever. High quality food plays a far greater part of the lifestyle here than drink does. Coming from a large Scottish city this is refreshingly strange

You should come to our village or family parties-there's always a drunk or 2 in the crowd. Out of my 10 siblings in law there are 3 severe alcoholics. One died, one hasn't drunk in 20 years and one still drinks too much, but not like a few years ago. We had a serious village drunk until 10 years ago. He would come to the houses and have a couple of glasses of wine, maybe a small pitcher, and then he was off to the next house. He actually quit drinking about 5 years before he died and was a very different person.

 

[corkybstewart]

We're going back to the states next week so everyone has decided to invite us to dinner before we go. Tonight was the 5th day in a row we've been invited to eat, tomorrow night is our only night off and I'll bet money we invite someone to come here, if only to clean our freezer of the last meat.
Tonight was baked monkfish in a crustacean sauce at the youngest sister's house. She's an amazing cook but a severe alcoholic with a chip on her shoulder.
Here's a pic of the appetizers she served. And her really sweet dog Mooki.

 

[lumpher]

I'm guessing the appetizers were the second pic and the dog was the first pic. I've lived in some areas where pics of the dog and pics of the appetizer were shown, and there was only 1 picture...

 

[smcinco]

Wonderful thread, thanks for sharing. I'm sorry if I missed it, could you share what area? People sure have their opinions of the French but say what you will, they live (much) longer than us. We are francophiles...

 

[corkybstewart]

Wonderful thread, thanks for sharing. I'm sorry if I missed it, could you share what area? People sure have their opinions of the French but say what you will, they live (much) longer than us. We are francophiles...

We live 8 km outside of Chinon, near the confluence of the Loire and Vienne Rivers. I've been going there for 42 years and have yet to experience the rudeness so common in big cities like New York and Paris. Small town France is a totally different world, people are friendly and eager to help. Speaking French, even as poorly as I do, is very helpful, and often gives strangers a well earned opportunity to laugh at/with me.

 

[riceral]

Speaking French, even as poorly as I do, is very helpful, and often gives strangers a well earned opportunity to laugh at/with me.

I found this to be true no matter where you travel. Respect the people and the culture, and try to speak even a little bit of the local language, goes a long way.

 

[smcinco]

I found this to be true no matter where you travel. Respect the people and the culture, and try to speak even a little bit of the local language, goes a long way.

Yes. Having grown up about 10mins from an international border and having had many awkward, and ultimately laughable moments, I can attest to this.

 

[corkybstewart]

Yes. Having grown up about 10mins from an international border and having had many awkward, and ultimately laughable moments, I can attest to this.

We had some French inlaws of inlaws visit us in New Mexico one afternoon. We were drinking homebrew and I was trying to explain the process. I told them the hops were to add bitterness, flavor/aroma, and that hops act as a preservative. That got some major giggles and puzzled looks because "preservative" is the French word for condom.

 

[shetc]

I am from Florida, and ended up living in Scotland for 20 years. Married une femme écossaise, and we both love France. Our honeymoon was in Tignes during the summer so we could ski in the morning, and play summer sports in the afternoon. We then ended up in the states for the last 25 years, and we have always strived to bring the French/Scottish joie de vivre to our lives here.

 

[corkybstewart]

I am from Florida, and ended up living in Scotland for 20 years. Married une femme écossaise, and we both love France. Our honeymoon was in Tignes during the summer so we could ski in the morning, and play summer sports in the afternoon. We then ended up in the states for the last 25 years, and we have always strived to bring the French/Scottish joie de vivre to our lives here.

Unfortunately it takes effort here. We have to put effort into having a quiet evening by ourselves when we are in France. My wife has 9 siblings within a 5 minute drive, 4 within a 3 minute walk. We had thought that after our first month there the visits would taper off. Nope.
One of our favorite things about country living are the weekend festivities. Open house at different wineries, the annual village fetes in our area include the grilled sardine fete, the wild mushroom omelet fete, pumpkin harvest fete, the soapbox derby for drunk adults fete. We always go to town for the national Saint Somebody festival of music in June even in our small town there are multiple venues for everything from African-American drum troupes to symphony orchestras. Several small villages in the area have weekly food truck nights complete with wine vendors, local beer trucks, a wide variety of local delicacies like blood sausage (one of my favorites) and tripe sausage (my least favorite). A group of about 5 siblings and their ex spouses wouldn't think of missing one of these events. We were able to take my sister and her husband to a couple of these when they visited, they loved the vibe of a morning spent tasting wines and local food with masses of strangers and no fear of someone getting pissed and opening fire. They rarely go to events like this where they live, people are too volatile.

 

[corkybstewart]

I am from Florida, and ended up living in Scotland for 20 years. Married une femme écossaise, and we both love France. Our honeymoon was in Tignes during the summer so we could ski in the morning, and play summer sports in the afternoon. We then ended up in the states for the last 25 years, and we have always strived to bring the French/Scottish joie de vivre to our lives here.

Have you ever gone back to France?