Living French: 7th edition

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The tragic loss of travel agent neighbour, Richard Jebb, and the closure of his long-standing independent business, gave French Living the opportunity to provide more seats for its hungry customers. Listen to an eclectic mix of podcasts ( My favorites include: IGNTD, Happier, How I Built This, Magic Lessons, Modern Love, The School of Greatness, The Simple Sophisticate, and Straight and Curly) Also, if 67% say it’s not easy to talk about either the amount of their savings or their financial investments, 52% think it’s difficult to talk about their salary. In fact, in France, it’s more taboo to talk about money than it is to talk about sex, according to Janine Mossuz-Lavau, a sociologist and senior researcher at the Cevipof, and author of the 2007 book L’Argent et nous (Money and us).

Start by decluttering. Go through every section of your house and donate or toss any item that doesn’t bring you pleasure. Every single item you own, should bring you joy in some way, even the functional and practical items. Create a list of all the items you truly need in each room. Slowly, work your way through curating your items. Only buy the best quality you can afford and only if you truly love it. Overtime, your life will be filled with only items that are of high quality and bring you joy. The way I’ve always perceived joie de vivre and how the French practice this concept is in the way they savor the simple pleasures in life. For instance, it’s very common to find the French sitting at the park in those classic green, Parisian park chairs as soon as the sun peeks out from behind the clouds. They’ll soak up every inkling of sunshine by simply sitting in the chairs and excelling at the art of doing nothing.Find a cafe that gives you wonderfully charming, cozy, French vibes. We’re partial to Le Pain Quotidien in terms of a chain you can find in several major cities and we also have a guide to French spots in Los Angeles. Take a friend, a book, or just yourself, and plan to spend a few hours. You’d be surprised how wonderfully luxurious it can feel to linger over a single cup of coffee, glass of wine, or pastry. If you’re nervous about going solo, take a book along, but challenge yourself to spend at least 10 minutes simply enjoying the company of yourself and people watching. The French have no problem spending time alone and we believe that’s an important skill for everyone to master. 8. Master the art of conversation One of the hardest parts about being a Francophile but not living in France full-time is missing out on all the cultural practices and nuances that the French lifestyle encourages. I find myself dreaming of 4 pm espressos and trips to the boulangerie more often than you can probably imagine. French Lifestyle Tips Accept your flaws —which make you charming and unconventionally beautiful— rather than trying to fix them.

A typical part of French lifestyle is shopping at the farmers market throughout the week for fresh produce, rather than the supermarket. It’s a great way to eat fresh and local food that has been grown using more natural practices. It helps you learn to eat seasonally, rather than be fooled that all produce can be available year around, like the grocery store can have you believing. It’s a lot of fun to get to know your local farmers and community, learn from them, and form relationships. It makes the experience of shopping like more of a pleasurable experience, rather than a chore to get over and done with. Plus, we always try out new foods when we visit, which expands our taste buds and our cooking repertoire. French people are very much into the arts, and visiting a museum is a very common activity to do during the weekend. Also, as the museums’ funding remains public in France, this provides better access to cultural activities for everyone. France has even created the “Culture Pass” —which gives all 18-year-olds across the country €300 to spend on art, music, theatre, and more— to provide younger people with wider access to France’s culture. 5. Get Into Philosophy When booking ,asked for seating in the main restaurant. When we arrived was told ,that information had not been entered... on the booking.

Then, the French Revolution in 1789 further helped to spread the study of cooking and table service in restaurants began. In the 1800s, French cooking became a sophisticated art called “Haute Cuisine” that emphasizes moderation and quality. It doesn’t mean that you cannot live your life the way you want it to. But not bragging or oversharing too much of your life is more about being respectful to those who do not have the same chance as you. 3. Don’t Talk About Money Embracing meal times is about taking pleasure in what you’re eating and mindfully savoring each bite. You can’t do that if your attention is elsewhere. Creating a relaxing ambiance for your meals and carving out time in your day to enjoy your food can help you feel just a little bit closer to life in France. 2. Incorporate more walks into your day Living in rural France is the idyllic dream of many and France certainly has much to offer in its villages and hamlets. Most foreigners who buy property in France are attracted to villages, small towns and countryside. Start a conversation about an interesting idea you read about, heard on a podcast, or saw on a television show (again why it helps to consume a diverse selection of media). Bonus points if it’s a tiny bit controversial to elicit discussion, but not heated debate

This French term was used by 19th-Century French prose-poet and essayist Charles Baudelaire to identify an observer of modern urban life. At this time, in a society characterized by progress and capitalism, the flâneur becomes a revolutionary who doesn’t want to participate but to contemplate. French people are very reserved; they don’t smile too much, never spoke too loudly, and don’t show too much excitement or enthusiasm. They do not want to be seen and heard by the world. And I think the French lifestyle’s mantra could be summarized as “ Pour vivre heureux, vivons cachés” by French poet, novelist, and fabulist Jean-Pierre Claris de Florian —literally in English: “To live happily, live hidden”.Similar to the tip above, curate a capsule wardrobe. How often have you looked at your overflowing closet and thought, “I have nothing to wear.” That’s both Bassam and I everyday and it’s because we have so many clothing items that don’t make us look and feel our best. One of our goals this year and is to curate a small collection of high quality clothing items, that all work together, and all make us feel our best. This way, we will always look great, getting ready in the morning will be a pleasure, and we will never feel like we have nothing to wear. All other content is provided by expatarrivals.com, Globe Media Ltd and was last updated in September 2021. HSBC accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of this information.