Comments on: Bourgeoise Nantes

By: A Very French Taboo | Correr Es Mi Destino

A Very French Taboo | Correr Es Mi Destino — Mon, 03 May 2010 14:35:11 +0000

[…] people are very well-off and that some people aren’t – to French, it is somewhat of an axiom. Some are born in rich families, inherited a fortune or married into money (which is slightly vulgar). At the other end of the […]

By: Gail at Large

Gail at Large — Sun, 12 Apr 2009 06:30:37 +0000

I lived in Scotland for a couple of years, and have been visiting Europe pretty often — some years up to 3x — since then, and have an idea of the im/balances of life between the Old World and the New World. The most abrupt shock of class system prejudice was in my British life. There is snobbery in Canada, for sure, but nowhere near the extent that I could feel it in Britain. It is not just the visual impressions, but the way a person speaks which denotes where, exactly, they’re from and suddenly all the “important” information is out there in the open. It doesn’t matter anymore how you think or behave, people already begin to turn away because it is assumed you’re not on their socioeconomic level. After growing up in Canada, it is a culture shock of a different kind.

By: Zhu

Zhu — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:44:53 +0000

@Agnes — France is a complex country… even I have been away for so long that it takes time to reconnect.

@Bill Miller — Thank you! God I wish… I love writing. And positive feedback like yours keep me going!

@barbara — See you… on Saturday!

@Shantanu — Glad I can give you a snapshot of French lives! Enjoy your Parisian holidays

@Max Coutinho — Thank you for your recipe — I received it and will try it when I go back to Canada! Right now it’s a bit busy between friends and family. Social classes… yeah, this is definitely part of the old world, Canada is very different.

@shionge — Bordeaux is nice, close to Nantes actually. Famous for its wine…!

@Bluefish — Pas boeuf, beauf, like short for beau-frère. Je ne sais pas si les Québécois comprennent l’expression par contre… I wrote a post on health care a while ago: http://correresmidestino.com/sickos/

@Sidney — I guess. That said, the country has gotten extremely expensive in the last decade, and I like Canada best to live.

@Soleil — I agree with you! Sometimes, French drive me crazy: they just don’t want to try anything new, no matter which government is reforming.

@Lis of the North — Lille is lovely too: I visited a friend there a few years ago and the downtown is really nice. Bit cold though!

By: Lis of the North

Lis of the North — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 17:38:33 +0000

Hey Zhu, I enjoyed these photos. We lived in Nantes before moving to Lille. Enjoyed your thoughts on French society too!

By: Soleil

Soleil — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 10:12:33 +0000

I totally agree with you about the systems in place to maintain the status quo rather than allow upward movement and change. Take the whole lycée professionnel/lycée technique deal. In collège kids are supposed to have various stages to decide what they might want to do with their lives. Does the collège help them find a stage? No, the kids and their parents are supposed to do it. So what do the kids end up doing for a stage? Whatever Mom and Dad or their friends do. Rather than finding something that actually interests them, they end up doing whatever is easiest. You are predestined to end up the same as your parents. And don’t even get me started on how they determine which kids en up in the professional and technical lycées.

By: Sidney

Sidney — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 07:33:39 +0000

For sure France has a not so good side but it is still one of the best countries to live in. The culture, the food, the nature, the weather…

By: Bluefish

Bluefish — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:49:18 +0000

Moi, je suis au centre :p

Je peux dire à quelqu’un qui est un boeuf?

Can you please write a post about France’s health care system please? Je suis très curieuse…

By: shionge

shionge — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:38:58 +0000

Hey Zhu, this is so nice…yes there is more about France then just Paris

I was down in the South as my English bought a piece of land and built their holiday home there. In Bordeaux and what a nice place

Thanks for introducing Nantes…I must check it out the next time I visit France

By: Max Coutinho

Max Coutinho — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 16:21:05 +0000

Hi Zhu,

Oh France…oh Portugal…same thing!

However, our government ended that law (where kids had to go to a school nearby home) exactly to end those tricks, that you spoke of. Now, people can choose which public school their kids can attend. But we have fine public schools, in general — because there are some nasty ones too.

Social class differences: there will always be that in Europe. That is why it is Europe and not the USA.
Should it change? Perhaps. Will it change? No.
However, respect should increase in Europe.

I have sent you the Pão de Queijo recipe (through the form in your blog): did you receive it well?

Cheers

By: Shantanu

Shantanu — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 11:33:34 +0000

Interesting! Now that I am going to be vacationing in Paris, I am all ears for everything French.