anotherbanana Posted January 23, 2022 Share Posted January 23, 2022 This week, to the Picasso exhibition at the Louvre, Lens; besides some amazing art works, particularly the ceramics, one other French value was reinforced which is that the French know how to dress so very well, the women to show themselves at their best in a very understated way whilst their men are used to complement them. Not a tattoo in sight. Then to Leclerc, Attin, a totally different population segment; no consciousness of others when shopping, move in family packs and much of France is seriously overweight. The national dish is pizza and please could people stop wearing jeans. Tattoos everywhere! And finally to Anecdote, a rather good restaurant in Montreuil sur Mer; good service is alive and well in France as is good dining. Better a smaller menu to a higher standard than too much not so good choice. One tattoo, high up on the nape of the neck, only visible when the customer lifted and reset her pony tail! Social distancing? What’s that? A good couple of days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lehaut Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 If I could add a plus for the French 2021 Film "Délicieux" if we are praising France. Set just before the Revolution, it showcases the fabulous countryside around Cantal and Aveyron. Heartly enjoyed the food aspects and the almost still life tableaux of some of the shots. Good story, little sex or violence, a rare gem in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gluestick Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 23 hours ago, anotherbanana said: This week, to the Picasso exhibition at the Louvre, Lens; besides some amazing art works, particularly the ceramics, one other French value was reinforced which is that the French know how to dress so very well, the women to show themselves at their best in a very understated way whilst their men are used to complement them. Not a tattoo in sight. Then to Leclerc, Attin, a totally different population segment; no consciousness of others when shopping, move in family packs and much of France is seriously overweight. The national dish is pizza and please could people stop wearing jeans. Tattoos everywhere! And finally to Anecdote, a rather good restaurant in Montreuil sur Mer; good service is alive and well in France as is good dining. Better a smaller menu to a higher standard than too much not so good choice. One tattoo, high up on the nape of the neck, only visible when the customer lifted and reset her pony tail! Social distancing? What’s that? A good couple of days. Attin: interesting, Woolly. In our early days, 20 odd years ago, Mrs Gluey and I used to drive along the A 16 coast road in order to visit our friends who then ran a B&B in Campagne Les Hesdin and visit the Leclerc store at Attin. One day, surreally, she was chatting to a work colleague in her then office in the City and discovered she came from Attin and that her brother ran a large farming co-op outside! Pas de Calais, of course has changed significantly, from a farming community to an industrialised area, as major farming outfits have mechanised, hoovered up smaller farms and created mass-redundancy. The younger French eat junk food in increasing volumes and have been Balkanised by American media "culture": hence, the increasing levels of obesity, tattoos and rejection of the wonderful French culture. Sad IMHO. Montreuil: ah, a cultured lovely old walled town, still cobbled in the centre and, of course, the HQ of allied forces in WW1. Some excellent restaurants and hotels therein but expensive. It is also the centre for administration, including the local Impôt. Hesdin is the same; couth and most interesting historically. Next time you are there, wander out of the main square and visit the church. https://monumentum.fr/eglise-notre-dame-pa00108309.html I never forget Montreuil, since it was the place when driving over the cobbles, a centre wheel cap fell off my BMW, in traffic and I could not recover it and had to buy a replacement from my local UK Beema distributor; severe pain in wallet! Tourists tend to power through the Pas de Calais en route to the South and consider it bland and boring. It isn't, actually. Wonderful natural sandy beaches running right from Dunkirk through to the Somme and beyond. Some beautiful rural areas, great golf courses and if one looks, excellent food and drink. St. Omer, for example, is well worth a visit. Some excellent and beautiful old architecture. I used to drive to Brico Depot in BRUAY LA BUISSIERE; this was and is a poor and deprived area, where loads of coal mining went on, years ago. Strange it has never recovered... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le martin-pêcheur Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 (edited) Two French films that we have watched and thoroughly enjoyed, if you can find them, are "Jean de Florette" and the sequel "Manon des sources". Both show the rural French and their ways - good and bad. Edited January 24, 2022 by Le martin-pêcheur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 There is an old thread about French Cinema which may interest some Ther Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherbanana Posted January 24, 2022 Author Share Posted January 24, 2022 Great Bobo, Norman, that goes back awhile; just look at the posters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 Back to a time when posters were knowledgeable about French culture (in this case films) and able to discuss it in a civilized fashion .. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherbanana Posted January 24, 2022 Author Share Posted January 24, 2022 Yes, the world has changed, folk have left us, moved on or even passed away. Not so many left in France these days. We have lost something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gardian Posted January 24, 2022 Share Posted January 24, 2022 Well, I’m still bloody well here! Haven’t left, nor moved on, nor (as fas I’m aware) passed on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherbanana Posted January 24, 2022 Author Share Posted January 24, 2022 Yep, hangin in there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alittlebitfrench Posted January 25, 2022 Share Posted January 25, 2022 8 hours ago, NormanH said: Back to a time when posters were knowledgeable about French culture (in this case films) and able to discuss it in a civilized fashion .. There is a contradiction in what you said there MR Norman. Anyway, I will bite. Have you seen the new highly aclaimed film 'Bac Nord'. Norman ? Or is that toooo French culture for you ? There is no English subtiles BTW....so you might struggle. But you can look at the pictures. ? and then realise that your idea of French culture is very different to others. Some of us have to live in some form of reality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lehaut Posted January 25, 2022 Share Posted January 25, 2022 "Les Misérables 2019" if you enjoyed Bac Nord (aka The Stronghold). One to sit down with the kids to watch ( if you have not already seen it) "Donne-moi des ailes" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gluestick Posted January 25, 2022 Share Posted January 25, 2022 Now there is me thinking the OP, Woolly, was writing about reality. Not movies and fantasy??? Definitions: "the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. '20th century popular culture' synonyms: the arts, the humanities, intellectual achievement(s), intellectual activity, literature, music, painting, philosophy the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society. 'Afro-Caribbean culture' synonyms: civilization, society, way of life, lifestyle, customs, traditions, heritage, habits, ways, mores, values." I steam, when I occasionally glance at a paper and it suggests such as "Rap" is culture... Sub-Culture more like! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Zoff Posted January 25, 2022 Share Posted January 25, 2022 I made the mistake of allowing myself to be persuaded by rave reviews to watch the ridiculous Lupin series (Netflix). Utter dross. French mixture of Bond, the A Team, Batman and Die Hard, all done very very badly. Probably appeals to young teenagers or anyone who enjoys silly super-hero cartoons. One or two nice shots of Paris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherbanana Posted January 25, 2022 Author Share Posted January 25, 2022 Very old isn’t it? Or was that a film? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted January 25, 2022 Share Posted January 25, 2022 Modelled on the Arsène Lupin books? If not, it won't stand the teast of time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NormanH Posted February 4, 2022 Share Posted February 4, 2022 This one has just come out and has some topical issues: https://www.allocine.fr/video/player_gen_cmedia=19595166&cfilm=287080.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betise Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 On 24/01/2022 at 22:05, anotherbanana said: Yes, the world has changed, folk have left us, moved on or even passed away. Not so many left in France these days. We have lost something. Oh my, I have just spent a happy half hour revisiting posts there, so many familiar names, Coops, Claire, 5-element, Bugsy, even me (before login problems force me to reinvent myself). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alittlebitfrench Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 29 minutes ago, betise said: Oh my, I have just spent a happy half hour revisiting posts there, so many familiar names, Coops, Claire, 5-element, Bugsy, even me (before login problems force me to reinvent myself). France is a graveyard for Brits.....there is no doubt about that. Failed dreams and all that. But I often wonder where they get buried. UK or France ? ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherbanana Posted February 5, 2022 Author Share Posted February 5, 2022 Hole in the bottom of the garden, albf! How is your kiddy, by the way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loiseau Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 On 24/01/2022 at 13:42, Gluestick said: .......Tourists tend to power through the Pas de Calais en route to the South and consider it bland and boring. It isn't, actually...... You’re preaching to the converted with me, Gluey! https://www.waterstones.com/book/northern-france/angela-bird/9780954580315 (Sadly, now out of print ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherbanana Posted February 5, 2022 Author Share Posted February 5, 2022 Therefore this is not an advertisement! But it is a very good little book as is her original one on the Vendée. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alittlebitfrench Posted February 5, 2022 Share Posted February 5, 2022 4 hours ago, anotherbanana said: How is your kiddy, by the way? He is nearly back to normal....nearly. Thanks for asking. This is about 10-12 days after developing symptoms. The rest of us was about....7/8 days before feeling normal. But you still feel it in your body. He suffered the worse out of all of us. There is no doubt about it, Covid is quite awful. Covid is NOT a cold, or the flu it is very very different to those types of things. Very difficult to explain. It affected us all in very different ways. Everyday/hour is different. Covid really attacks your body even after 3 jabs. It is like it is trying to find a weakness. Stay safe my friends, get jabbed and don't catch it. I'm telling ya. PS...we all still have no taste. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 18 hours ago, alittlebitfrench said: France is a graveyard for Brits.....there is no doubt about that. Failed dreams and all that. But I often wonder where they get buried. UK or France ? ? Fortunately there are relatively few Brits in this part of the world. I don't know of any. Hope it remains so!! As for failed dreams; not convinced that is true. My impression of so called ex-pats is that very few have decided they will live their lives to the end in France, they might pretend that's the case but many seem to go back when old age beckons and they don't feel secure, usually making the need for contact with grandchildren etc. the excuse! That's probably why you are wondering where they are buried; there aren't any buried in France; they have all gone back to die!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted February 6, 2022 Share Posted February 6, 2022 Ken, Ken, got to disagree .. yes, plenty do go back, but plenty too die here .. I've certainly attended sufficient funerals here of English people to say that for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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