La Fringale: At what hour do the French get the munchies?

On a train journey back from Paris, Kristi reflects on feeling hungry and shares insights about social norms surrounding food in France. She contemplates the appropriateness of eating at unusual hours, specifically her craving for gourmet leftovers after missing lunch. During her trip, she observes fellow passengers enjoying snacks, which fuels her internal debate about breaking cultural norms. Ultimately, she decides to embrace her hunger and eat her meal, finding relief in the absence of judgment. The piece highlights the author’s humorous struggle with societal expectations and includes a lesson on the French vocabulary word “la fringale,” meaning hunger or cravings. Continue reading La Fringale: At what hour do the French get the munchies?

La Surdité: I Can’t Hear What You Are Saying! + Tinnitus in French

Jean-Marc, tending to his tomato plants as Mama the Dove looks on.  la surdité (suhr-dee-tay)     : hearing loss, deafness, infirmité auditive VIEW FULL POSTThis newsletter has experienced technical problems recently, as I am trying to set the format back to “show full post.” Hopefully, you are seeing this now. If not, my apologies. Click here to view the entire post. A DAY IN … Continue reading La Surdité: I Can’t Hear What You Are Saying! + Tinnitus in French

La Poubelle: How God handles the competition: A funny message from The Almighty

“I don’t care if I am an artist or not, what worries me is writing good stories. Besides, when I start taking myself for an artist – which can happen to me in a moment of madness – I start to write any which way and I have to throw everything in the trash the next day. I am a craftsman, not an artist.” -Harlan … Continue reading La Poubelle: How God handles the competition: A funny message from The Almighty

muse

Who (or what) is your muse? For me it can be a scene, like this one… and suddenly inspiration comes! Photo taken in Les Arcs-sur-Argens, where we lived from 1999-2007.  I tried to find a French synonym for une muse, but I landed on a French definition instead. Here it is, along with the day's story, written two summers ago: une muse (myooz)     : une … Continue reading muse

Everyday French: From Comforters to Pigtails

………………………………………………………………………………………..Words in a French Life: Lessons in Love and Language from the South of France"…a heart-winning collection from an American woman raising two very French children with her French husband in Provence, carrying on a lifelong love affair with the language."……………………………………………………………………………………….. la couette (kwet) noun, feminine  1. duvet, comforter  2. a (gathered) lock of hair Proverb: Etendez vos pieds selon la couverture. Stretch out your … Continue reading Everyday French: From Comforters to Pigtails