Rant on Food/Culture

Random pic walking down the str

I am again in an internet cafe and only 9 days before getting wireless in my apartment. Today I got a phone-card service for 2 months for the phone that got passed down to me. I received the results from the French test and got placed in the hardest level so yeah being an hour late to the test didn't matter...I took some pictures walking down the street and wanted to post them because some are funny and some are just random views from the apartment. One topic I wanted to discuss was French meals. Everybody that knows me knows that I think about two things: girls and food and both are abundant in France. The latter is taken very seriously where meals start at 8PM and last until 1115 as they did last night. It only ended because I had to do an hour's worth of reading. An aunt was visiting from Poitiers so the entire conversation was in French, which was hard but flowing. She was impressed that I knew that her town was the site of a famous French victory but the reason escaped me. She didn't hesitate to tell me that it was in her town that the French stopped the Muslim invasion from Spain in the 700s. All I can say is that Naperville was voted best place to live in America a few years back. That reminds me of one of the points in the book I read last night. The French are as industrial and modern as Americans but some of their habits and methods of culture date back to ancient times. Kids will play in parks that were once gladiatorial arenas during the Roman era. Anyway getting back to the food, everything is natural and without all of the shit we Americans have to excuse my language, but I use it because it accurately describes the processed mentality. When we talk about American cuisine, they laugh because not only is there no such thing but also if you think about it the majority of the food comes from the factory. We are attached to industry whereas the French are attached to the land. Much of what is eaten here comes from homegrown foods without growth hormones. They are proud of their food so to speak and are insulted if you eat fast or eat the wrong way. As Americans we probably say that there isn't enough time for long meals and that extra time could be used for other more productive purposes...Well being here a few days I realize that taking that extra time can really reduce stress and make life more enjoyable...especially with a glass of Bordeaux...but really it is more healthy because being stressed all day leads to a short life...And its not like France is a third-world country. Yes everything is slowed down tremendously, but they still work and are one of the top countries in the EU even though it has a fourth of the population the US has. Not to preach anything, I am just pointing out what I have observed...Bonne Soir.