This French Life

Enjoy a taste of the Best Paris Stories

EXPLORE different corners of Paris through the work of selected writers who show there is more to the city than the regular tourist traps.

The recently published Best Paris Stories is available as a Kindle book and brings together the winning short stories of the 2011 Paris Short Story Contest.

The book features works by Jeannine Alter, Bob Levy, Lisa Burkitt, Nafkote Tamirat, Marie Houzelle, Jo Nguyen, Julia Mary Lichtblau, Mary Byrne, Marie Houzelle, Jane M. Handel, and Jim Archibald.

Below is a short story from the Best Paris Stories anthology entitled A Pinch of Tarragon. It was written by Lisa Burkitt, whose novel The Memory of Scent was published this month.

A Pinch of Tarragon, by Lisa Burkitt

SHE WATCHED AS George patted his moustache with a napkin, lifted his hat from the wall and heaved his way around the other customers, his large girth pressing against the backs of many of the chairs. She knew he was trying to hold his breath in a vain effort to ease his passage, and that by the time he made it outside to the fresh air at least one small object from several of the tables would have teetered and crashed to the floor. She waited with a broom.

Rail network sees 12 suicides during Pentecôte

A SHOCKING, and sad, statistic from the SNCF train delays is that over the weekend of Pentecôte there were 12 suicides on the network.

A spokesperson for SNCF said that they had never experienced such in the past, and that it was distressing for the victims' families, train drivers, rail staff and passengers.

The spokesperson said that SNCF would look into what could be done to make the network safer, but with 30,000 km of track unfenced it was something that society as a whole should think about.

Just how close are the Spanish and French economies?

WITH the news that banks in Spain are struggling, and statistics this morning showing spending has tumbled in the country, I wondered just how close economically France and Spain are.

Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy has said that the collapse of a bank, or regional government, would see his country fall, but with borrowing costs edging upwards he finds himself in a difficult position.

And the news that spending in Spain has fallen 9.8% in April compared to the same time last year, shows how tight things are for many people.

But could these Spanish troubles have an impact on France?

Well in terms of trade the two countries could not be much closer, according to the Ministère des affaires étrangères et européennes France is Spain’s number one trading partner: its second supplier (12.1% of Spanish imports in 2009) and its leading customer (19.3% of Spanish exports in 2009).

Employment by businesses from each country on either side of the border is also strong, with French firms providing more than 300,000 jobs in Spain and more than 730 Spanish-owned companies located in France, employing over 60,000 people.

The troubles of the housing sector in Spain are well known, but with such worrying economic news and the countries so tightly joined together, just how exposed are French banks to Spanish debts?

Well according to figures from December 2010, France was owed $140.6 billion, only second to Germany and just in front of the UK, who were owed $107 billion.

Considering these figures will Spain be allowed to stumble and fall? It seems unlikely but then again where is the money going to come from to help it out?

Update: A quick addition, some believe Spain is actually in depression.

What are your thought? Please feel free to comment below.

News: Train troubles for SNCF after long weekend

THE new prime minister of France, Jean-Marc Ayrault, is supposedly the most popular to hold the post, although he's had little time to upset anybody just yet.

A poll published by French newspaper the Journal du Dimanche says that Ayrault scored an approval rating of 65%, although he's only been in the job a couple of weeks.

But today he starts to get down to business as he is meeting union leaders and business chiefs, so the results of that might see his approval rating shift a percentage point or two.

In Colombia the left-wing Farc rebels have released a video showing French journalist Romeo Langlois after he was captured a month ago.

The journalist was working for France 24 covering a story about the destruction of cocaine laboratories by army soldiers, but he was taken hostage following a gun battle.

The video shows Romeo Langlois with a bandage around on his arm, but he appears in good health and it is hoped that he will soon be released.

France 24 has set up a special section on its website where people can show their support for Romeo Langlois.

And the SNCF train network went into melt down yesterday as travellers headed back home following the Pentecôte holiday, more then 10,000 travellers experienced delays with many arriving home early in the morning.

Parisian food favourites of Patricia Wells

THE face of Paris changes day by day, and having spent the last 14 months re-researching The Food Lover's Guide to Paris as an app for the iPhone, I can say that the changes in the wind are highly positive, writes Patricia Wells.

Young chefs are moving into less expensive, out-of-the-way areas, opening smaller restaurants with well priced menus.

Some of my favourites include Geoffroy Maillard’s La Table D'Eugene, for his market-fresh tartare de daurade (18 rue Eugène Sue, Paris 18; +33 1 42 55 61 64) and Philippe Damas’s Philou for old-fashioned bistro fare, such as pigs’ cheeks and calf’s liver (12 avenue Richerand, Paris 10; +33 1 42 38 00 13).

Also Bertrand Grébaut’s Septime, for a stunning as well as daring veal tartare paired with oysters and mashed potatoes (80 rue de Charonne, Paris 11; +33 1 43 67 38 29), and Eiji Doïhara’s Le Sot-L'Y-Laisse, for the chicken oysters mixed with mushrooms and cream broth (70 rue Alexandre Dumas, Paris 11; +33 1 40 09 79 20.)

But old-time favourite restaurants draw me back time and time again, and those include William Ledeuil’s Ze Kitchen Galerie (4 rue des Grands Augustins, Paris 6; +33 1 44 32 00 32) for his remarkable and original French-Asian fusion fare.

Mark Williamson’s always winning Willi's Wine Bar (13 rue des Petits-Champs, Paris 1; +33 1 42 61 05 09) for great roast poultry and the incomparable terrine au chocolat and Bertrand Auboyneau’s Bistrot Pail Bert (18 rue Paul Bert, Paris 11; +33 1 43 72 24 01) for the reborative steaks and fries and unmatched Paris Brest dessert.

The city remains a chocolate lover’s paradise with such new boutiques as that of Henri Le Roux for his stunning caramels au beurre salé (1 rue Bourbon le Château, Paris 6; +33 1 82 28 49 80), new shops for ice cream dreams including a memorable yoghurt sorbet (Martine Lambert, 30 rue Cler, Paris 7; +33 1 40 62 97 19) and coffee shops for true caffeine addicts Coutume Café (47 rue de Babylone, Paris 7; +33 1 45 51 50 47.)

Meanwhile, markets continue to charm, and my current favourites include the marche President Wilson (avenue du Président Wilson between rue Debrousse and place d’Iéna, Paris 16), where on Wednesday and Friday one finds some of the city’s finest fish and vegetable merchants.

While each Sunday morning Parisians flock to the popular organic market along the Boulevard Raspail (between Rue du Cherche-Midi and Rue de Rennes, Paris 6) for a stunning selection of fruits, vegetables, grains, fish and dairy.

The Food Lover's Guide to Paris is available as an app for Apple devices running iOS 5.

Patricia Wells, journalist, author and cooking teacher, is an American who has lived in Paris since 1980. Author of 11 books, she served as restaurant critic for the International Herald Tribune and writer and editor for The Washington Post and The New York Times. (Author photograph by Stephen Ellison)

Get n0tice-d about What's On near you

ONE thing that many smaller French charities and associations are lacking on is the promotion of fund-raising events such as village fairs or vide greniers.

Often you will see small sign posts at the side of the road which are impossible to read as you drive by, and as for using the internet, well the phrase 'could do better' often applies.

But if you do want to do something to help, then a friend of mine who now works at the Guardian newspaper, is on the team behind a website called n0tice.com.

It is based around the idea of the village noticeboard being the place to find out what's happening close to home however the website brings a digital touch to posters and drawing pins.

Once registered you can write a quick note on interesting events taking place close to you in the coming months, but in these mobile phone friendly days you can post updates directly from your phone and also include a map location for the event.

Then when people are out and about using their own phones, the n0tice.com website will be able to roughly work out their location and tell them where and when the event you've written about is taking place.

And if you want to take the website on a step or two, you can also write short news-style reports and local users of the site can sell items and businesses can get in front of people close to where they are based.

As a quick example, I have set up a site covering the area around my local village of Villefranche-du-Périgord called Canton24550.

On it I have written about some of the events coming soon to the area, such as theatre evenings, car boot sales and the annual antique book fair.

In a couple of clicks you can add the location of the event, its date, a short descriptive paragraph and if you wish upload an accompanying photograph.

At the moment n0tice.com is slowly evolving and so you are a little restricted on design elements, but if you enjoy tweaking websites then there is the option to pull out different parts of the service to feature on your own web pages, more on that at n0tice.org.

Naturally, the site links up with Facebook and Twitter so that your updates on n0tice.com can appear on those networks as well.

So if you are keen to get involved with the local comité des fêtes or are looking at ways to promote your gîte or holiday home, then you might want to consider starting a What's On service close to you using n0tice.com.

Choosing satellite broadband in France

THERE are still many corners of rural France that do not enjoy broadband internet speeds, with people either using dial up access or giving up on the web altogether.

But with more and more services, and cost savings, available via the internet, those people stuck in the broadband shadows are losing out.

That is why satellite broadband appeals as it offers quick access to the web via a dish on the roof and is accessible across France.

But with mention of magabytes, data packets and latency rates, the options can be a little mind blowing but a recent Ask Jack column on the Guardian website may help out.

Experienced technology journalist, Jack Schofield, replies to a question from a reader about installing satellite broadband in Wales.

And whilst some of the information is specific to the Welsh countryside, he talks about setting up a simple spreadsheet to help you compare all the options available on the market.

He writes:

The functions you should consider include upload and download speeds, the monthly data allowance, whether the service supports VoIP for making phone calls (possibly with a UK phone number), whether you get a British IP (internet protocol) address, and whether you can get any TV channels from the same dish. In my case, the IP address came from the Astra server in Luxembourg, so I wouldn't have had direct access to the BBCs iPlayer service, if it had existed at the time.

Two of the leading suppliers in France are Tooway Direct and NordNet.com, it is also worth chatting to your local Mairie as some départements are able to offer financial support for installation.

Also any good supplier should be able to provide you with an example of the service so that you can decide on the suitability of the different options.

And please feel free to use the comment form below if you can pass on any tips.

The élections législatives are first test for Hollande

WHILE it still seems a little strange to say President François Hollande, he soon faces his first test in the elections for the Assemblée Nationale.

The French people had back to the voting booths for the first round of the élections législatives on Sunday June 10, with the second round a week later, to choose the 577 MPs that will sit in the Palais Bourbon for the next five years.

It is expected that François Hollande will still be enjoying his 'honeymoon' period come voting day and that the Parti Socialiste, along with its allies like the Greens, will gain a majority in parliament.

But if he slips up then you could see the right-leaning UMP along with a number of allied parties enjoying a majority, with President Hollande forced into cohabitation.

However, following the defeat of Nicolas Sarkozy the UMP is doing its best to put forward a disunited front as former prime minister François Fillon and the head of the UMP, Jean-François Copé, have been at each other's throat over who should lead the party.

One battle that could prove interesting is that taking place in the north of France where far-left campaigner Jean-Luc Mélenchon has decided to fight the Front National president Marine Le Pen on her own patch.

The two will go head-to-head in Pas-de-Calais, in a constituency where the main town Hénin-Beaumont and the surrounding region are experiencing unemployment above the national average.

Expect the media to closely follow how each of them progress, with both not shy in coming forward.

As for the élections législatives just how do they work? Well there is a detailed English language website for the politics buffs amongst you.

For others, it is a simple single vote system where a candidate is elected in the first round if he/she obtains an absolute majority of the total votes cast, provided this amount is equal to a quarter of registered voters in a given constituency.

If no one gains an absolute majority then those who poll in excess of 12.5% of the registered votes go on to the second round (if no one candidate meets these conditions then the two highest-placing candidates go on to the second round).

In this second ballot a relative majority of cast votes is enough to get elected.

Interestingly, for the first time this year the French community abroad, for example those in London on the US, will be represented by a total of 11 MPs.

And why do elections in mainland France take place on a Sunday? In the early 19th century, when the first elections were organised, the one and only official day off was Sunday so it was thought best to run elections on that day.

Pavillon Bleu flags for cleanest French beaches

THE winners of the coveted Pavillon Bleu awards for the cleanest beaches and marinas in France have been announced.

Those who have received the award now enjoy the right to display the internationally recognised Pavillon Bleu emblem at their facilities.

The importance of being able to fly the distinctive Pavillon Bleu flag over their facilities is widely recognised by communes as it is promoted amongst the tourism industry as a sign of quality.

A list of Palmarès 2012 is available, and you can also access the beaches via an online map.

And don't think those who've received an award this year can now sit back and relax as the Pavillon Bleu officials will visit the different areas throughout the summer season.

'Bag of books' sale in Paris for SOS Help

THE English language helpline service, SOS Help, is holding a fund raising event in Paris just in time for the summer holidays.

In an attempt to create some room in its storage area, the charity is hoping people will come and rummage for books and take away a whole bagful of summer reading for just €5.

The sale takes place on Saturday, July 7 between noon and 3 pm at St. Joseph's Church, 50 avenue Hoche, 75008 Paris (map).

SOS Help is an English speaking crisis line in France, it is open from 3pm to 11pm daily and can be reached on 01 46 21 46 46.