10 Commandments of Shopping in France

One of the most intimidating things for me about being France is shopping. Not only is the language different, but the customs and etiquette are very different from the United States. My weak knowledge of the French language creates challenges, but the bigger challenge seems to me my poor understanding of French shopping customs and etiquette. I have garnered dirty looks more than once by touching the merchandise offered by a street vendor or walking through an empty checkout lane to exit a supermarket. Both are big "no-no's".

Food shopping seems to be a full-time occupation in France so it seems particularly important to get this aspect of the culture right. Perhaps it is because refrigerators are small and storage space is often limited in most French homes, but it seems to be a necessity for everybody to go food shopping much more frequently than in the United States. Furthermore, the French seem to believe that fresh, local food is worth the extra effort.

At our house, the day often starts with a short walk to one of the several neighborhood patisseries, where we purchase a plain croissant (Bronwyn), a chausson aux pommes (Rick) and a pain chocolat (Joanie). Later in the morning, we may go to a local street market, and for the staples it may be necessary to go to a supermarket. It is a rare day when we don't shop at 3 or 4 different places.

My fears about shopping were heightened by books and blogs that describe shopping as a battle between the shopper and the salesperson to demonstrate superiority. This line of writings emphasizes the need for the shopper to establish themselves as the master and the to make sure that the salesperson understands that their role is to do the master's bidding. That approach hasn't really worked for me. I've found that it works better to confess my ignorance of the language and local products and ask for the advice of the salespersons.  Hence, my ten commandments (or at least suggestions).

1. THOU SHALL GREET THE VENDOR OR SALESPERSON AND EXCHANGE PLEASANTRIES

When you enter a French shop or approach a vendor in a market it seems to work best to try to get things off to a good start by saying "bonjour" and (to the extent my limited language abilities allow) exchanging pleasantries (in French). This is hard for me because I am embarrassed that I have such a limited ability to speak French, but my reluctance to speak is sometimes interpreted as arrogance.  It is considered rude to not greet the salesperson or vendor, and it will definitely get your relationship off to a bad start if you appear to ignore them.


2. THOU SHALL ASK FOR THE SALESPERSON'S ADVICE

We've learned that salespeople are much nicer and much more willing to be helpful if we confess our unworthiness (poor accent, lack of knowledge, etc.) and solicit the salesperson's advice at the very beginning of each transaction. If you ignore this step, you risk having the salesperson try to prove their superiority by humiliating you or dazzling you with their knowledge of their product.

My knowledge of the hundreds of cheeses and bewildering cuts of meet is even less than my knowledge of the French language so it is not hard for me to convince the vendor that I need their advice. Since most salespeople are very knowledgeable about their product, they usually are very helpful. I learn something almost every time I remember to ask the salesperson for advice. If you ask a vendor or salesperson to share their expertise they almost always become much friendlier. Another way to look at this is that you will get the salesperson's advice whether you solicit it or not so you might as will ask for it.

A corollary to this rule is that the customer is NOT always right. Salespeople are not hesitant to give you their negative opinions about your poor pronunciation, pathetic grammar or your choice of what you want to buy. As an example, the salesperson at a local patisserie seems upset that we have an still have American accent after a month in Angers. She seems to feel insulted that we can't meet her standards for pronouncing some basic words such as "un" (one), as in "un croissant" Thus, she makes a point of harshly criticizing our pronunciation. We are not sure how we got on the clerk's bad side, but it has prompted us to give extra care to how we treat the clerks.  Because ordering a croissant has become an unpleasant experience, we have cut back our consumption of morning pastries.

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3. THOU SHALL SHOP IN THE STREET MARKETS AND BUY FROM PRODUCERS

The best thing about shopping in France is the street markets.  Most urban neighborhoods seem to have at one or two open air markets per week, but on the days when there is not an open air market our neighborhood there is always another street market that is not too far away. The markets are easy to find, just follow the streams of people walking to and from the market with their shopping bags and carts.

If it is Thursday or Saturday morning we shop at the local street market in our neighborhood. There are also nearby street markets on every other day of the week, but we have not gotten to the point (yet) of going to a street market every day of the week. Vegetable vendors are on one side of the plaza; wine, cheese, fish and meat vendors are in the middle of the plaza and clothing vendors are on the other side of the plaza. We try to buy most of our vegetables and our fish at the local market.

The vegetable portion of the market in our neighborhood is divided into two rows - producers and middlemen. When you buy from a producer, you are buying directly from the farmer or artisan. Bronwyn swears that the vegetables are better and the vendors are more helpful if you buy from the producers. They also seem to have the longest lines. Fortunately, nobody knows more about the produce than the person who grew the produce. Similarly, when you are looking for the right cheese among the hundreds of French cheeses, why not talk to somebody who makes the cheese.

4. THOU SHALL NOT TOUCH THE PRODUCE

The etiquette of the market is different than in the United States. I have learned that you do not touch the produce. When it is your turn, you exchange pleasantries, ask for the vendor's advice about what he or she recommends for your next meal, and tell them what you want. The vendor picks out the items for you. If you failed to follow the first and second commandments, you are likely to get a bad selection. However, if you are nice, and if you tell the vendor when you will be serving the item, the vendor may pick an item that will be at the peak of ripeness at the moment that you eat it.


Describing the amount you want can be particularly tricky since we are unfamiliar with the units of measurement and not accustomed to specifying the amount we want.  (In the U.S., most items we purchase are prepackaged in standard sizes.)  In France, we generally tell the vendor how many people we are trying to feed rather than trying to guess at the weight we need. If we followed the first couple of commandments, we generally end up with exactly the right amount of food.

5. THOU SHALL NOT FEEL RUSHED

The shopping process (greetings, getting advice, selecting items, etc.) can take a long time, but one of the great things about France is that when a salesperson or vendor is serving you, they are willing to give you all the time in the world, no matter how many people are waiting in line behind you. If anything, the vendor seems proud of having a long line at his stand. Of course, this can be frustrating when you are at the back of the line and you hear basically the same pleasantries exchanged numerous times in front of you.

6. THOU SHALL LOOK FOR THE LONGEST LINE OF CUSTOMERS

The vendors are probably right to encourage long lines because we have been advised to go to the vendors with the longest lines. Presumably, the existence of a long line is an indication that a lot of people like the product from that vendor and that they like the product so much that they are willing to wait in a long line to get it.

7. THOU SHALL BRING YOUR OWN SHOPPING BAGS

Another rule of shopping in France is that you almost always need to bring your own shopping bags. In general, the merchant does not provide you with paper or plastic bags for your merchandise. If you show up without a shopping bag, the merchant will ask you if you want a bag and then charge you for the bag. This means that, unlike the United States, there are not discarded plastic bags blowing in the wind and clogging up the streams.

A corollary of the shopping bag rule is that when you are buying eggs at the market, you need to bring your own egg cartons ... or figure out how to carry 12 loose eggs home without  breaking them. (We've been unsuccessful in getting all the eggs home intact if we forget our carton.)

Although there are street markets everywhere, France also has its share of supermarkets and hypermarkets. One of the interesting things about the supermarkets and hypermarkets is the allocation of space in the stores. Generally, there is one half of an aisle just for chocolate. There will be two or three aisles for wine and hard liquor. Cheese also occupies a lot of space. There is often one side of an aisle full of unrefrigerated cartons of milk. If you are looking for refrigerated milk, you will need to carefully search the store for a 2-foot wide refrigerated display case with tiny containers of cold milk.

8. THOU SHALL EMPTY YOUR BLADDER BEFORE YOU GO SHOPPING

Woe to the person who needs to use the bathroom when they are in a French supermarket, hypermarket or department store. In general, there are not bathrooms available for the use of customers. If you ask, they will look at you like you are crazy and claim that there are no bathrooms in the store. If you are lucky, they might give you vague directions to a dirty public bathroom on the street.

9. THOU SHALL USE THE PROPER EXIT

Getting out of the supermarkets and hypermarkets without making a purchase can be a challenge (particularly if you need to go to the bathroom). If you fail to make a purchase, you will be sternly chastised and told to go back into the store if you try to exit through an empty checkout lane or slip out through the entrance. Although there are often large signs telling you where you should NOT exit, finding the "sortie sans achat" (exit without purchase) can be a challenge. You need to search for a carefully hidden narrow lane with a gate that says "sans achat" (without purchase), which is usually under the watchful eye of the manager or security guard who will scowl at you as you make the walk of shame. On the day that I took the picture on the left, the "sans achat" exit was blocked with displays and sealed closed with plastic zip ties. Nonetheless, the security guards would not allow me to exit through the entrance. Finally, a customer checking out and a kind cashier, seeing my confusion, took pity on me and allowed me to exit through a checkout lane.

Don't exit through any of these gates

Older department stores and other large stores also have their own unique customs. Some stores require that you get a ticket for what you want to purchase from the salesclerk, then take the ticket to a cashier, and then bring the ticket back to the sales clerk (with a notation that you've paid) to pick up your merchandise. This can really slow things down because you generally end up waiting in three lines.

10. THOU SHALL COUNT YOUR CHANGE

Finally, one unpleasant aspect of shopping in France is that we have been short-changed in France much more than anyplace else we have traveled in Europe. It is unclear whether we are being short-changed because we are Americans or whether this is something that is done to all non-regular customers. Usually, when we bring the "error" to the attention of the clerk, the problem is corrected immediately but in some cases we have had had to argue strenuously to get the proper change. Based on the number of comments on expat websites and blogs, we do not seem to be the only people getting short-changed. Some people seem to regard short-changing strangers as simply a standard business practice and others seem to think that it is reserved for seemingly rich Americans. Regardless of the reason, we have learned to count our change carefully and be prepared to stand up for our rights.

An experience or two with the French healthcare system

Prior to leaving for France, I saw all of my doctors so that I could make it an entire year without needing healthcare.   I even had an MRI to rule out a brain tumor!   One of the reasons I did not want to have to go to a doctor in France was that I was not sure about insurance and how complicated it would be to file a claim.  The other reason was that I was not sure I trusted French doctors.  In the US, I would research a doctor's credentials prior to choosing him/her, but how do you do that in France?  I know nothing about French med schools, so whatever I found would be meaningless.

Well, unfortunately, we have been here but a few months, and I have been to the doctor's office twice already!!!  The first time was so that Joanie could play volleyball.  In France, you must have a doctor examine you and sign off that you are healthy enough to play a sport.   I made an appointment with  a doctor who came highly recommended by Michael and Pascal (our landlords). 

Upon arriving at the doctor's office, we were told to walk down the hall to the waiting room.  The waiting room was small, and the perimeter was lined with plastic patio chairs.  Like this....

Mind you, they were not all white.  Some were green.

OK...I do not know about you, but I do not think that any of my doctors back in the USA have chairs like these in their waiting rooms.  I even think that the chairs in the waiting room at my mechanic are nicer than these.  I know, I probably sound like a snob, but I am just being honest.  It was such a contrast to what I am accustomed, that it made me a little nervous. [Of course, in the U.S., you need to have comfortable chairs in the waiting room because you spend so much time in the waiting rooms of doctors - unsolicited comment from Rick.]

The doctor came out and greeted us.  We entered his office, which had an examination table in a small room off to the side.  We told the doctor why we were there, and he entered Joanie's name and other pertinent information into his computer.  When it came to examining her, he checked her blood pressure and pulse, had her do 20 squats, and checked her pulse again.  She has never had an exam like that, so she gave him her finest frown!   And while she was not graceful about it, she succeeded in accomplishing that task!  The doctor signed the form, and then it was time to pay.

This is where it seems like we were in a dream.....he pulls out a little zippered pouch and says that I pay him directly.  Total cost of the visit = 23€!  No filing of insurance forms or any other paperwork.  I pay him and we are out the door.  No future letters from the insurance company telling us that we have not met the deductible and will need to pay the remaining 180€ balance!  This fact alone makes me want to stay in this country!

The second visit to the doctor was unfortunately because of a shoulder ailment that I have been dealing with for the past couple of months.  I put off seeing the doctor because I had already seen the somewhat archaic examination room and had hoped that my shoulder might miraculously get better.  Unfortunately, it seemed to be getting worse, so I finally decided that maybe if I saw him, he could refer me to a good physical therapist.  

I had an appointment for yesterday afternoon.  I had ridden my bike that morning, and I had a mishap on the bike.  Angers has a tram that runs through town...

...the street that I was on had a tram track on it.  My bike wheel got caught in the track and over I went.  Right on my bad shoulder!  Bummer!  Big bummer!  Fortunately I had my appointment with the doctor that afternoon, so he could address any additional damage the tram track may have caused.

When I arrived at the doctor's office, I was better prepared, since I had already been there once before.  Appointment went fine; he diagnosed me with tendonitis and gave me a prescription.  Again, payment was directly with him.....23€!  But it gets better.  I take the prescription to the pharmacy to be filled.  Memories of Rite Aid are with me at the counter as the pharmacist asks me if I have an insurance card.  I said that I did not.  Preparing myself for at least 50€ in medication, I am shocked when she tells me I owe 11€.  She asks me if I want a receipt to file with my insurance company.  I told her, "Ça ne vaut pas la peine" (while the actual translation is "It's not worth it," I happen to like the literal translation, "It's not worth the pain"....which seems to be a much better translation when talking about American insurance companies!

Needless to say, I have been pleasantly surprised with the French healthcare system.  It may not be the fanciest, but if it gets the job done, who am I to complain!  

À votre santé!

Je Fais de Velo (I do the bicycle)

One of my personal goals while in France was to explore the countryside on my bicycle. I pictured myself riding a vintage (second-hand) Getane or Motobecane road bike through classic French scenery that you see during the coverage of the Tour de France. It turns out that bicycling in France is not what I envisioned. Fortunately, I asked for advice before I bought a bike. 

One thing that I've learned is that the French love to be asked to render their expert opinion ... about anything and everything. All of the "experts" told me that I would be crazy to purchase a road bike unless I planned to enter races. I now have a German-made hybrid bike with semi-fat tires. 

The entry to our garden from Rue de Harpe

The "experts" told me that the roads are too rough and the bike trails are too soft for a road bike with skinny tires ... and they were right. I find that I am mostly riding on unpaved bike trails and when I do ride on the roads, they threaten to knock the fillings out of my teeth. Having a wider tire improves the ride and reduces the chance that my wheel will get caught by the cobblestones or streetcar tracks.

Many of the streets in Angers are cobblestones, including the street in front of our house. When it is dry, it is a very bumpy ride.  Bronwyn's bike seat has springs and a suspension and sometimes I find myself envying her comfort. When it is wet, the cobblestones are as slippery as ice. To further complicate things, many of the urban streets have rails for the street car. 

Outside of the old part of the city, there are lots of excellent bike paths following the multitude of former towpaths along the many rivers, but many of these paths quickly turn into muddy rutted bike trails. Not a good place for a road bike with skinny tires.

Of course, there are also some glorious bike trails that appear to be the remains of ancient roads and tow paths. Within a three blocks of our house I can hop onto a bike path that parallels the Maine River. If I follow the path south, after about 20 km it connects with a network of bike trails along the Loire River. 

Former railroad bridge (the only bridge over the river not destroyed during WWII) enables bikes and pedestrians to cross the river and return on the opposite side of the river.

If I follow the bike path north from Angers, the path repeatedly splits to follow the many rivers feeding the Maine River. Although the bike trails are not always well marked, fortunately the French put signage for boats along the rivers like highways so you can figure out where you are by reading the signs for the boats.

The best part about riding along the bicycle paths, other than the beauty of the scenery, is that you see all kinds of things that you would never see from the road, 

such as a team of military engineers erecting a pontoon bridge (south of Angers) and all types of "houseboats" semi-permanently moored to the shore. 

Van with washer and dryer

Along the river on the north side of town, there are a series of what appear to be camps of Roma or other traveling people (generally known in French as "Tsiganes"). When I rode by the camps in the morning, young girls were retrieving buckets of water from the steaming river (at the time I was too surprised by the sight to take pictures).  Later, I observed all kinds of ingenious adaptations to a nomadic, tribal lifestyle including communal generators, large tents for meetings, and a van that was outfitted with a washer and dryer.  Apparently French law requires that cities provide a place for Tsiganes to camp that is separate from the campgrounds provided for tourists.  A couple of days after I took these pictures, all of the trailers were gone and the only trace was one broken lawn chair and a lot of muddy tire tracks.

Bicycling in France is not what I expected, but it is certainly interesting. If I can just learn to speak a little bit better maybe I can start having real conversations with the people I meet while cycling.

Patrimone Weekend

 

Abbaye Ronceray

Patrimone Weekend is a great idea that we ought to copy in the United States. One weekend each year many museums and historical buildings open their doors to the public and allow people to visit free of charge. In addition, there are musical performances, art exhibits, lectures and various other activities. Some buildings that are normally vacant, have special temporary exhibits. The idea is to inspire an appreciation for the rich culture and history of France.

In Angers, and particularly the neighborhood where we live, this means that there are crowds of people walking through the streets enjoying events on the street and getting to see the inside of buildings that usually either are closed to the public or charge an admission fee. It is difficult to tell what is on the other side of the walls of medieval buildings so it has been fun to get to see the inside of the courtyards and homes around us, as well as parts of well known tourist attractions that are usually off-limits.

Because of the abundance of historical buildings in Angers, many buildings have been used for many different purposes over the years so it is interesting to see how they have been reconfigured for various uses. For example, an abbey that is down the hill from us (Abbaye Ronceray), which was constructed beginning in 1028, has been used since 1815 as part of an elite arts and technical school. The ruins of another medieval fortification and religious structure were incorporated into a modern Jewish synagogue.

Hospital Saint-Jean was created in approximately 1180 by King Henry II of England (who was also the Count of Anjou) as part of his atonement for the murder of Thomas Becket. It was in use for approximately 700 years as the primary hospital in Angers is now used as a tapestry museum.

               

Hospital St. Jean

 

Interior of Hospital

Hospital cloister

The granaries and wine cellars that were associated with the hospital (approximately 1000 years old) are now used as a performance facility and meeting place.

Greniers et Caves Saint-Jean

Greniers et Caves Saint-Jean

The Bishop's Palace or Episcopal Palace is now used for offices.

Bishop's Palace

Figures from Cathedral    

The Hotel des Penitentes was home for repentant women of the night, and their children, beginning in the 15th century and is now a conference center.

Hotel des Penitentes

Hotel des Penitentes

The Chateau de la Perriere, which is a relatively new building constructed in the 17th century, is now a golf course, conference center and upscale restaurant.      

Chateau de la Perriere

Ceiling of salon in Chateau de la Perriere

The amazing thing is that all of these places are within walking distance of our house.  Most of them are only a couple of blocks away from us.

Time with the Grandkids

La Rochelle (looking toward the old harbor)

One of the few negatives of being in France for the year is being away from family. Modern technology helps (facetime, email, Skype, Viber, etc.), but it is not quite the same as being there. In particular, we feel like we are missing some wonderful moments with our grandchildren. Fortunately, our two grandchildren have crazy parents who were willing to fly one-third of the way around the world with two young children to visit us. Actually, I am not exactly sure that they were coming to see us, but no matter, we got to spend time with the grandchildren.  

Helen and her family spent a couple of days in Spain (getting over their jet lag) before driving up to La Rochelle (west coast of France), where we met them. La Rochelle is a charming town and despite scattered rain showers, we enjoyed walking around the town with family. William (3 years old in May) seems to have grown up substantially since we last saw him and Ruth (8 months) is developing a wonderful happy personality.

After a day in La Rochelle, we drove back to Angers and had four wonderful days of family time.  Helen and Thompson didn't get to do much sightseeing, but they definitely got a flavor of every day life in Angers by walking Joanie to and from school, visiting the boulangerie, and visiting all of the little markets. Bronwyn and I got to spend a lot of time playing blocks and cars with William, and being entertained by Ruth. Having family visit really helps make Angers feel like home.

 

Living in Angers

View of house from entry gate

After a week in our rented house in Angers (pronounced ahn-JAY), it is beginning to feel like home.  All of the worry about whether we had picked a good spot or whether we picked the right school for Joan seems to have been unnecessary. The house is at least as charming as the pictures we saw on the internet although it is not without it's quirks. Yes, the electricity kept going out on the first day, but that problem seems to be solved. More importantly, Joanie came out of school on the first day with a smile on her face and a friend on each arm. All of this is due to a large part to our good fortune to have found wonderful, helpful landlords, who spent many hours trying to help us understand their 16th century home and interviewed school headmasters to find the perfect school for Joan.

Living Room

The house is four stories of lovingly restored medieval quirkiness. After banging my head on low beams, doorways and stairs for six days, I think that I have finally learned to remember (most of the time) to walk around the house in a crouched position. I have also learned to be wary of the winding irregular stairs, particularly at night. We've even gotten into the habit of saving a few scraps of fruit for the turtle that lives in our courtyard. More importantly, Bronwyn has figured out the approximate temperature associated with different positions of the knobs for the oven.

Although the house is at least 450 years old, and probably older, the owners have done an amazing job of updating the house.  The kitchen is the most spacious and modern kitchen that we have seen in France. All of us have room to work in the kitchen at the same time. The three full bathrooms are thoroughly modern. Unlike most of the places that we have stayed over the past two months, you do not have to be a contortionist to take a shower.

The part of the city where the house is located is full of timber fram medieval structures similar to ours, including several former and active abbeys and monasteries, as well as various other ancient buildings. The streets are narrow, cobblestoned, and in some cases very steep.

View from Joanie's window

We are finding that it is easier to walk or bicycle most places than to use the car. Using the car means walking a block to the courtyard where we pay to park the car, unlocking the gate, carefully backing the car out of the courtyard with about an inch to spare on each side of the car, relocking the gate and then finding a parking space wherever we are going. Of course, we can only use the car if nobody has decided to ignore the "no parking" sign and illegally park their car on the sidewalk in front of the gate.  (You have to wonder why you need a sign to tell people not to park on a sidewalk in front of a driveway gate.)

Additional signs of our comfort with Angers are that we no longer use the GPS to find places (even though the medieval streets are a labyrinth) and we no longer notice dog excrement on the sidewalk. We seem to have developed a sixth sense to unconsciously avoid all of the dog excrement.  It has been weeks since any of us stepped in dog poop.

It also has begun to seem normal to go to three different kinds of shops and a couple of street vendors every day to buy our food. European refrigerators generally are smaller so it simply makes sense to buy what you need each day.

View out my office window (50% of cars on sidewalk)

Of course there are a few things that we haven't figured out yet. For example, where is it safe to park? The French seem to park everywhere. They seem especially fond of parking on the sidewalk. I've seen a French driver struggle park his car on a sidewalk instead of paying to park in an adjacent open parking space on the street so it is not simply a question of convenience. French drivers seem to have almost as much disregard for the rules of the road as their Italian neighbors although speed and traffic cameras are everywhere.

As a foreigner I feel compelled to try to follow most of the parking and driving rules, but I respect the French disregard for parking and driving rules. In this respect, Americans seem more similar to the French than the Germans or the English, who seem to rigidly follow all the rules. Perhaps the American habit of challenging authority started with our French ancestors.

View from our house tonight

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