Food glorious food....Come dine with me,perhaps!

Culinary delight  & the French culture are, as we all know , intrinsically linked. Children, like their parents, take  food very seriously. 'Super U' shopping is not  like the 'Tesco' rush to fill the trolley & avoid the perpetual requests from the kids "can I have this mum?" For the French, its a measured and civilised occasion, with choices made & conversations entered into.

 At the check out, discussion & politeness are more important than the speed with which the customers are served and nobody in the queue, however long, objects.The time for customer conversation is important, packing undertaken carefully and finally then payment (sometimes by long winded cheque) and this must all be respected, it is  a meaningful event.

What other country, but France, would have  baby food called 'Artichoke Diner' or 'Ratatouille....'? Morrison's nearest  culinary  labels for  babies are, 'Grandpa's Sunday Lunch' or 'My 1st Bolognaise' , it just doesn't seem the same.  But the whole area of food, its purchase, its preparation and particularly its consumption are serious.  

Its a devotion, in which the cathedrals are the top restaurants, the religious orders are the 'Master Chef' programmes and the high priests the Michelin & Egon Ronay chefs .
We were recently invited by some French  farming friends for a meal. A typical French longere farmhouse which has been modernised to give a lovely ambiance, comfortable and contemporary. The meal was superb, the conversation wonderful, but our hosts made the highlight of the evening, a viewing, over cheese & desert, of the finale of 'Mastef Chef', on their huge plasma TV. People are passionate about food...

 No more obvious in the anglo / franco cultural differences towards eating is    the popular programme 'Come Dine with Me', known in France as 'Un Diner Preque Parfait', or 'An Almost Perfect Diner'.
Both countries market the programme as a competition for 4 or 5 amateur chefs to cook and entertain each other and be scored on their results, but the resultant programmes are worlds apart

In England the empathises seems to be on shock tactics before cuisine. One weeks' contestant comprised a host who insisted that "if people were stressed they can touch my breasts", whilst encouraging everyone to"get sloshed" she defended her brashness by the adage, "if you've got it flaunt it". Another  participant was a gnome collector who referred to his rival in the kitchen as a 'cocky young upstart'. When it comes to the food  the comparison is lost altogether. The English programme seems to loose all sight of this part of the enterprise, focusing on any arguments or sexy bits, food and its preparation are incidental to the evening.

In France guests have included Frederic Mitterrand, who is the nephew of the late Socialist President Francois Mitterrand and a close friend of ex-first Lady Carla Bruni. At the end of the week contestants are marked on cuisine, ambiance, table decor and the theme or animation of the evening.The French watch , sample comment intellectually and enjoy all aspects of the food. They never refuse to eat anything, never swig back their drinks or overindulge and leave politely, clearly having enjoyed the efforts their fellow contestants have made.

So if you want to define the social differences between the two nations, just watch these two programmes. Yes they do have the same prize money, 'One Thousand', but the French are short changes because they get euros where as the guys from the  UK pick their winnings up  in pounds.

Know where I'd rather 'dine'?? ...mais oui!

Bloggers block...

Seems I have bee suffering from 'Bloggers Block', a sort  of electronic writers cramp, brought about by an overload of English culture, as we have returned currently to the UK. Its as though my brain, tuned to seek the similarities and anomalies in French & Anglo culture / education, just couldn't cope with the onslaught of so much Englishness
So whats made the change, where has the breakthrough come? Well its about realising, much to my surprise, that I see things from a French perspective whilst in the UK in the opposite way to how I see the Anglo perspective in the French systems.
And what made the change well simple...bacon.

Pork is as popular in Franc as in the UK, but the concept of rashers of sizzling bacon, or bacon butties or bacon rolls with chicken is quite alien in  France. Slices are either way too thin, way too think or don't exist. And yet there before me in the  UKsupermarket is a dazzling array of bacon, loose or packaged, for cooking or frying, with or without rind, smoked or non smoked; even a choice of pig or region is possible. The only thing not on offer easily are lardons, the beloved  French diced bacon bits super for carbonnara or in stews or casseroles and much used by the French.

But perhaps the most telling of things bore no relation to any of the actual meat products but to  the impressive, new NHS hospital. Built like an airport, bright & airy with wide corridors and crisp lines it is the embodiment of all you'd hope for in any medical system and one the NHS should rightly be proud of. Computer greeting terminals allow the patient to book in and proceed, via a series of 'sub waits' to the correct area, so you always know where you are who you will see and what is happening. Brilliantly efficient, clear & makes the patient feel every things in hand, the medics are informed and you know what is happening.

So here is where the differences lie because as you log in, with aid from friendly assistants if necessary, you have to collect a booking ticket, affectionately referred to as your 'bacon counter ticket' as it resembles the sort issued to avoid queues or misunderstandings at supermarkets counters for fresh  meats or cheese.

 Now I just can't imagine the French liking this sort of labelling, even food related, they'd expect people & time to be given to them. Perhaps its about the population numbers and space / land area that the two countries have; France being low in population, mostly rural with some high concentrations and  a vast alnd area and England being a small island with high population. We can't and don't expect time to be given to us, the French I feel would expect an individuals attention, but I did notice that in that vast new building we all seemed strangely comforted being led by and clutching our, 'bacon tickets'

One cure for bloggers block..... bacon...

Inspiration and hard work

I continue with the work to link the children in the small village school in the Mayenne region  with a similar rural village school in Staffordshire, England. The French class now has twenty children from 8 to 11 years and caters for two adjoining villages.  The 'infant' class is in our neighbouring village & the juniors here. So this week has been further work on greetings, both formal & informal in English leading up to the writing of a simple letter to the children in England.




Though the class size here has more than doubled in the new intake this is not as positive as it sounds, because there are fewer & fewer younger children.  My friend Liz who actually introduced me to the school,has been working solidly, year on year with these children and now I can see just how much skill, confidence and pleasure in English she has given them.
 Not a teacher by profession, but a natural teacher with a passion for communication, Liz has given these new kids a real head start and didn't I notice it.


So this time when it came to the verbal games they were up for it and fully participated, it was delightful. And, later with  the more formal written stuff it was easier to differentiate the work and talk with the children about what they were writing.




Result, twenty short, but clear messages for me to forward onto the school teacher in Staffordshire, some basic self portraits (art work is seldom a strength here) and a really good feeling about what can be achieved.

And where my French faltered, Liz's son, one of the older boys in the class was there to be my bi-lingual aid and actively encouraged the elder children to support the younger ones and do so in spoken English.
 
Just goes to prove what one persons passion can do to influence & develop a child's learning. So this is one big thank you to Liz, she'll never know quite what an inspiration she has been......

Manners maketh man.....A table !

Differences in learning also translate into table manners, a somewhat old fashioned concept in modern England, but one that still holds value in France.
In France,one should attend the table when invited & only sit when your host is seated.Chairs are placed at a slight angle from the table to indicate vacancy & welcome guests. Your hands should be above the table at all times, though not on the table. My mothers reminder to, 'take my elbows off the table' would certainly fit with French etiquette, but hands above or on the table would have been impolite to Granny's eye. UK etiquette, if it exists, still dictates that hands should always be out of sight, preferably  on your knees. This English practise incidentally makes the French wonder what we are doing with your hands, out of sight....now what could we be doing with our hands under the table that is so impolite? Answers (clean only ) on a postcard...my gran would turn in her grave!


The French table is laid  with the back of the fork and spoon being upper most. This comes from the times when families  had coats of arms on the back of their cutlery & these were to be displayed. This doesn't quite work with Ikeas best cutlery, but the practise still persists in France. French meals are eaten slowly with the cutlery placed down whilst chewing or talking. The meal, its flavours, aromas and ambiance  should all be savoured.

Never the case when it came to  stew / lobby day in my childhood; the order of the day was get you head down & trough; grunting appreciative noises was  the only social discourse expected or delivered. To place down the cutlery of idly chat would have been met by, 'less yapping more eating' or 'is there something wrong with it?'

Bread at meal times does have memories, great chunks to be dipped or bitten into. Any pretence to dab or scoop the food, as with a piece of French baguette, would probably have been reprimanded by instructions of 'not to mess with your food, eat it!'

The taking of bread, serve yourself dishes & drinks follows strictly the hosts direction. All this bodes ill for Anglo /Franco relations. We sit when led to the table (if indeed we use a table) and usually eat at speed with scant conversation, helping ourselves  to whatever is on the table. French children are told to  sit upright, imagine 'one cat in front and two cats behind ' and young children should only speak if directly asked a question. Now Granny really would approve....'speak when you are spoken to', 'be seen and  not heard'. This would never work in the UK where family banter or tele watching with your dinner is still the order of the day.

And here lies the final conundrum diner is lunch time in France, dinner is tea time in England and supper well who knows? Its not the differences that are important here, more communication and social living. We have fast food, take away restaurants, disposable cutlery , TV dinners and trays.

And if you still don't understand, just watch what a Frenchman does on receiving his meal, at a self service restaurant. He simply places the tray on the table, while his English neighbour unloads the plates and items carefully onto the table. To the Frenchman the tray is an irrelevancy he doesn't even acknowledge its existence; its social protocol & the occasion that matter... 

Its never too late to learn...

Seems I've reached the dizzy heights of being immortalised in print, but what a mistake that was, not  the worst in my life, but a learning experience.

Several weeks ago I was contacted by an Anglof/Franco newspaper who had heard of blog and take on the two education systems of  England & France. They were preparing for 'Le Rentree' and wanted  a teachers comments to aid the article. "Its just a short piece, only your view, humorous or insightful".
 
Having never been asked to comment in all my years in the profession 'officially', here I was being asked my personal views, based on one village school in France, one hour a week, for less than half a school year, over three years. 

The phone call that followed was a strange affair,because the reporter had no knowledge of teaching and said he only wanted me to talk for a couple of minutes. After half an hour and constant encouragement to "keep going this is fascinating", he finally rang off.



Later came a request to send an electronic photograph, to which the response was that, it was, ' not good enough for publication'. Some what affronted that a complete stranger should make a judgement of my looks, my husband quickly rectified things by explaining that they needed greater photographic resolution; a better lit & quality picture, not a prettier person.

So today, partly on a whim, I bought a copy of said paper (there was an article listed about new tax laws) and there I was smiling into the camera and a third of a page of tabloid print. To say surprised is to put it mildly and greater still was my surprise to find what I'd said.

They say the press embellish the truth well this was like taking some of my anecdotal stories & comments, throwing them in the air and then adding a couple of inaccuracies just for fun.

No harm as such, but a strangely worded/ punctuated  article which referred to me "throwing a toy to teach grammar" and how parents should contact the 'British Ministry of Education to check pupil levels'.

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks, well  it seems that this newspaper has taught one old dog it can be tricked. "It will be fine", reassured my ever supportive other half, " anyone who knows you will realise you wouldn't phrase things like that".

 

Did I mention its a national newspaper ???

No limits...the very Frenchness of it.

There something about being a teacher which is both rewarding and giving; it feeds off the excitement & enthusiasm of the students, their sharpness and their curiosity. I have spent years with pupils who have barriers to learning, limitations, confusions, even arrogance...blocks to learning.

But now I find that I have encountered something new, a student who has no apparent limit to their abilities,who is multi directional and socially highly mature. This young lady has a capacity to learn in every area we have shown her, she appears to have no weaknesses and any uncertainties are turned intoto successes. She  is without arrogance or self deceit .

I can honestly say it has been a joy, maybe even a privilege to teach her. She absorbs every experience, every conversation, every activity, every minute with equal & pure passion. This intensity has encompassed logic & problem solving, general knowledge, practical skills like cookery, games like bowling & mini golf, creativity like jewellery making and drawing, she even has a sense of humour. In deed we have yet to find an academic area she does not absorb, develop , blossom & flourish in ...its quite amazing, exhausting and delightful.

So had she limits? Well yes of a sort, and that is in her very Frenchness. This showed itself in a deeply embedded  belief that, her nationality,both  the methods used in learning and indeed the culture itself, must be right; not merely different, but correct.
The example that best shows this is a discussion on table etiquette, because in France how you attend the table,sit, place your hands and eat all have importance.

So how do these cultural differences limit? Well it started as an interesting cultural exchange,talking about the differences and then the phrase 'personal choice' was used. Suddenly it was evident that, though  French culture can accept that other nations may respond differently, fundamentally the French have it correct. They  allow these lapses in their fellow man because they are not French. Well that led to a very interesting debate about 'correctness' and 'change', really fascinating!

So our delightful young  guest returns to Paris and her Baccalaureate studies, wiser in the spoken English word and  importantly in perceptual cultural  differences. After all we learn more from our uncertainties than from our successes...

Full circle ....la rentree

Summer is over and 'La Retree'  is upon us. This is the manic time in the French, and indeed English school year, when the students and children  return to the classroom. In France this is one of the biggest sales times for the leading supermarket chains,in terms of academic stationary and ancillary goods. From mid August the retail publicity shouts about books, clothes, desks and even IT hardware, all trying to compete to get the French parents to purchase these for the new school year.

Anxious parents and intent children carrying the 'List' of essential school materials scour the shelves of stationary. Exercise books of various types & sizes, writing & drawing implements, assorted  items like glue & correction fluid, plus the essential school agenda must be bought. Not to forget the bag to carry it all in, plus means of filing & storage, possibly even a desk for all those hours of homework!

And all this, paid for by the parents ,though state help is possible for larger families or unemployed / low income families,says one thing very loud and clear....responsibility & commitment. The parents see it as their duty to provide these materials, not the text books or the teaching materials, but every other element of their child's schooling.
Now parents in the UK are just as committed and responsible, but the emphasis is on the schools & local authorities to provide these disposable materials. The school must provide text books, paper, rulers, crayons, whatever is needed. Some children  may have additional utensils, but these are seem as non-essential and personal. The difference can be seen is in how the children respond in the classroom. In France; no bickering about  a lack of pen or pencil, arguing over  crayons half broken or felt tips run dry and certainly not wastage of paper or graffiti covered  books. Imagine trying to explain to your French  parents that you just fancied scribbling over the cover or breaking 'le Bic', when they have to earn & pay for it. Result neat books, care in ownership & use of materials, sharing & enjoyment; indeed a pride in what is produced.

 In England having jointly class owned materials, with  some children owning additional items and perhaps not wanting to share, can cause tension & frustration. When UK schools purchase they are limited to suppliers and when these firms have won the contracts from local authorities the choice, quality & cost can be arbitrary. When the French parents purchase the big chains and smaller stores compete to provide customer choice & keep prices down.

Advertising leaflets drop through the door publicising  additional activities for the usual (though not always) school closure every Wednesday. Little Thomas could go to judo, karate, learn tennis or athletics, play a musical instrument or learn to paint & draw; all extra curricular to mainstream French education.In England  young Jane can participate in physical activities;  sports, learn music and develop her art, all within the school curriculum and Wednesday is a working day.

 But what both cultures have in common is the trepidation & excitement of the return and that includes the teachers. Why, because it might be a return, but be you teacher or student, everything has changed. Class members, curriculum, timetable and sometimes even the school itself ,change.

So you leave in July confident in where you are & what you know and return in September uncertain in what is to come & how difficult the coming academic year will be. That's why teaching is called the 'Chalk Face',its hard practical, intellectual & emotional work, your job is to get the very best out of those pupils.
 
 Its not about subject knowledge or techniques its about the ability to communicate and the passion to inspire.Vive la rentree!