“We’re not covered by the French insurance system.” I was only slightly surprised when my osteopath said this to me at the end of our visit. As someone who has spent most of his life outside of a single-payer healthcare … Continue reading
Life in France
Gas Pains
“Do you want an electric stove, a gas one, or a hybrid?” My (new) landlady asked me this question over the telephone as we were negotiating deal points on the new lease. We had found the current stove to be … Continue reading
Troubleshooting: Internet, Leaks, and Hot Water Heaters
There are things that are very simple in France. One of my favorites is the “set it and forget it” auto-debit for most of your recurring expenses: your EDF (electricity bill), UGC pass, or your mobile phone, just to name … Continue reading
French Work Benefits Are Truly Unbelievable
We were in line to pay for our portions of the meal. It was in Grenoble and many of my native French companions had opted for raclette, the delicious and hearty mountain food of the Alps. I wanted to encounter … Continue reading
August in France
It is quiet. Wonderfully quiet. Not just in Paris but everywhere you go in France. On July 15th, after some national holiday that will go unnamed, the French decide that it’s been a solid 10.5 months of work, and that … Continue reading
The Clothing Inventory: How I Escaped the French Sales Season
The “official sales dates” in France are roughly January 6-February 16 and June 22-August 2. SOLDES! The all caps scream out at you from all the shops in Paris — then there’s the deuxième démarque, and the dernier…at each stage … Continue reading
Picard: a Dirty Little Secret of the French
So before we arrive in La France, we non-French perhaps imagine that all French people have an advanced knowledge of wines and cheeses, and while we don’t expect the full Julia Child/Jacques Pepin experience, we expect that most native French … Continue reading
The UGC Pass Illimité or “Netflix Live”
In an earlier post I made reference to the fact that something had finally forced me to get a French bank account, after two months of holding out. And it’s related to my being a cinephile: the movies. Many movies … Continue reading
French iTunes
My mobile phone carrier here in France is SFR. One of the incentives offered on my calling plan is CanalPlay+, which is a Netflixesque service (because Netflix n’éxiste pas en France). I got a text message a few days later … Continue reading