"A Year in Provence" by Peter Mayle
Mayle's writes a memoir, that in my belief, reads very smartly. Mayle is a British writer and he commemorates upon his move to Provence and the struggles he undergoes; learning the language and day to day cultural norms that seem very bizarre to his own.
Mayle's first introduction to the world of Provence comes with his decision to buy and reconstruct his first home in Provence. He hires French masons whom he believes will transform his ancient home into a functioning Parisian home that will suit his many Parisian guests. The Masons break out with sledge hammer on their very first day working on his kitchen effortlessly for hours at a time before the sun even rises. They up level floors and reconstruct new ones. This sprint like effort of the French will amaze Mayle until he realizes that after a couple of days of hard work his masons are no where to be found. Mayle's first lesson: The French have an elasticity when it comes to how they view time.
I like the way Mayle describes his introduction to his new neighbors in France. He says that they speak with an incomprehensible French drawl, adding the "ong" sound to words in French that normally don't necessitate this suffix. He says they spoke words in a fast, chattery way for which he could barely grasp.
This British writer talks about the bitter cold during his stay in France during the winter season.
And like most weather enthusiasts, I merely gaff at this notion of exaggerated cold weather in France; thinking to myself "these French people don't know anything about the cold," with my new profound pride in Minnesotan weather.
I also think "The French know nothing of snow blizzards and negative-twenty-degree-Fahrenheit wintry days like we have in Minnesota."
This writer, likewise, has his own objections to the "Wimpy French"; comparing the cold days in France to his days in Britain for which he battled the wind that came up from the British channel.
One of the most strategic moves the writer made, was a trick to get Parisian contractors to finish his house, by hosting a Holiday dinner (knowing full well that food would draw the contractors to his house).
For his dinner, Mayle decides to invite the wives of his contractors so that they could admire the work of their husbands. This plot had the desired affect. The contractors readily showed up the following day to finish the house they started.
Lesson number two:If you want Parisians to get things done: Always bribe them with food.
