Food and eating are the center of French existence, the French go to great lengths to make their meals as long as possible. The French live to eat and do it very slowly, not fast as in the United States, but slow and deliberate, savoring each bite as they go. French meals are structured as followed, starter or aperitif, main meal, consisting of some short of meat along with vegetables and a sauce for the meat. Then there is the cheese and lastly dissert. The French have to sit at a table down when they eat and concentrate, no eating in front of the TV. Any drinks during a meal will be chosen to back-up the taste of the food. This why the French often drank wine, that supplements the taste of the food or water that has no taste.

The French like to enjoy life and are not workaholics. They take their vacations very seriously, as most French have five weeks vacation a year and numerous paid holidays. The French work to live, and eat, not like in the United States where Americans live to work.

The French also look for their government to do a lot for them. With most social problems the first though is that the government should so some thing, come up with some type of plan and just money. Just about everyone and many businesses in France get some type of government subsidy. Every family in France that has children has the right to get a monthly government stipend.

Lastly, I believe that the French are unorganized in groups, i.e. government but on the personal and family level very well organized. The French bureaucracy is a nightmare to understand and deal with. When we tried to register our son for our government stipend our paper work was lost and there was an almost endless wait. But personally everybody has their own health book that keeps all their health records. Each family also has a book that keeps all birth records, that acts as birth certificate for all children born into each French family.

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Politics

Structure

Telling Time

General Thoughts

Little Known Facts