La Belle Vie: French winter pleasures and decoding the country's myths
From where to go for the best Christmas markets to ridiculous Paris tour guide stories and unpacking some French clichés which might just be true, our weekly newsletter La Belle Vie offers you an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking and living like a French person.
La Belle Vie is our regular look at the real culture of France – from language to cuisine, manners to films. This newsletter is published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to newsletter preferences or adding your email to the sign-up box in this article.
Even though the French government is urging the public to cut back on energy usage this year, worry not - the country will not be in the dark over Christmas. Most holiday festivities are set to go ahead, and for many people, the staple winter activity in France is going to Christmas markets.
When I imagine walking around a marché de Noël, bundled up, carrying a warm cup of vin chaud and admiring the stands decorated with string lights, I automatically feel a bit cosier. Luckily, France has Christmas markets all across the country, so no matter where you might visit this holiday season, you're likely to stumble upon one.
And if you are not coming to France over the Christmas/ New Year holiday, the light display in Lyon - another popular winter attraction - has republished its video from the 2021 festival, so you can enjoy some Christmas lights from afar. Otherwise, here are the best French Christmas markets that you need to put on your must-see list:
14 of the best Christmas markets in France in 2022
While walking through the Christmas market, you might find yourself hungry for a traditional snack. You could go for pain d'épices (traditional spiced French gingerbread) or maybe you'd rather stick to a sturdy bretzel (or Alsatian pretzel), but personally I always find myself tempted by all things involving melted cheese.
Fondue, contrary to popular belief, is not the only dish involving melted cheese. There are several - from tartiflette to gratin dauphinoise - and many of them can be made at home, so you do not need to be in France to enjoy them (though that certainly enhances the experience).
The six best French winter dishes made with cheese
And if you are coming to France this winter, or simply taking a trip to enjoy the more famous Christmas markets, you might also sign up for a guided tour.
As France has such a long and expansive history, dedicated tour guides are a great way help scratch the surface more than you might be able to with a museum audio guide or via Wikipedia. It might not come as a surprise that tour guides have to memorise quite a large repertoire of history related to France's royalty, its military exploits, and artistic greats.
But the most enjoyable tours are by guides who also made it their goal to memorise some of the scandals too, and there are a few key stories that tour guides love to share. One of them is about how all of the brothels in Paris closed out of respect, following the death of one of their greatest customers: Victor Hugo.
7 ridiculous stories from French history that Paris tour guides love to tell
One key task of the French tour guide is to separate fact from fiction. This is more difficult than one might imagine, as French history is filled with myths and legends that dupe even the most learned francophiles.
I remember learning all about Joan of Arc in elementary and middle school in the United States - in fact, I even did a poster presentation about her, so you might imagine my shock when I found out that Joan of Arc did not actually disguise herself as a man to help the French win the Hundred Years War.
And that is not the only French history myth you might be surprised by - there are dozens more.
22 of the biggest myths about French history
It is not just French history that has a tendency to become a bit fictitious over time, French culture is also subject to its fair share of stereotyping and myth-making.
You might remember a certain 1995 episode of The Simpsons when the groundskeeper Willie describes the French as “cheese-eating surrender monkeys.” But is this an accurate description or is it just another case of unfair stereotyping?
Well, the cheese aspect is undeniable, seeing as France consumes more cheese per capita than any other country in the world. But there are plenty of other clichés about France that need some fact-checking.
Myth-busting: Are these 12 clichés about France actually true?
One cliché you've probably heard about is the fact that French people love to wear bérets. I have been living in France for a few years now, and honestly I can't say I've noticed too many bérets.
But there was definitely a red beret resurgence after a certain Netflix show (*cough* Emily in Paris) came into prominence. In fact, the French Cosmopolitan dedicated an entire article to how you can find a red béret just like Emily's.
The béret cliché did not appear out of thin air though - writer Margo Lestz explained the reasons why we imagine French people as béret wearing, and interestingly enough it has to do with the "French Onion Johnnies."
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La Belle Vie is our regular look at the real culture of France – from language to cuisine, manners to films. This newsletter is published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to newsletter preferences or adding your email to the sign-up box in this article.
Even though the French government is urging the public to cut back on energy usage this year, worry not - the country will not be in the dark over Christmas. Most holiday festivities are set to go ahead, and for many people, the staple winter activity in France is going to Christmas markets.
When I imagine walking around a marché de Noël, bundled up, carrying a warm cup of vin chaud and admiring the stands decorated with string lights, I automatically feel a bit cosier. Luckily, France has Christmas markets all across the country, so no matter where you might visit this holiday season, you're likely to stumble upon one.
And if you are not coming to France over the Christmas/ New Year holiday, the light display in Lyon - another popular winter attraction - has republished its video from the 2021 festival, so you can enjoy some Christmas lights from afar. Otherwise, here are the best French Christmas markets that you need to put on your must-see list:
14 of the best Christmas markets in France in 2022
While walking through the Christmas market, you might find yourself hungry for a traditional snack. You could go for pain d'épices (traditional spiced French gingerbread) or maybe you'd rather stick to a sturdy bretzel (or Alsatian pretzel), but personally I always find myself tempted by all things involving melted cheese.
Fondue, contrary to popular belief, is not the only dish involving melted cheese. There are several - from tartiflette to gratin dauphinoise - and many of them can be made at home, so you do not need to be in France to enjoy them (though that certainly enhances the experience).
The six best French winter dishes made with cheese
And if you are coming to France this winter, or simply taking a trip to enjoy the more famous Christmas markets, you might also sign up for a guided tour.
As France has such a long and expansive history, dedicated tour guides are a great way help scratch the surface more than you might be able to with a museum audio guide or via Wikipedia. It might not come as a surprise that tour guides have to memorise quite a large repertoire of history related to France's royalty, its military exploits, and artistic greats.
But the most enjoyable tours are by guides who also made it their goal to memorise some of the scandals too, and there are a few key stories that tour guides love to share. One of them is about how all of the brothels in Paris closed out of respect, following the death of one of their greatest customers: Victor Hugo.
7 ridiculous stories from French history that Paris tour guides love to tell
One key task of the French tour guide is to separate fact from fiction. This is more difficult than one might imagine, as French history is filled with myths and legends that dupe even the most learned francophiles.
I remember learning all about Joan of Arc in elementary and middle school in the United States - in fact, I even did a poster presentation about her, so you might imagine my shock when I found out that Joan of Arc did not actually disguise herself as a man to help the French win the Hundred Years War.
And that is not the only French history myth you might be surprised by - there are dozens more.
22 of the biggest myths about French history
It is not just French history that has a tendency to become a bit fictitious over time, French culture is also subject to its fair share of stereotyping and myth-making.
You might remember a certain 1995 episode of The Simpsons when the groundskeeper Willie describes the French as “cheese-eating surrender monkeys.” But is this an accurate description or is it just another case of unfair stereotyping?
Well, the cheese aspect is undeniable, seeing as France consumes more cheese per capita than any other country in the world. But there are plenty of other clichés about France that need some fact-checking.
Myth-busting: Are these 12 clichés about France actually true?
One cliché you've probably heard about is the fact that French people love to wear bérets. I have been living in France for a few years now, and honestly I can't say I've noticed too many bérets.
But there was definitely a red beret resurgence after a certain Netflix show (*cough* Emily in Paris) came into prominence. In fact, the French Cosmopolitan dedicated an entire article to how you can find a red béret just like Emily's.
The béret cliché did not appear out of thin air though - writer Margo Lestz explained the reasons why we imagine French people as béret wearing, and interestingly enough it has to do with the "French Onion Johnnies."
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