La Belle Vie: The mysterious origins of French fries and where the French want to live
From the place where French people dream of moving to the country's best beaches and uncovering the origins of French fries, this week's La Belle Vie newsletter 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 your newsletter preferences in “My account”.
Paris claimed the title of the 'best tourist destination in the world' this past year, with the city projected to have had 15 million visitors in 2023, according to the Euromonitor yearly survey.
While that survey might consider things like health and safety, as well as tourism infrastructure, it seems to have forgotten an important piece of the puzzle: Netflix.
France's national cinema body reported this week that four of five foreign tourists to Paris got an urge to visit after seeing a movie or TV series filmed in the City of Light. I think this is a very helpful tip for trying to encourage your family and friends to come visit - just send them some Netflix series.
9 French Netflix series that aren’t Emily in Paris
Though most of those series might still about living in France's capital city (with main characters whose names are not Emily) - one standout is 'Marseille'. As you can guess, this one does not take place in Paris and it is actually the first-ever French-language original produced by Netflix.
And unlike Paris, France's second largest city is growing in population (by about 0.2 percent).
MAP: Where France's population is rising - and where it's falling
Personally, if I had to pick a part of France outside of Paris to move, I would go with Marseille. I will admit that this mostly because I love the beach, sunshine and hiking in the Calanques.
But French people would disagree with me - they have a different dream spot. I will give you a hint: it's also on the coast, home to a successful rugby team, and it's known for some tasty oysters.
Which part of south-west France is the top 'dream destination' to move to?
Many of us can agree that being close to the beach sounds nice...the only problem is that France has too many to choose from. You have sandy beaches, rocky ones, as well as those that are easily accessible by train and others that are a bit off the beaten track.
The country has over 5,500 km of coastline, from the English Channel to the Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean. We asked our readers to weigh in.
Readers reveal: The best beaches and coastal resorts in France
The more time I spend in France, the more hesitant I become to discuss 'French food' as one specific thing. There are so many regional varieties, even when it comes to the seafood that you would eat in a coastal area.
In Normandy, for example, you can get some delicious Coquille Saint-Jacques (Scallops). Further north, near the Belgian border, you can and should order moules frites (mussels with French fries).
I've found that French people are normally very proud of their regional cuisine, but I've never met a French person who adamantly defended French fries. This might have to do with their mysterious origins, and the fact that they may not even be French (especially if you ask the Belgians).
Are French fries really French?
I freely admit that my most American trait in French restaurants is that I shamelessly ask for ketchup to go alongside my fries. If a meal was delicious and too much to eat in one sitting, I am also unafraid to ask for a doggy bag.
While I've never gotten any weird looks or comments for getting a doggy bag, they are certainly less common in French restaurants than in the US. Apparently, they could even earn you a bad reputation.
Comments
See Also
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 your newsletter preferences in “My account”.
Paris claimed the title of the 'best tourist destination in the world' this past year, with the city projected to have had 15 million visitors in 2023, according to the Euromonitor yearly survey.
While that survey might consider things like health and safety, as well as tourism infrastructure, it seems to have forgotten an important piece of the puzzle: Netflix.
France's national cinema body reported this week that four of five foreign tourists to Paris got an urge to visit after seeing a movie or TV series filmed in the City of Light. I think this is a very helpful tip for trying to encourage your family and friends to come visit - just send them some Netflix series.
9 French Netflix series that aren’t Emily in Paris
Though most of those series might still about living in France's capital city (with main characters whose names are not Emily) - one standout is 'Marseille'. As you can guess, this one does not take place in Paris and it is actually the first-ever French-language original produced by Netflix.
And unlike Paris, France's second largest city is growing in population (by about 0.2 percent).
MAP: Where France's population is rising - and where it's falling
Personally, if I had to pick a part of France outside of Paris to move, I would go with Marseille. I will admit that this mostly because I love the beach, sunshine and hiking in the Calanques.
But French people would disagree with me - they have a different dream spot. I will give you a hint: it's also on the coast, home to a successful rugby team, and it's known for some tasty oysters.
Which part of south-west France is the top 'dream destination' to move to?
Many of us can agree that being close to the beach sounds nice...the only problem is that France has too many to choose from. You have sandy beaches, rocky ones, as well as those that are easily accessible by train and others that are a bit off the beaten track.
The country has over 5,500 km of coastline, from the English Channel to the Atlantic coast and the Mediterranean. We asked our readers to weigh in.
Readers reveal: The best beaches and coastal resorts in France
The more time I spend in France, the more hesitant I become to discuss 'French food' as one specific thing. There are so many regional varieties, even when it comes to the seafood that you would eat in a coastal area.
In Normandy, for example, you can get some delicious Coquille Saint-Jacques (Scallops). Further north, near the Belgian border, you can and should order moules frites (mussels with French fries).
I've found that French people are normally very proud of their regional cuisine, but I've never met a French person who adamantly defended French fries. This might have to do with their mysterious origins, and the fact that they may not even be French (especially if you ask the Belgians).
Are French fries really French?
I freely admit that my most American trait in French restaurants is that I shamelessly ask for ketchup to go alongside my fries. If a meal was delicious and too much to eat in one sitting, I am also unafraid to ask for a doggy bag.
While I've never gotten any weird looks or comments for getting a doggy bag, they are certainly less common in French restaurants than in the US. Apparently, they could even earn you a bad reputation.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.