French Culture Archives - Page 2 of 2

May 1st in Provence: Arlésiennes et Gardians

May 1, 2016 by ashleyt 18 Comments

Fête des Gardians

Le Fête des Gardians is the annual festival in Arles celebrating the lifestyle and traditions of the gardians. Gardians are basically the French, more refined, version of cowboys that rear bulls for delicious daube provençal. There’s an enormous parade, blessings of the animals, a queen of Arlésiennes is elected and to top it all off there’s a 4-hour long spectacle at the antique Roman arena involving horsemanship games and bull running.

The first of May is also the day where you’ll be expected to buy ‘muguets’ or ‘clochettes du porte bonheur’ (lily of the valley) in honour of French labour day….

The 9 Best Markets in Provence

April 19, 2016 by ashleyt 85 Comments

CuriousProvence Market Tours

Curious about in the ins and outs of working in a market in Provence?
Do you want to taste the best Provencal ingredients?
Would you like to eat breakfast at the market with the workers?

Book a foodie market tour with me!

Tours are about 3.5 hours in the towns of St Remy de Provence and Eygalières. There’s lots of tasting to be done so come hungry! Tours are private and cost 250€ for 2 people or 310€ with a picnic. Day tours and combined market tour and photoshoot experiences are possible. Send me an email to ask about availabilities. curiousprovence@gmail.com

My Favourite Markets in Provence

Just about every village in Provence has a weekly market. Some villages have markets that occur twice a week or even daily! Markets are absolutely my favourite part of living in Provence.

We can easily spend a day wandering through the stalls and people watching as we sit at a wonky table with a couple glasses of rosé. The weekly market is a ritual that is truly part of living in Provence. On Sundays, you’ll see whole families shopping together as kids amazingly express great interest in the new vegetables of the season. Here are my 9 favourite Provençal markets.

Seasonal mushrooms at Le Thor market

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Joyeuse Pâques! Easter in Provence

March 26, 2016 by ashleyt 9 Comments

Easter in Provence

The bakeries are full of handmade chocolate. The church bells have stopped ringing last Thursday only to burst to life on Sunday morning, and just about everyone is planning a large meal that is sure to include some local lamb and spring veggies.

Easter Chocolate

The biggest difference between Easter here and my native North America? Most French people buy their easter eggs either at the local bakery, which has made them especially, or an artisan chocolatier. We eat a lot less, but higher quality chocolate. This is the mantra for just about anything food related here in France. The radio commercials that warn you that snacking is bad for your health make me laugh. In Anglo-Saxon culture, all people ever seem to talk about concerning eating habits is snacking! I’m personally with the French on this one- I’d rather stretch the limits of my stomach on a 3 course meal any day!

To get you into the Easter spirit, here are some scans of cartes postales anciennes that I’ve acquired through many hours of rifling through stacks of old papers at assorted vide greniers.

Vintage Easter French Postcards

Would you like some eggs?

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Tipping in French Restaurants

March 22, 2016 by ashleyt 2 Comments

Myth: You’re not Expected to Tip in French Restaurants

There’s a myth about tipping in French restaurants. The only people that don’t tip in French restaurants are tourists that read English language guides about France that tell them they don’t need to tip.

It’s true that there isn’t much of a tipping culture here in France; thank goodness! I find the constant tipping (for seemingly everything) when I visit the United States exhausting. However, it is customary to leave tips in restaurants where you have a full sit down meal. There are no absolute set rules but here’s a general guide.

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La Sardinade – A National Sardine Celebration

July 14, 2015 by ashleyt Leave a Comment

Bastille Day in Provence

July 14th is the National Holiday of France (Bastille Day). To celebrate, you would think that in the spirit of Liberté, égalité, fraternité all French people would celebrate this holiday in the same way. But in Provence, it’s la sardinade…

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Antique Markets in Provence: Vide Grenier vs Brocante

May 18, 2015 by ashleyt 24 Comments

Antique markets in Provence

If you’re a fan of shabby chic décor then you’ve probably heard of the term brocante either in magazines or Pinterest photos. What you don’t hear very often in Anglophone circles is the term vide grenier. Antique markets in Provence are not all created equal…

Brocante Isle sur la Sorgue vintage ice cream cart

Vintage ice cream cart at the International Isle sur la Sorgue Brocante

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Fête de la Transhumance (lots of sheep!)

May 5, 2015 by ashleyt 6 Comments

A Provençal Tradition

The Transhumance is simply the migrating of livestock led by a shepherd to either the green mountains in the summer or the plains in the winter. Sheep, goats, and donkeys are the main beasts that are herded from one pasture to another and often in great numbers. If you are unaware of a Transhumance passing through your town- you’ll be in for quite the surprise! (and traffic jam)

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