Brats and Hard Liquor

Originally Posted 10-28-2003

This week dragged a little due to the sharp downward turn of the temperatures, and the sporadic rain storms that happened daily.  When the weather is bad, the only thing that makes me happy is not having anything to do and staying inside where it’s warm.  As I could not afford the luxury of either, I was forced out into the wind, rain and cold which made for a less than stellar school week.  I did finish some research on my papers, and the French version of my résumé.  Today is Saturday, I am looking forward to an excursion tomorrow to one of the nearby mountains, Chartreuse, where there is a monastery and a museum, and where they make a famous green liqueur, and the namesake for the color.  

I have noticed that even though I sorely miss going apple picking and heading out into the countryside on beautiful autumn weekends, Grenoble and the freshly snow-capped mountains are not a bad substitute.  I have also taken to listening to Chanticleer’s version of “Shenandoah” at least three times a day.  It fills the void a little. 

Last night my host mom’s daughter came over with her two kids and had dinner with us.  Our writing assignment for this week was to write at least five questions that cannot be answered simply with “oui” or “non” about a certain current subject, ask them, and report the responses.  On Thursday my partner and I have to present our findings.  We decided to investigate the generation gap in France.  Our questions asked things like “In what ways have you seen the behavior of adolescents change over the years?” and “Do you think technology has come to influence young people too much?  Is this a good influence or a bad influence?” I took the opportunity of having three generations in the room to pose the questions.  Marie T. was against the growing technological influence on young people.  She thinks that young people are not raised with enough respect for their elders, but it’s not their fault.  She says it’s their parents fault for not punishing them when they say mean things and not being more authoritative.

 I tend to agree with her.  It’s apparent in stores and in restaurants I frequent.  When I see little kids, they are all, without exception, poorly behaved.  Not to put too fine a point on it, but they are brats!  They throw food at people and their parents don’t stop them.  They mess up displays and their parents let them.  They scream and yell and step on feet in trams and buses, and all their parents do is give bystanders a “sorry, but what can I do?” look.  Children don’t listen when they are reproached, and often they are left to roam at will.  They remind me of all the little dogs here who run around without leashes peeing and pooping wherever they please while their owner meanders after them oblivious of their mess.  Laure, Marie T’s daughter, a lovely 35 year-old in the midst of a divorce, thinks that young people have not changed much over the years, though you can see more foreign influences in their upbringing.  She mentioned the hated “MacDo”.  There is a clear line at about 30 years old.  Anyone under loves “le MacDo” and other fast food places like “Quick” and anyone over the age hates it and openly renounces it.  She also said that because of the foreign influences, young people are much more tolerant of different races and cultures. 

The 13 year old granddaughter, Olivia, showed typical reserve and disinterest in talking about her age group.  I asked Marie T. and Laure about the adolescent attitude toward voting and political participation because the well-known disengaged stance of French youth (so France and America DO have something in common after all).  They both noticed a general boredom with political participation in adolescents.  Olivia was living proof of this opinion.  When I asked her what she thought she said “Bof! Mais moi, j’en sais rien.” which means “Oh, I don’t know anything about it” but has the connotation of “don’t know, don’t care, ask someone else”.  

It was an illuminating evening. We also got into discussions about religion and differences between Catholics and Protestants.  We talked about the diminution of religious sentiment in France over the years and what it means for the future (which inadvertently added itself to my little investigation on the generation gap).  It was made resoundingly clear to me that French people mind their own business, and don’t meddle in personal lives.  It is considered impolite to ask someone about their job or what they do for a living.  It’s like asking them how much money they make.  Whenever people talk about their views on the actions of another, they always say “Well, it’s their life, but I personally don’t agree.  It’s their business and they can do what they want.”  It is for this reason that whenever you express an opinion you begin with a stress pronoun.  For example “Moi, je préfère U2 aux autres groups de rock.”  That would be “I prefer U2 to other rock groups.”  You don’t hear that kind of sentence in America too often.  France is all about the importance of the individual in the scope of the whole.  For example, Jaques Chirac has been convicted of fraud before, and openly cheats on his wife.  His constituents say that it's his life, HIS domain, not theirs.  It doesn't affect them unless he starts being a bad politician in their opinion.  Socialism and individualism make strange bedfellows, but somehow, France makes it work, as it does with so many other things.

I spent all day today at the University taking the equivalent of the SAT’s for the French language.  It’s called the D.E.L.F.  (Diplôme des Etudes de la Langue Française) and I took the first half of it today. The rest I will take at the end of the semester.  Basically you take it so companies and other universities can have a way of knowing your proficiency level.  I probably won’t ever need it, but I figured I’d take it just in case.  So after 5 hours of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and correcting, I had my Saturday back.  I was rather angry at the university for taking it away from me, but I resolved to do what I could with the waning daylight.  (Tonight the clocks change so I’ll have even less to work with from here on out.)  The new wine season has arrived so France is in full throttle with parties and fairs and celebrations of all sorts to bring in the new arrivals.

In a park in the center of Grenoble they have a large circle of tents set up and you go through the entrance, buy a glass for 5 euros (which is commemorative and you get to keep it) and then go around to all the tents and test their new wines.  They also have regional products to sell like foie gras, olive oil, artisan cookies, creative potato dishes, and confections.   To accompany your tour, they have local musicians who play classical piano pieces and duets, opera singers, and chamber music at various points throughout the day.  They also have special mini-clinics on how to taste wine.  They teach you things like not testing a rosé before a red, how to spit out the wine after you taste, what colors and scents to appreciate, and so forth.  It’s really an art.  I enjoyed it.  There is a much larger and much grander version of this sort of thing which will take place November 19th.  It is called the “Fête du Beaujolais Nouveau” and it is the grand welcome of the new wine season.  I’ll be going to an all-night ball with dancing, music, and of course, limitless tasting of the new products.  This is a school sponsored event though, so if I miss class the next day, it’s excused.  How’s that for a field trip! I have come to really enjoy the taste of wine here.  Even if you don’t think you like wine, if you try just enough of them, you’ll find one that suits you. 

On a much more somber and less jubilant note, I went to see a movie called “Elephant” at the theater this evening.  Fortunately I was able to find it in Version Originale (which is English in this case) with French subtitles.  Sometimes here that is hard to come by.  It has been critically acclaimed here and won several prizes at the Cannes Film Festival.  The director, Gus Van Sant, tackled a very tough subject - the tragedy of the Columbine High School incident.  It’s the most emotionally jarring film I've ever seen.  Never have I been so afraid of the world in my whole life.  If you get the chance to go see it, do.  But don’t plan on going anywhere lively and fun afterwards.

Monastery from the hill

Kara and I 

Now it’s Tuesday and Chartreuse was awesome.  I got a chance to go hiking and see the mountains all dusted with  snow.  I actually had a snowball fight on a little stop we made.  I got to see some monks in action, and I tasted the unique, herbal flavor of Chartreuse liqueur (110 proof!).  It was a little too strong for me.  Apparently it’s very good in hot chocolate.*   I have two big trips coming up, one to Italy (my birthday present to myself) and one to Paris which is the last one with AIFS.  After that I just have a few day trips and then one transatlantic flight standing between me and the good old US of A.  If you can’t tell, I’m a little homesick. But there’s so much to do I don’t have a lot of time to think about it.  It’s better that way.  I’m thinking of you all.  Happy Halloween!!

Cross on a hill overlooking the monastery. 

* 10 yr anniversary update, if I had had the presence of mind to become a marketer of Chartreuse in the US in 2003 I would have made roughly one bajillion dollars.  I can't walk two blocks in DC now without seeing some specialty cocktail featuring Chartreuse.  I am now reading this and thinking I need to try and make money of the idea of Chartreuse hot chocolate.  Also, I have now seen the movie Into Great Silence, released in 2005, which was filmed at the SAME MONASTERY!  I find it impossibly amazing that I was really there.