by ALICIA PRIEST
“They tell you ‘time is money’ as if your life is worth its weight in gold.”
—Bob Dylan, “When You Gonna Wake Up?”
Someone had to do it. Spend time in the South of France, that is. Ours was a long-dreamed-of and long-saved-for holiday, and now it is history. But that’s what travel is all about: idea, planning, anticipation, journey there, visit, and then journey back. Does anything other than the balance of your bank account change?
In my case—and I suspect in others’—yes. People travel for many reasons, but at the top of my list is the chance to observe how other cultures tackle life, and then take home some useful tips. But given that France is a developed Western European nation where people exist in similar economic, political, and social conditions to ours, I didn’t expect to experience any epiphanies. After all, the French live basically like we do, right?
Wrong. After a short time in Paris, and then three weeks in a small town near Montpellier, I discovered when it comes to healthy lifestyles, we can indeed learn a thing or three from the French.
These admittedly subjective lessons don’t require a revolution or lottery win to adopt. No storming of the Legislature. No consumption of high-priced Bordeaux or pâté foie gras. What is necessary, however, is a mind-flip—a different way of looking at how we choose to spend our brief lives. To the French, life’s meaning comes from savouring the small, simple, and routine pleasures of everyday existence. For instance, outside of Paris, it’s almost impossible to find coffee à emporter—that is, “to go”—because any café worth its beans expects customers to appreciate its offering en place—sitting down in its establishment. Compare that to our plethora of fast food drive-throughs and cars equipped with multiple cup holders.
In Canada and other industrialized countries, stress—about work, finances, and family—is a major health issue. Chronic stress can elevate blood pressure, cholesterol, adrenaline levels and blood sugar, and lead to heart disease. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, three-quarters of Canadians report feeling very stressed at least once a month.
Although I don’t know how many French people feel the same way, I suspect their numbers are much lower. My impressions are bolstered by the World Health Organization, which ranked per-capita heart disease deaths in 26 developed countries. France came 25th, secondlast to Japan. Canada ranked 16th and the U.K. a troubling seventh. While diet was probably a determining factor in where the countries placed, in France’s case I suspect lifestyle also had something to do with it.
I saw a society where, Monday to Saturday, almost every store closes from noon to 2 p.m. so that everyone (except restaurant staff) can partake of a two-hour lunch break. Lunch is a full meal consisting of salad, a main dish, and dessert, accompanied by a glass of wine. On the diet front, the general rule is a very light breakfast, a substantial lunch, and a modest dinner with no snacking between meals. And yes, wine every day but in modest amounts. (On that note, while French microbiologist Louis Pasteur believed “Wine is the most healthful and hygienic of beverages,” I’d award that honour to water.)
As for Sunday, at least in the small town I was in, everything, even the large supermarket, shut down. What bliss to witness what was not so long ago a fixture of Canadian life—a communal day of rest. Families, seniors, and young lovers strolled through the large, gated public park, children played in the town square and unleashed dogs cooled off in the public fountain. Traffic was almost non-existent. In almost every town we visited, including Montpellier, I sensed a genuine feeling of community, nurtured by plenty of open spaces such as pedestrian-only boulevards and food markets in tree-lined central plazas. Low-impact public transit such as electric trams also imparted a feeling of a people-friendly environment.
Perhaps that is why France rates above most other nations when it comes to overall happiness. According to NationMaster, a massive data source that compares statistics about different countries, France was the 13th-happiest nation out of 50 countries surveyed in 2005 by the World Values Survey. Canada ranked 17th.
To be fair, France is no utopia. On the downside, I found it crowded, noisy and way behind us on the recycling front. I would never trade my life in Canada for one anywhere in Europe. Also, I’m sure my positive impression was coloured by a previous week spent in London where suits, ties, and cellphones ruled. But that won’t prevent me from praising certain French habits and, where possible, putting them into practice chez moi.
Alicia Priest is a Victoria freelance writer who is diligently trying to stretch her 20-minute lunch break to two hours.
