2nd October 2016

I often write about French life v American. Best about the US:  the friendly people, the great State of Maine, the greatest customer-service in the world. Worst about the US:  the health system that would have bankrupted us as incoming senior citizens, and the gun law! The average US citizen obsessively allies the 2nd amendment with his citizenship, drummed into him at school.  History tells us that in 1791, having just used guns and other arms to ward off the English, the 2nd amendment was created to give citizens the chance to fight back against a tyrannical federal government. But that was then; this is 2016! America needs to urgently review this law, which gives all testosterone-driven young men (and even toddlers!) a tool to kill whenever they're upset about something. And they are, increasingly, every week! US youths are barred from buying cigarettes/alcohol but can walk into a gun store and easily buy a firearm and ammo. A French law I like: it is illegal for stores to dump expired food. Instead they donate 10m meals p.a. to those in need, via food banks. In the US, whilst 1 in 7 go hungry, 40% of food is wasted and ends up in dumpsters. Well done France.

24th February 2013

We're back!  What a roller-coaster.  We've been to Maine, the most northerly of the New England states.  Talk about masochistic - other than skiers, no-one holidays in Maine in the winter. And now we know why.  Blizzards, snow 8 feet thick and lakes so frozen you can (and we did) drive on them. You may have read about blizzard Nemo while we were over there - certainly a backward Omen.  20F there, 20C in Gaillac. But it wasn't just the temperature difference we noticed. The whole culture is different.  Although there are many American things we love, the US devotion to country and constitution is not just nationalistic, but obsessional. The constitution is sacrosanct, including the right to take up arms. No wonder Obama is having such trouble changing the gun law when every household is armed to the teeth. Him indoors noticed a bumper sticker: we reserve the right to arm bears......
Immense relief to be back in Europe. Ancient culture everywhere. A political climate I can actually discuss with others, wonderful gourmet restaurants with serving sizes small enough to taste the food quality instead of being engulfed by it, and a modest, non-aggressive stance on life.  America:  you have a lot of catching up to do to reach the sensibleness of Europe - with age comes wisdom.