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Raler Like a French Girl
The culture shocks, misunderstandings, and daily frustrations of a Brit living in France — always with a sense of humour and humility! Because you can’t pretend to understand French culture until you practice the French art of ‘râler’…
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New blog every Friday!
Je t’aime… bien ?! When It Comes to Romance, the French Have It All Backwards
Je t’aime… bien ?! When It Comes to Romance, the French Have It All Backwards
The French language may certainly sound sexy, but it is most definitely NOT the language of love. Rather, it is the language of ambiguity…
Zoë Smith
Feb 11, 2021
Bringing Home the Brexit Bacon… But Not To France!
Bringing Home the Brexit Bacon… But Not To France!
The most hotly debated, fiercely argued, ruthlessly divisive, deeply controversial political topic of the last five years…
Zoë Smith
Feb 5, 2021
The ‘Empêchement’: France’s ‘Get Out Of Jail Free’ Card
The ‘Empêchement’: France’s ‘Get Out Of Jail Free’ Card
An empêchement, you see, is France’s get-of-jail-free card. It’s the foolproof, catch-all, unimpeachable excuse…
Zoë Smith
Jan 28, 2021
The Truth About the Great British Dream of ‘Buying a House in France’
The Truth About the Great British Dream of ‘Buying a House in France’
When I was around seven years old, my Francophile parents decided that road tripping the Atlantic coast and caravanning around Brittany…
Zoë Smith
Jan 15, 2021
Spilling the Tea on Getting a Good Cup of Tea in France (Spoiler Alert: You Can’t)
Spilling the Tea on Getting a Good Cup of Tea in France (Spoiler Alert: You Can’t)
It’s hard to explain the importance of tea to a British person. A hot cuppa is our lifeblood. It’s what we bond over, gossip over, make…
Zoë Smith
Jan 8, 2021
Fish Eggs, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails?! A Réveillon Dinner Better Suited for Halloween than NYE…
Fish Eggs, Snails, and Puppy Dog Tails?! A Réveillon Dinner Better Suited for Halloween than NYE…
If you believe the stereotypes, French gastronomy falls into two main categories. There’s the Michelin-starred world of fine dining where…
Zoë Smith
Jan 1, 2021
Bargain or Brainteaser?! France’s Version of Mastermind is the annual Christmas Sales
Bargain or Brainteaser?! France’s Version of Mastermind is the annual Christmas Sales
In the UK, the annual Black Friday or Christmas sales play out like a cross between Supermarket Sweep and a Roman gladiatorial combat…
Zoë Smith
Dec 26, 2020
Modesty is Not a Medical Term: Visiting the Doctor in France
Modesty is Not a Medical Term: Visiting the Doctor in France
When it comes to baring skin, the French and English seem to have very different ideas of modesty. Especially at the doctor’s…
Zoë Smith
Dec 18, 2020
If the Devil Wore Prada, She Might Also Have a Hand in L’Administration Française
If the Devil Wore Prada, She Might Also Have a Hand in L’Administration Française
Pre-2020, whenever the subject of the infamous L’Administration Française (French Administration) came up — at least once a dinner party —…
Zoë Smith
Dec 11, 2020
Roundabouts: A French Invention Even the French Aren’t Proud of.
Roundabouts: A French Invention Even the French Aren’t Proud of.
For some reason all French people seem to have an encyclopaedic list in their brain of all things that the French ever created. As if it’s…
Zoë Smith
Dec 1, 2020
Moving to France: You’ll Need Your Birth Certificate. Your Most Recent One.
Moving to France: You’ll Need Your Birth Certificate. Your Most Recent One.
“You will need your birth certificate,” she told me, reeling off a list of required documents.
Zoë Smith
Dec 1, 2020
The French Art of ‘Râler’
The French Art of ‘Râler’
“L’essentiel, c’est de râler” — Michel Audiard
Zoë Smith
Dec 1, 2020
About Râler Like a French Girl
About Râler Like a French Girl
A little bit about your râleuse (Zoë — that’s me).
Zoë Smith
Nov 16, 2020
About Raler Like a French Girl
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