Those French—they really know how to live! The French lifestyle is famous the world over. Truly, there is no “rat race” here. It’s funny, I get right with the French program when I’m in France, but back in the US, I slip back into my harried ways!
So let’s look at 8 ways we can soak up some of that great French lifestyle:
Cherish your leisure time.
We often live to work, while the French work to live.
Be with family, with friends, get outdoors. The concept of not using every single minute of your annual leave would be completely foreign here in France.
Don’t eat: Dine
Life in France revolves around the pleasures of the table. Meals, including breakfast, are long and relaxed and sociable. No snacking, s’il vous plâit, because its better to be really hungry. Anticipation is everything!
Dine en pleine air
The French will dine outside at home or at a restaurant, whenever they possibly can.
Drink good wine
The French have a deep appreciation of, and understanding of, fine wine. Up your quality if you can, and drink it often, in moderation.
Have a Cheese Plate
Un plâteau de fromage, always served after the meal, is one of the great traditions of dining in France. Serve two or three cheeses with some good bread.
Appreciate and revere beauty and good taste
Just one example, albeit a bit of a historical one: at any flea market, you’ll find tons of elegant, artfully embroidered linens. That’s because French women traditionally embellished everything from sheets to towels to tablecloths. It’s all about celebrating the art of living.
Take a Walk with Your Family
It’s a Sunday tradition: after the big Sunday meal, everyone, from Gram to toddlers, take a long stroll together. You see them on country roads, you see them in cities.
Be a good conversationist
The French LOVE to talk! The food at all these leisurely meals is important, but so is debate, discussion, and laughter. Put down the cell phone, raise your glass, and start the conversation.
And let’s keep the conversation going—what tips do you have for adopting the French lifestyle? And why not up your lunch game to start, by making this easy French quiche. Even easier if you have some leftover veggies, ready to add.
RECIPE: Quiche, the French Way
I saw a recipe the other day for a deep dish quiche, made in a cheesecake pan. The French do the opposite: they make their quiches in the thinnest of tart pans.
If making the quiche in a tart pan with removable bottom, pre-bake the crust with pie weights. Then before you fill it, brush with some of the filling and bake again for 5 or 10 minutes more, to seal it. This prevents it from leaking in the oven, but I put a sheet pan under it, just in case.
I like to fill my quiche with vegetables and fresh herbs, but get creative! Smoked salmon is a frequent and interesting addition to French quiches. Photo right: Pile in the veggies as a base for a healthy and delicious quiche.
I am sorry to say I used a prepared crust, and I'm dead impressed if you make your own. Pillsbury makes a good one in the states, you just unroll and go. In France, try a pâte brisée. So here we go:
- 1 piecrust, homemade or store-bought
- Any cooked veggies you like, and/or cooked meat or fish (for this one I sautéed some squash, onions, red peppers, and scallions)
- 1/2 cup of cheese, your choice; I used a mixture of white cheddar and parmesan. Gruyère is the classic.
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- a dash of nutmeg and cayenne pepper
- a handful of fresh herbs, if desired
- Pre-heat over to 375. Mix eggs, milk and spices, plus salt and pepper to taste.
Line the pie crust with foil, add pie weights or rice. Bake about 10 minutes; don't let it get too brown. Remove weights and foil; brush with egg mixture. Cook 5 to 10 minutes more, or until light golden brown. Check often.
Add sautéed vegetables to the pie. Top with grated cheese. Pour egg mixture over all. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until center is set and it starts to puff and turn golden.
In the COMMENTS: Natalia and Suzanne have refinements on our Better Than Sex cake, so be sure to check!
14 thoughts on “The Enviable French Lifestyle, and How You can Get it”
What a great post and very true about how the French live. We spent 2 months in a tiny village in Provence last spring and swore while we were there that when we returned home we would try to continue their way of living. Sure enough, we were able to accomplishment it for a while but soon turned to our hurried way of living. Americans are always in a hurry even if there’s no reason to rush. Your post has prompted me to once again try to embrace the French way of living, starting today. And I will also try your quiche.
Merci beaucoup,
Sam
Tres bien, merci. We need more reminders and inspiration like this from you and the French. I notice that the main deterrent to these wonderfully simple things is the persistent notion that there is not enough time; a notion itself held in place by a distorted—now routine—set of “other” priorities. Lovely as always to read your entries.
While I’m a fan of Thomas Keller, his assertion that a quiche should be deep-dish is just plain wrong. Thank you for confirming the French way to make a proper quiche. I love the simplicity of your recipe: start with a proper ratio and then create whatever you like. Perfect!
Have a lovely weekend.
Lovely post for a beautiful spring-like day in Charleston. I took your advice about dining “en pleine air”: we just had lunch outside on the patio. How nice to slow down and enjoy this wonderful time of year!
PS – I just happened to have some Chocolate Cake (recipe found in your preceding post) in the refrigerator, so that was a great finale for our patio lunch!
My famous quiche has bleu cheese, gruyere, and sautéed chicken livers. Deglaze the liver (and chopped onion) plan with a splash of bourbon for maximum flavor.
Though this is not New Year’s,Lynn,you have given me reason for a new (and this time,kept!) resolution:follow your guidelines and enjoy every day to the fullest.Starting TODAY!
THANK YOU!!
In my circle,a common sentiment is..” more days behind than ahead”– so,let’s go for it!!!
And! How better to start than with(one of our favorites) quiche? What a wonderful recipe!
I like to use bacon(diced, cooked crisp before adding to the mix),and also carmelize the onions beforehand.I also use half heavy cream and half milk,and skip the cheese.Something about the cream just makes it silky (to us,anyway).
Great post and a reminder to cherish time & appreciate that la vie est belle!
I love this! I am currently in the rat race. My 2 children are active middle schoolers, my husband is a Methodist pastor, and I’m a high school guidance counselor in the Myrtle Beach area. I’m curious, given the French people’s love for good food and wine, why do believe they are not fat like Americans? I don’t believe “diet” and “Zumba” are part of their vocabulary. I’m truly battling the bulge for the first time in my life, and I am not an empty calorie eater. I would love to use the Fench lifestyle to my advantage all around! XO, your Furman sister
You really captured the essence of la vie Francaise. Even though they aren’t big church goers, the French revere their Sundays as a day of rest and family. Lunch seems to progress into dinner. Plus, most stores are closed, so there aren’t too many distractions. Last Sunday, my husband took an 8 mile (!) walk with his daughters and 11 and 8 year old grand daughters. He had to bribe the little one with an ice cream but she did it!
Hi Lynn,
Just discovered your blog through a comment you left on Ruth Reichl’s blog, and I’ve been sitting here reading so many of your lovely posts for over an hour. I lived in France (Paris, though, so not the same thing at all) for two years, 20 years ago. I am mostly vegetarian as well, so I had a lot of potatoes back then! 🙂 Looking forward to more of your stories! Thanks for sharing.
Anja @ dasbrooklyn.com
That’s the “French paradox.” The one thing certain about their diet is that they really practice portion control and have their “big” meal at lunch. And they walk everywhere. On a Friday night whole families go for an after-dinner promenade for entertainment. And even on a Sunday afternoon when nothing is open, the sidewalks are filled with people out for a stroll. One Sunday afternoon when we went out to the country to meet friends at their weekend place for lunch they suggested we go for a walk in the mountain nearby. I thought it would be a gentle walk because they had a 4-year old with them. But no, we walked – and by “we” I mean the 4-year old walked the whole way — hiked to the top of the mountain until we could see all of Lac Lucerne and Geneva, Switzerland then managed to make it back down just before dark. That was their Sunday afternoon entertainment, not sitting in front of the tv watching sports.
Ah, the leisurely life!
Thank you, Lynn, for sharing these simple suggestions.
Feeling sooooo relaxed! ❤
Thank you, Peter, for quickly catching my mistake, now corrected!