The day when a Frenchman switches from the formality of vous to the familiarity of tu is a day to be taken seriously. It is an unmistakable signal th….

Prescription for writer’s block: fear of poverty..

I left school at 16 and skipped university to work, initially as a waiter. I think I missed out on what would have been great years..

Sunglasses must be kept on until an acquaintance is identified at one of the tables, but one must not appear to be looking for company. Instead, the ….

Sundays in France have a different atmosphere to other days, with fewer phone calls, no postman, no delivery men and no one banging on the door..

Best advice I've ever received: Finish..

You don't like it when a French housewife gets mad at you. If she gets steam behind her, she is an unstoppable creature..

Good manners make any man a pleasure to be with. Ask any woman..

There is nothing like a comfortable adventure to put people in a good humor. . ..

It is at a time like this, when crisis threatens the stomach, that the French display the most sympathetic side of their nature. Tell them stories of….

Next to the defeated politician, the writer is the most vocal and inventive griper on earth. He sees hardship and unfairness wherever he looks. His a….

The English kill their meat twice: once when they slaughter it and once when they cook it..

I have a very set routine. I work six days a week, but only half days. I work from 9 in the morning till 1 in the afternoon, without any interruption….

No matter what their background, the southern French are fascinated by food..

Why not make a daily pleasure out a daily necessity..

Depending on the inflection, ah bon can express shock, disbelief, indifference, irritation, or joy - a remarkable achievment for two short words..

Nowadays, if you have a journey, albeit a simple one, you consider yourself lucky if nothing happens..

The funny thing in France is that writers are not allowed to retire, because the French government say you are still earning money from books you wro….

Day after day we looked for rain, and day after day we saw nothing but the sun. Lavender that we had planted in the spring died. The patch of grass i….

I have a terrible weakness for collecting snatches of other people's conversations, and occasionally I'm rewarded with unusual fragments of knowledge….

The great thing about having money is that you can actually just get on with your life and not have to think about paying the bills or crouch over Th….