16.43 - Three Doors Into France
Tomas k - Senior News Editor 
Today at a Glance: Your FREE weekly newsletter
Bonjour mes ami(e)s !
It’s wonderful to have you back here with me today. Bienvenue !
In this newsletter, you’ll find three wonderful fresh articles taking you to France beyond the cliché.
And later today, PAID subscribers will receive the 16.43.a edition of le Bulletin —
Not PAID yet? It’s not too late to upgrade and have tonight’s edition arrive in your inbox →
À bientôt !
Warmly,
Judy
31.10.26
1. MyFrenchLife™ Magazine new articles
“There are many talented contributors to MyFrenchLife Magazine and I thank all of you for sharing your experiences with us in such an engaging manner.
You take us right across France & deep into many worm-holes. We delight in discovering
and learning more about France beyond the cliché”
Merci
Judy
a) Cutting the cheese correctly: a guide to French table manners
Emily Monaco
You’ve just been invited over for lunch at a French family’s house. Your mouth immediately starts watering at the thought of homemade pâté, perfect vinaigrette, melt-in-your-mouth stews and impeccable desserts… But then you start to quake at the thought of offending your hosts in some small way.”
But there’s no need to fear. The answers to all of your questions are here… as well as some you didn’t even know you had!….” wrote Emily.
b) b) The Cost of Leisure
by Pamela Clapp
Whenever my French friends come back from the U.S., their first complaint is always the same: “I didn’t expect to have to pay for everything.” Not that it’s expensive — just that even leisure carries a price.”
It doesn’t take long to notice what they mean. In America, parks, public spaces, and casual outings often cost something — either directly or indirectly. “
Taxis, valet, museum tickets, bar tabs, suggested tips, sales tax at checkout — all these small calculations make the cost of “just being out” louder than we realize…” wrote Pamela.
c) Corsica: France, but not France
by Keith Van Sickle
Corsica is called The Island of Beauty for good reason—no matter where you go, it’s beautiful. Do you like vivid blue waters, dramatic mountain landscapes, towns perched atop seaside cliffs? Corsica has all that, and more.”
Like many islands, Corsica has a long history of foreign domination. It has been conquered at various times by the Phoenicians, Etruscans, and Romans, then by Charlemagne. For many centuries it was controlled by the city-states of Pisa and Genoa. France annexed Corsica in 1769, just in time for Napoleon Bonaparte’s birth.”
This history, particularly the centuries of rule by Italians, gives it a different flavor than the rest of France. It feels kind of like Italy, kind of like France, but it’s not really either… “ wrote Keith.
INVITATION & RSVP:
3. The MyFrenchLife™ French BookClub Online Discussion event is almost here→ 7 & 8 November 2026
We’re still reading Live Fast (Vivre Vite) by Brigitte Giraud, 2022 Prix Goncourt winner. How are you progressing? Have you finished yet? Are you enjoying it?
The catalyst for writing the book is selling the very house she bought with Claude 20 years earlier—a house he never lived in. How does the physical space of the house function as a character or a tomb in the story?
I’m looking forward to many of you joining us in a lively chat.
HERE you’ll find the invitation and RSVP form→ This event is across many time zones - check the time for your location.
Judy
2. Merci mille fois
“Thank you for subscribing to ‘le Bulletin’, the newsletter of MyFrenchLife™ Magazine.”
Judy MacMahon
Merci mille fois d’être ici, mes ami(e)s. Thanks for being here.
Thank you to Emily Monaco, Pamela Clapp and Keith Van Sickle for this week’s pieces. Emily prepared us for lunch at a French family’s table, Pamela took us to the quais for an apéro that costs no more than five euros each, and Keith landed us on an island that has never quite decided whose it is.
That’s rather the whole point of this edition, isn’t it? France never arrives at you in one piece. I guess this is FRANCE AS IT HAPPENS.
À bientôt !
Judy
judy@myfrenchlife.org
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