Mushrooms in France

Firstly, there are strict guidelines to picking wild mushrooms in France, and these must be followed:

French Regulations state (Article 547 Code Civil) that mushrooms belong to the owner of the land where they grow. Each commune has the right to decide whether mushroom picking is allowed, and on what days, can say what quantities can be picked, can charge a fee or can totally forbid mushroom picking in the surrounding forests.

You should contact your local Marie in the commune (or your local prefecture) where you wish to pick mushrooms and they will advise.

Tools of any sort are forbidden with the exception of knives
A knife must be used to cut the stipe so as not to damage the mycelia
Mushrooms must be a certain size before being picked so that they have a chance to release their spores
Mushrooms must be carried in a wicker basket to let the spores fall out and help propagation

Do remember that there are over 3,000 varieties of mushroom in France and only a few of these are edible. People still die in France from eating poisonous mushrooms and if not fatal can cause problems such as diarrhoea, nausea, hallucinations, vomiting, cramps, coma and more serious conditions such as convulsions, tachycardia or kidney infection.

Poisonous mushrooms closely resemble edible ones. Pharmacists in France normally have a large photograph on their wall of all the various mushrooms, and are professionally trained to identify which are poisonous and which are not, so if in doubt always consult your local pharmacy in France.

If you collect any wild mushrooms to eat do make sure that your identification checks out in every detail, weather conditions or animal damage can cause differences in appearance that could lead to misidentification and do remember that there are people who are allergic to all species of mushrooms.

One of the most deadly of all mushrooms is the Amanita Phalloides (Death Cap) see image

In case of accidental poisoning, contact the Emergency Service, and if possible, keep some of the mushrooms or the remains of the dish eaten. Do not attempt to throw up and do not take any drugs.

There are some Anti-Poison centres in France

Angers tele: 02 41 48 21 21
Bordeaux tele: 05 56 96 40 80
Lille tele: 0 825 812 822
Lyon tele: 04 72 11 69 11
Marseille tele: 04 91 75 25 25
Nancy tele: 03 83 32 36 36
Paris tele: 01 40 05 48 48
Rennes tele: 02 99 59 22 22
Strasbourg tele: 03 88 37 37 37
Toulouse tele: 05 61 77 74 47

Rain, Rain and more Rain

Well, Tired of Roaming is one thing, but being Tired of Rain is another. When is it going to stop I ask myself.

The other day we had such electric storms, turned off everything we thought that could be affected, which included our pc’s. Once the storm had passed, or so we thought, we turned on the computers again to carry on and several minutes later with no warning came a loud crash, yes, that done it, hit by lightening across the telephone cable. Blew the box and our router, so it has taken a while to get things back to normal.

We know we should appreciate the rain, but at this stage we do not mind giving it to Inland Spain, we know how much they need it. It seems it has done nothing but rain. Think we are all suffering from Sun deprivation now, and are in need of a holiday in the Sun. Weather reports say again Rain all week and temperatures down to 14… is there no end to this and will we ever get our Summer sunshine.

We have been told that this is very unusual for this Region of France.....

So in the meanwhile, we will try to keep smiling.

Dechetterie

A Dechetterie is the French name for a Waste Collection Centre, as known in England as the local council rubbish tip.

In France they are normally extremely well organised and easy to use. Usually you drive your car onto a raised area therefore making the “tipping” part very easy, particularly if you use a tipping trailer as you can reverse right up to the edge to tip your load.

We have found our local Dechetterie to be very helpful and will guide you as to where to put the items, and sometimes help to unload depending on how busy they are.

Do try to avoid mixed loads unless you are prepared to sort it out when you arrive as they are quite strict as to what is allowed in the various containers and it can be time consuming moving the car around the area.

There are large categorised skips for all your rubbish and below is the English-French translations which may help when unloading:

French	English	French	English
Bois	Wood	Emcombrants	Mattresses etc
Ferrailles	Scrap Metal	Dechets Verts	Green Waste
Papier	Paper	Verres	Glass
Huilles	Oil	D.M.S.	Spray Cans etc
Gravats	Rubble	Plastiques	Plastic
Cartons	Cardboard Boxes	Batterie	Batteries

Most Dechetteries are open from 9am until 12 noon and again 1.30pm until 6pm including Saturdays. Although most do have several mornings where they are closed for emptying and replacing. Sundays they are closed all day.

French Customs

Some Useful Information on French Customs

Shaking hands upon greeting and parting is customary in France, (a light grip and a single quick shake) and man to woman, woman to woman, and woman to man by lightly kissing on the cheeks, it can be once on the left and once on the right, this can vary upon the region of France, (like Mayenne) it is repeated so “four times” – (left to right, right to left and repeat).

It is customary to say 'Bonjour' or 'Bonsoir' when entering a shop and 'Au Revoir' when leaving. Use the same greeting for neighbours adding Madame, Monsieur or Mademoiselle and their surname, only family and very close friends are greeted by the first name. Always wait until being invited to use someone’s first name.

The French gesture for "OK" is the "thumbs up" sign. “Zero” to the French is the round index finger touching tip of the thumb.

The French have a great respect for privacy. Knock and wait before entering into a room. Additionally, do not "arrive" unannounced. Always give notice before your arrival.

Another point to remember is when greeting a neighbour or acquaintance, avoid asking how the wife or husband is, the French see this as an invasion of privacy, it is however, acceptable to ask how the “family” are.

When accepting an invitation for a meal an accepted gift is a pre-agreed desert or cheese dish but should you wish to give flowers, never choose Chrysanthemums (given at funerals), Carnations (bad luck), Red Roses or any white flowers (Weddings). Although the younger generation are not so strict on this. Avoid giving Wine unless you are a connoisseur and can give the highest quality.

When writing a letter, this is customary to end it with the sentence “Veuillez accepter, Madame (or Monsieur), mes salutations distinguées.” Avoid the “yours sincerely”, “yours faithfully”, etc. Always commence the letter Madame or Monsieur – never with the word “dear”.

Table Etiquette in France

Useful Information on Table Etiquette in France

If invited for a meal by a French family the following information may be useful to you:

Arrive on time, if delayed by more than 10 minutes then a telephone call is in order with an explanation and arrival time. (This can be slightly different in various Regions of France, the further south the more flexible). Paris is an exception to the rule.

You should always wait for the host to lead the way therefore, when the aperitif is served, wait for everyone to receive their drink and the host will then give a toast, after which “glass clink” before drinking, and do not start the meal until the host has said “bon appetit” and you all reply “sante”.

A French meal usually consists of 5 courses, a starter, main course, salad, cheese course, and dessert. Water and bread are made available throughout the meal. Wine is constantly offered so if you do not require a refill, then never empty your glass. The French always fill a glass to three-quarters, never to the brim.

Fold your salad onto your fork by using your knife. Do not cut your salad with a knife or fork.

There usually are no bread plates. Put bread on the table next to your dinner plate above your fork.

To see how one cuts cheese – see our “Cheese page” at www.joinusinfrance.net

Always tear your bread into pieces before eating, never take the whole piece of bread and bite a piece off in your mouth, this is considered rude and impolite. A piece of bread (usually on your fork) is taken at the end of each course and you wipe your plate clean with it, never use your hand.

The same plate and cutlery are usually used for every course. Always finish what is on your plate. However, in a more formal setting, every course is served on a new plate, so cleaning the plate is not necessary.

It is customary to gently rest your hands on the table (not your elbows). (Do not place your hands in your lap, again this is considered rude)

Do not ask for a tour of your host's home, it is considered impolite.

(If the host offers orange juice or similar at the end of the meal, then that is a hint that its time to leave.)

A very public convenience

Something to bear in mind when visiting or thinking of living in this region of France is firstly French men think nothing of stopping their car at the side of the road, doesn’t matter whether it’s a busy dual carriageway or a single country road, he will pull over and get out of his car and urinate for all the world to see. No discreet actions taken at all and a very common occurrence here.

Secondly, it is normal practice in France to share the public toilets; therefore a woman walks past the men using the urinals to get to a cubicle, again normal practice here.

However, at some service areas on motorways etc, there are some separate toilets for men and woman, but mainly the woman’s toilet will then have what we term as a flushable hole in the ground, you will be very lucky if you find one with a seat. Should you require a seated toilet then look for the disabled sign, which would normally have one.