Made in France

Reflections from an old timer in Paris: Les PTT One area in which France changed massively in the years I have lived here, is the Postes, Télégraphes et Téléphones, which were known collectively as Les PTT. The period from the pneumatique, public phone booths and boxes, and several postal deliveries a day, to the age of the Internet and the mobile phone, seems to have passed in the blink of an eye.   I regret to this day never having actually sent or received a pneumatique before it was suspended in March 1984. I remember such systems in department stores such as Harrods in London, where I once worked as a student. In Paris it was an ingenious and rapid intra-city delivery system, with the message arriving at the closest terminal to the receiver’s address and then being delivered by courier. Of course, in the event of an urgent piece of news, be it good or bad, there was always the telegram. I have kept many of them, congratulating me on the birth of a chil…

A French Icon, the Citroen 2CV is probably France's most famous car.

The Deux Chevaux, or the ‘Tin Snail’ as it became affectionately known, was conceptualized in 1936 during a moment of frustration or the right man in the right situation. The inspired man behind the project was Citroen’s new boss Pierre-Jules Boulanger. The story goes he was driving in the countryside, stuck behind a farmer’s horse and cart. Rather than fuming with impatience, but still a bit frustrated, he wondered how he could better the situation. He pondered the possibility of creating analternative that a farmer would find hard to resist. A car that would better the horse.

His vision was an affordable car that would be accessible to farmers, winemakers and rural families. He wanted it to be mechanically simple, with room for four people or produce (at least 50kg or a full cask of wine) or even small livestock. The car needed t…

What do Air France flight attendants and Hermès shoppers have in common with cowboys? Silk Scarves! Both the fashionistas and the cowboys claim silk scarves as their heritage. Believe it or not silk scarves are important accessories in both France and the western United States. They are worn both for beauty and for necessity, there's no sacrificing substance for style. Silk scarves are a great way to stay warm or cool and elegant. The face, head and upper chest are up to five times more sensitive to changes in temperature as other areas of the body, said Dr. Sessler in a New York Times inteview. This creates the illusion that covering up those areas traps in more heat, but clothing another part of the body does just as much to reduce overall heat loss. And so we wear scarves around our necks and sometimes over our heads to stay comfortable. Silk is a particularly elegant and easy to wear natural material. It drapes nicely and traps in warm air. And of course it is very ligh…

Reuseable gift wrap

Christmas Gift wrap rolls are so passé! Each year, the French buy 40 million rolls of gift wrap. These papers are largely non-recyclable because of their glossy or plasticized finishes. Moreover, being single use, they go in the trash as soon as the gifts are unwrapped, generating more than 20,000 tons of waste just at Christmas ... There are alternatives! Here's a few good ideas for reuseable gift wrap which are ecological, economical, reuseable for the most part and made in France.

A reuseable gift wrap bag hand made by Sac(k)s by Lisa. These simple drawstring bags are made from upcycled fabrics. They come in a variety of sizes and are perfect for books, socks and all sorts of goodies. They can be ordered on https://store.fusac.fr/produit/gift-bags/ 4€ each.

DIY Gift Wrap with recycled materials

Make your own gift wrap from old maps & atlas pages, or dictionary pages. Use rubber stamps or stenc…