Okay, well, I took your suggestions and started the second part. <BR><BR>And to commence this second part, I am going to say that no, I am not a hoax or troll just because I didn't know the name of the Christmas dessert. And I'll give you a few reasons why:<BR><BR>1) In the Patisseries there are generally no names on the dessert<BR><BR>2) My host family never told me the name of the dessert<BR><BR>3) I never had time to research the name of the dessert<BR><BR>and 4) When I ate the dessert, there wasn't a name, and I forgot to ask.<BR><BR>So there. =)<BR><BR>But I actually need to tell you all about Christmas, and how I spent it puking up the Christmas Eve dinner. I won't go into details about the puking -- I'm sure you're thanking me -- but because I was sick, I spent Christmas all alone in the apartment.<BR><BR>Christmas Eve consisted of the family at the grandfather's house. Everything started off around 9pm with the ap&eacute;ritifs of whisky, and 4 different plates of small bread slices with a topping of either tuna, foie gras, or red or black fish eggs (not caviar). I have never tried fish eggs (well, I'm not a seafood lover), but I did try the black eggs; they were a little crunchy .. and I ate quite a bit of foie gras (but I really don't care for foie gras -- I guess that's another sign that I am American. I do apologise to the French.). After this we all sat at the table and ate more foie gras. This time it was on biscuit-type bread with slices of star fruit and a half of a cherry tomato on top. Apr&egrave;s &ccedil;a, we ate some kind of pork sausage that is like the blood sausage, but this one is white, not red. Fowl came next on toasted bread (even my French brother didn't know what it was). And then the main course was duck with roasted baby mushrooms. White win was continually served throughout the evening, and a bottle of red was opened once the duck was served. Then after that we had La b&ucirc;che de No&euml;l and champagne. Then our evening ended with people opening packages and us younger kids left around 2am (all the adults were still talking at the table).<BR><BR>Before Christmas, my sister, back home in California, kept telling me how lucky I was to spend Christmas in France. And I had these ideas of a French Christmas. But it didn't happen like I expected (it usually works that way). In my discussions with my French siblings, I learned that the jeunesse de France usually don't celebrate Christmas or buy presents or get into the holiday season. They, like many people in the USA, see Christmas as a commercial opportunity to make money. But Laurent also told me that people have lost sight of the purpose of Christmas. And so, I found myself wishing to be back home experiencing the way my family celebrates Christmas: lights, tree, baking bread and cookies. Heck, I even missed being around my mom, in all her stress, because of &quot;everything that had to get done&quot;: desserts, cards, packages, etc. None of that was here, and so it just seemed like another day to me ... It was an odd feeling.

Thanks for the update Genesea! Glad to see that you are doing better...after what you ate, I can see why your tummy was topsy turvy. lol<BR><BR>Keep 'em coming.

Genesea, please don't get defensive - there are people out here who are just bored and lonely and trying to cause trouble, you don't have to explain yourself! your posts are delightful.

I lived in Paris, France for 7 years doing my university studies and then during my first professional obligations. I must say I never was impressed with the way Christmas is (or should I say is NOT) celebrated in France. I know this sounds a bit extreme to American tourists, but when you live in France for any greater length of time as I did, you cannot help but learn much about the French mentality. I often wondered what the reasoning was: was it because the French Republic is officially non-sectarian and any Christmas celebrations would remind &quot;le peuple&quot; of the Ancien Regime (the French became very anticlerical at the Revolution don't forget)? Was it because the French just don't have the same feeling towards Christmas as say, Americans, the British and the Germans/Dutch do? I really can't say what it is, but admittedly, Paris never felt particularly &quot;Christmassy&quot; to me during all the time I lived there. Sure there were the beautiful window displays at GLafayette or Printemps or Herm&egrave;s, etc., but nothing like what one &quot;feels&quot; when one is in England or New York or Munich or Oberammergau or Amsterdam. I further don't believe it's because the French discard Roman Catholicism. Sure they are officially non-sectarian but then again, most Frenchmen will say they are &quot;catholique&quot; at the same time. To top it off, the City of Paris (and countless municipalities throughout the country) funds all sorts of lovely cr&egrave;ches in its many churches which seems to go against the official non-sectarian stance and one the ACLU would cringe at. Here the city supports public manger scenes and no one protests because it's the tradition they like (thank God!). Now that's a good thing! Personally, it's probably just the French mentality. It's just the way they are. Certainly one can find Christmas atmosphere anywhere, but many Americans don't believe me when I tell them it's not celebrated like it is Stateside; or that their celebration of it is so completely different than our own.

Genesea, It sounds like you had a real crise de foie (and how appropriate for Christmas time!).

Genesea, you have a warm style of writing and your post was a great read. Thanks for sharing your experience with us and good luck as you continue your experience.

I don't know where this 2nd thread went to but it's back now. Keep the stories coming, Genesea!

FYI - foie gras and duck are fairly high fat foods; your unsettled stomach may have just been overloaded with one too many fatty treats/alcohol that day.<BR>Hopefully you bounced back quickly!

Genesea, there are plenty of Americans who DO like foie gras and fish eggs (and who know what a buche de noel is). And being an American is not something one has to apologize for.

Greetings! Enjoying your posts!<BR>I think the suspicious types alerted because in most basic high school French classes, the bouche de Noel is part of the curriculum! (At least here in New England.)<BR>And, I don't like fois gras at all either - it's a hunk of lard, after all!<BR>Sorry you were so sick over the holidays. It is a lonely feeling. Perry Como knew what he was talking about when he sang &quot;There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays.&quot; It's your own personal traditions that make your holiday what it is!<BR>I was interested to read that the French don't do Christmas up in a big way; I never realized that. Did they have the 26th off too? I believe the Germans and English have quite the holiday celebration, if you're ever in Europe again over Christmas! <BR>&quot;with 4 months to go&quot; clues me into your current mood. Don't get discouraged - &quot;this too shall pass.&quot; The little things bother us a lot more when we're tired or feeling sick. Give yourself a chance to rest, and I'm sure we'll be reading that enthusiasm in your posts again.<BR>Did you ever say if any of your American family are going to France to visit before you come home? That would be a thrill for all of you! <BR>Take care, and best wishes for a happy, healthy, and fulfilling 2003!<BR>

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Genesea,<BR><BR>Do you have any more observations to report?<BR><BR>How do different generations treat each other (generally speaking)?<BR><BR>I know walking your dog in Paris is a common pasttime. Anything else like that? Favorite pasttimes, leisurely activities?

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Hi Genesea!<BR>Your last post was a week ago, and you mentioned how sick you had been. How are you now? Are you on school break? Please continue to keep us posted!

Well, I had just written a new post, and I accidentially deleted it .. so this will have to be shorter since I am pressed for time.<BR><BR>Yes, I am still alive .. I'm glad I didn't die from the foie gras (highly unlikely anyhow). =)<BR><BR>Well, the last few days I've been in the mountains at Cauterets (www.cauterets.com) with my host brother, his friend, and one of my American friends. For those who love skiing or snowboarding, I would recommend checking out Cauterets .. it was very nice. But I don't really know anything about ski resorts because I've only been skiing once and snowboarding once. So this was my second snowboarding experience .. on a bigger mountain (2500m). The mountain I learned on was like half the size .. and no cliffs. But .. I thought I was going to die .. it was just huge (in my opinion) ... I survived the snow, wind, and fresh powder without breaking a bone .. thank goodness. Though it took me over an hour to get down the mountain the first time .. yes, I know, that is a LONG TIME. But what can I say? That is all how we start out ...<BR><BR>Until next time ..

Just a little cultural point on how Christmassy or non Christmassy France might be. True, Xmas itself is considered as a strictly family thing, and, as such, remains intimate - the highly secular tradition of the French state doesn't help either. No, the real thing in France is NYE. Countless threads and posters on this forum talk about the Champs Elysees celebrations, the reveillon, etc. In your opinion, what's closer to the French heart: religion or food? Try the same question and replace &quot;French&quot; by &quot;American&quot;, and that'll figure !

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Well, this is to answer Adam's question about hobbies, walking the dog, etc.<BR><BR>There is a popular game among the male population called Boules which is like Bocce Ball. Every day in a nearby park about 20 men (from their 30s to 60s+) play together. Not yet have I seen a woman at that park playing ..<BR><BR>Other hobbies include randon&eacute;es in the Pyr&eacute;n&eacute;es under the snow, rain, wind and sun. <BR><BR>My host parents will spend the weekend at their parents house looking for chataignes/marrons and just spending time together.<BR><BR>People do walk their dog .. or take them to the supermarket and boutiques .. it's not abnormal. Though I have seen a few shop signs that ask customers to keep their dogs outside. <BR><BR>There is a famous cable show called &quot;LES GUIGNOLS DE L'INFO&quot; (www.canalplus.fr/comedie/emissions/ guignol/guignol_home.asp). Les Guignols are puppets made to look like anyone the show wants to poke fun at : Bush, the Bee Gees, French politicians, Football players, etc. These realistic-but-exaggerated-looking puppets are a hit in France even though many of their shows are insensitive(such as making fun of the Bee Gees the day after the death of Maurice). <BR><BR>I have seen segments about America and the military stance with Irak. &quot;President Bush&quot; was shown hiding under a desk wearing an Army helmet and &quot;Sylvester Stallone,&quot; who represented the American military, was shown shooting everything and anything. <BR><BR>The September 11th segment showed a faux newspaper headline titled &quot;Jesus 0, Allah 1&quot; with a picture of the New York destruction in the background. <BR><BR>So, as you can see, the French enjoy making fun of people .. I don't know if something like this would work in the US. As far as I know, the Simpsons are the closest to poking fun at the American lifestyle/family. <BR><BR><BR><BR>