L'Art de Vivre

The French have it.  The Italians have it.  I'm trying to cultivate it.  L'Art de Vivre - the art of living.  My Belgian friend Monsieur Koen Caremaans, who lives in France, tells me "No Frenchman ever died of stress"; he is also fond of telling me a French proverb which translates as "take it easy in the morning, not too quickly in the afternoon".  
There are certain things that concern the French, of course, such as "is this peach unripe, will the fishmonger be open tomorrow morning, is that croissant fresh?".  Somehow these things gain an importance when you focus on living well.  When you take time to appreciate these small but lovely things.   A beautifully fresh, crumbly croissant with your morning coffee can put you in a good mood for a long time (just until lunch, in fact).

It is noticeable in France that at 12 noon, lunch becomes the main occupation.  I enjoy sitting on trains travelling through France, and the rustling of lunch bags and the opening of napkins (yes, even on a train with your packed lunch) signals the time of day.  There is also NO SNACKING between meals.  This definitely increases the enjoyment of your meals - you are ready for them and have been looking forward to them.   Especially if you have taken the time to purchase some ripe fruit ("this one is for today..this one for tomorrow" said a grocer who sold me some nectarines) and fresh vegetables and cooked your dinner from scratch. 

An ideal morning!