Why do we always think that "ELSEWHERE" is better than our own country? (page 16 of 23)

Do you live in Thailand?

I often eat Thai food in Paris, and I really like it, but I imagine it’s not quite the same as there, like it usually goes!

I also love Indian food.

Actually, I enjoy variety. In that sense, Paris suits me well since I can eat pretty much any cuisine in the world there... though I rarely eat French food!

You live in Thailand?

For over 13 years now

I often eat Thai food in Paris, and I really love it, but I imagine it’s not quite the same as there, as is often the case!

Whether in France or Thailand, both cuisines have their ups and downs—from street food and home cooking to fusion cuisine, there’s something for every taste and budget. The best in Thailand? A little hole-in-the-wall joint that doesn’t look like much, but where there’s always a line. (Smile) (The best Thai food in Paris? Word of mouth among friends.)

Paris suits me just fine since I can eat a bit of every cuisine in the world there.

You really made my mouth water with your Russia/St. Petersburg travel journal if I remember correctly!

Thanks!

Everyone ends up in Tatra because he doesn’t buy into the stories about the best healthcare system, the best social protection, the best democracy, etc... you’d happily put him in a psychiatric hospital like in the good old days of the USSR. The latest example today is Nantes airport: in defiance of the majority opinion of the Bretons (I deliberately say Bretons since Nantes was the capital of the Breton state annexed by France), it’s Paris that decides. Provincials (in good Latin, the vanquished), move along and go take your flight in Paris, and keep funding the RATP, Parisian theaters and museums, while waiting for the Olympics.

I think there’s some truth in the arguments from both sides, and they seem quite respectable to me, actually. Our country is still living off past achievements, but we’re about to lose several of the most essential ones—whether we pay attention or not.

Good evening,

I do think that many Bretons genuinely see this as a betrayal and a repeated assertion of the desire to isolate the region. In Brittany, we're farther from the rest of the world than anywhere else in Europe—you’re closer to the world when you live in Mogilev or Moldova. You’d have to be a bit foolish to stay here, or really love your job like I do. But I blame myself for it.

Michel

Everyone picks on Tatra because he doesn’t buy into the stories about the best healthcare system, the best social protection, the best democracy, etc. You’d happily put him in a psychiatric hospital like in the good old days of the USSR. The latest example today is Nantes Airport: in defiance of the majority opinion of Bretons (I deliberately say Bretons since Nantes was the capital of the Breton state annexed by France), it’s Paris that decides. Provincials (in good Latin, the defeated), move along and go take your plane in Paris, and keep funding the RATP, Parisian theaters and museums, while waiting for the Olympics.

There’s no accounting for taste... To each their own, as they say... But once again, I don’t see how this connects to the original topic: ... why is it better (or best) somewhere else?... Best wishes to everyone anyway. Viet-à-lier or: Vietalier. Hee hee hee !!!

For NDDL (that old chestnut that quite a few politicians have latched onto), there wasn’t a referendum, just a consultation held in the Loire-Atlantique department—the only place where the majority was in favor. And now we’re hearing about a "denial of democracy"?

I just read an article today with a headline along the lines of "most French people are against the NDDL airport"... No referendum in the affected regions, Brittany and Pays de la Loire, but now they’re polling the whole of France! We’re even discovering that some neighbors of Nantes Atlantique aren’t bothered by the noise—people who didn’t seem to exist before.

Anyway, even without this airport, they keep talking about the "Grand Ouest"... unless it’s just a way to tread carefully...

If there’s one thing that really felt like a betrayal, it was the lack of Breton reunification during the territorial reform. Oh, there were some who pitched reunification by merging Brittany and Pays de la Loire, with this new airport as a kind of hyphen, in pro-reunification circles and even in cultural spheres. We saw them coming to court support during the territorial reform, with elections on the horizon. Hmm, they must’ve already been out west before that, if you ask me.

Apart from a couple of Breton bosses, we haven’t heard many complaints so far. Why aren’t these complainers pushing to develop Rennes airport, Brest airport (and its port—could’ve been a *Le Havre* of its own)? In Brittany, we often say there are the "doers" and the "talkers"... For example, Brittany Ferries was created by farmers, initially to export their vegetables to the UK—definitely "doers." And yes, you can travel elsewhere by sea with more than just *bateaux-mouches* or catamarans!

As for politicians, with a few rare exceptions, they’re mostly "talkers."

The French state doesn’t want strong regions. It can enlarge them and give them odd names, but will they really hold their own against other powerful European regions as they are?

There you go. If elsewhere isn’t greener, it’s still nice to go there now and then, if only to get a break from our national news broadcasts.

Hi Anne,

Replying to you on this topic here, I risk taking the discussion off on a tangent, but it won’t be the first time—and that’s kind of the point. You explain things much better than I do, and you’re right. I agree with your arguments and analyses. Seeing how the Bretons are so enthusiastically and methodically shooting themselves in the foot never fails to surprise me. That said, abandoning this poorly located airport isn’t a big deal. What leaves me stunned, though, is the suggestion that follows: centralizing everything in Paris airports. Seriously, what a disgrace—a real slap in the face for Bretons. It’s humiliating for anyone who knows the cost of having to "chase" a flight in Paris—in time, money, and risk. For those who understand how much this disadvantages the region compared to the rest of metropolitan France, turning it into a second-tier area, cut off from Europe, deprived of opportunities, and kept under tutelage for its development.

Michel

For NDDL (an old political football that many politicians have clung to), there was no referendum, just a consultation held only in the Loire-Atlantique department, where the majority was in favor. And now we hear talk of a "democratic denial"? I just read an article today with a headline along the lines of "Most French people oppose the NDDL airport"... No referendum in the affected regions—Brittany and Pays de la Loire—but now they’re polling the whole country! We even discover that some neighbors of Nantes Atlantique aren’t bothered by the noise—people who didn’t even exist before. Even without this airport, they keep talking about the "Grand Ouest"... unless it’s just a way to sugarcoat things. If there’s one thing that really felt like betrayal, it was the non-reunification of Brittany during the territorial reform. Oh, there were people—even in pro-reunification circles and cultural spheres—who pitched the idea of merging Brittany and Pays de la Loire, with this new airport as a symbolic link, during the reform, with elections in mind. Hmm, they must’ve been out West long before that for us to realize it now. Apart from two Breton business leaders, we haven’t heard many complaints. Why aren’t these complainers pushing to develop Rennes or Brest airports (and what about its port? It could’ve been a Le Havre of the West)? In Brittany, we often say there are the "doers" and the "talkers"... For example, Brittany Ferries was created by farmers, initially to export their vegetables to the UK—real "doers." And yes, you can travel by sea to other places, not just on riverboats or catamarans! As for politicians, with a few rare exceptions, they’re mostly "talkers." The French state doesn’t want strong regions. It may enlarge them and give them odd names, but will they ever hold their own against other powerful European regions? There you go. If the grass isn’t greener elsewhere, it’s still nice to go there now and then—if only to put our national news in perspective.

Hi there, Personally, I won’t weigh in on the core issue since I’m not Breton—I don’t feel it’s my place. That’s for the Bretons to decide.

As for the big regions, it’s a charming Jacobin joke. Everywhere, regions are historical, cultural, and linguistic—some are huge, others tiny.

It’s pretty obvious that in France, infrastructure only makes sense if it’s useful to Paris. And if it’s any consolation, Brittany isn’t the only one getting the short end of the stick: - To drive from Marseille to Nice on the highway, you have to go *against* traffic toward Aix to reach the Paris-Nice autoroute. - A few years ago, I had to take the train to Perpignan—I had to change trains twice, in Montpellier and then Narbonne. - The Marseille-Grenoble autoroute? We’ve been waiting for it for decades. - The Marseille-Turin autoroute? Not even planned (on the French side, of course).

Tonight on TF1 at 8 PM, there was a report about a comedian who gets laughs from his provincial childhood (which he probably never actually lived, since only Parisians use the word "province" and its derivatives; for example: "I was born in Mâcon to unknown parents"—the problem there is "Mâcon").

Do you know any other country where people outside the capital are seen as backward without any anti-racist organization batting an eye?

Try translating this sentence into English: "He looks provincial."

Hi there,

To refocus the discussion on the topic and accommodate everyone’s rainy constraints during this gloomy, wet winter, I’d like to rephrase the question:

Why is this tendency to see the grass as greener elsewhere so French? What does it stem from? A cultural trait, a worldview, a type of society?...

Michel

Ah! At last, and thank you, Tatra, for this attempt to refocus the discussion. I truly hope you’ll be heard, but will it remain just a pious wish?

Indeed, the latest posts have flared up over political and controversial digressions that have nothing to do with the original question—Notre Dame des Landes, etc.

So, freedom of speech, YES, but let those who are looking for a platform to air their feelings and... show off their knowledge go elsewhere, to other sections more in line with their moods, and stop cluttering up this one, which is all about travel. Let these overly sensitive reactionaries leave us to share our experiences, which stay on topic, and try to answer the original question as best we can.

Thanks to all of you who are willing to keep things positive. Vietalier

Hello,

To refocus the discussion on the topic and satisfy the rainy constraints of some in this so gloomy and damp winter, I suggest clarifying the question:

Why is this tendency to think the grass is greener elsewhere so French? What does it stem from? A cultural trait, a worldview, a type of society?...

Michel

Hi there, so if we explain why we think that in France, at the very least, it’s no better than elsewhere, we’re off-topic; only those who say it’s better in France get a say. Notre-Dame-des-Landes is the latest example showing that France is less democratic than others. Even Rajoy wouldn’t dare tell the Catalans: come take your flight in Madrid.

Yes, that’s exactly it.

Michel

Hi, so if we explain why we think that in France, at the very least, it’s not better than elsewhere, we’re off-topic; only those who say it’s better in France get a say. Notre-Dame-des-Landes is the latest example showing that France is less democratic than other places. Even Rajoy wouldn’t dare tell Catalans: come take the plane in Madrid.

so if we explain why we think that in France, at the very least, it’s not better than elsewhere, we’re off-topic; only those who say it’s better in France are allowed to speak; notre-dame-des-landes is the latest example showing that France is less democratic than other places; not even Rajoy would dare tell the Catalans: come take your flight in Madrid

Stop with this, please—it’s not about denying democracy. The project didn’t lead to a referendum but to a non-binding consultation with the residents of Loire-Atlantique. Who, by the way, didn’t exactly overwhelmingly voice their opinion. NDDL is buried, let’s move on.

Watch out! You’re going overboard. Monsieur Vietalier is going to come scold you.

The denial of democracy is first and foremost in the fact that Paris decides for the Bretons. As for the airport, personally, I don’t care—I’m not Breton, and I don’t travel by plane.

The denial of democracy is first and foremost in the fact that Paris decides for the Bretons; the airport, personally, I don’t care—I’m not Breton and I don’t travel by plane

Loire-Atlantique, which is in the Pays de la Loire region, was consulted. Not the Brittany region, as far as I know. Anyway, there’s no point discussing it for pages—the project is dead. Now they’ve decided to expand the current Nantes airport, much to the dismay of local residents. You see, there are always losers.

Alright MickXIII, if you don’t care about this airport, maybe it’s time to move on, no?

Good evening,

And doesn’t it shock you that a region of this size is kept outside the European Union? The Bretons don’t need much help to bring about their own misfortune, I know that well; I also know there are plenty of airports in Brittany—I’ve been to all of them: Guipavas, Pluguffan, Lann Bihoué, Lannion Servel, Saint-Jacques, Nantes, and even Pleurtuit. Every area wanted its own, but we should’ve had just one proper one. Though, at the time, the state monopoly on transport made it impossible to serve it properly anyway... But beyond the airport, what’s truly insulting is being forced—at great expense—to go through Paris for even the shortest trip.

Michel

But you’re right, we won’t dive into a heated discussion here. Still, I’m far less convinced than you that the story is really over.

What’s truly insulting is this expectation to come—at great expense—to Paris for the slightest trip.

Do you really think there’s an international or even just European-sized airport in Auvergne or Normandy?

Bretons have access to Nantes Airport via toll-free highways, which is a rare exception in France, and the TGV serves the regional capital.

Honestly, it’s not that bad.

I’ll also point out that you need a large enough traveler base for a decent-sized airport to exist and for ticket prices to stay competitive...