"Joie de Vivre: Secrets of Wining, Dining, and Romancing like the French" is Harriet Welty Rochefort’s third exploration into the unique way the French lead their lives. In her latest book, which will be published in October 2012 by St. Martin’s Press. Welty Rochefort, the author of « French Toast » and « French Fried » explores a national French trait, joie de vivre. The French invented the expression – but do they really have it ? And if so, how does joie de vivre express itself ? Yes, says the author, they do have joie de vivre, putting joy of living and panache into every aspect of their lives, whether food, romance, squabbles or shrugs. She explains why in France small is good and why slowing down to savor a meal is good not only for your morale but your figure. Joie de vivre entails risk-taking, she writes : The French would have experience a chagrin d’amour than no amour at all. The author, an American who has French citizenship and who has now lived longer in France than in the USA, writes humorously and with génuine affection about her adopted country of pleasure-seekers whose worst enemy is another very French expression – ennui. |
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Q : Why did you choose the topic of Joie de Vivre ?
A : Actually, I was planning to write a book called « French Flair » because I’ve always been fascinated by French panache, the sometimes flamboyant and sometimes elegantly understated way of making mundane or simple things look, feel, or smell special. As I investigated the subject, though, it became more and more apparent that French flair was part and parcel of the French talent for joie de vivre.
Q : The French I see in the metro in Paris certainly don’t look like they’re experiencing joie de vivre and people always seem to be on strike. Where’s the joie de vivre in that ?
A : A good question I’ve asked myself as well. You’d have to be crazy to think that people on the metro are puffed up with joy as they battle crowds and make their way to and from their jobs. Joy of living though comes in little things and I think the French are very gifted for finding small moments during the day for pleasure, whether it’s sitting down for lunch with a friend or stepping out of the office for an expresso and a smoke. Like everyone else, they rush but they know how to slow down, take their time, and especially make time for friends and family who for them come first.
Q : But still….they LOOK so glum !
A : The French have been called the sourpusses of Europe, hey, maybe even the world ! They are always taking to the streets to strike about unemployment, the retirement age the educational system…whatever. When you dig a little and go beyond the public façade you hit on a French paradox : in PUBLIC the French show their worries about the state of the world, the state of France, the state of their jobs, the state of their finances. However, ALL the polls show that when it comes to their private lives, the French are among the happiest people in Europe.
Q : OK, if you say so…
A : I do indeed ! My book gives tons of examples of French joie de vivre and not always in the places you’d expect it. For example, the French get a kick out of quarreling ! We foreigners are horrified when we look upon their shrugs and squabbles but we should get over that : they love nothing better than a nice little dispute. It makes their day ! What else makes their day ? Moments of pleasure and making the simple special : sitting on the terrace of a café and talking to a friend, taking something as mundane as a tomato, cutting it up in quarters, putting it on a pretty plate with a homemade vinaigrette sauce and fresh parsley, wearing the little black dress with one knockout accessory. The joy of living in France is composed of many small and simple things.
Q : Where would you rather live ? In France or the U.S. ?
A : This is a question I’m often asked and for me the answer is very clear. I love both countries. When I’m in the U.S., I am totally in the U.S. and don’t think about France or try to replicate « French things » there. When I’m in France, I am totally in France and don’t try to replicate « U.S. things » (other than Thanksgiving, my absolute favorite holiday ? ).
| Published by : St.Martin's Press (New York), 288 p. hardback - also available as e-book |
Date of publication : October 2012 |
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Harriet Welty Rochefort was born in Iowa has spent most of her life in France. An author, freelance journalist, and speaker on Franco-American cultural differences, she is a former professor of journalism at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques in Paris. (visit her site). |
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Praise....
"Rochefort makes it hard to argue with a philosophy that advocates slowing your pace, being fully engaged by what's in front of you and incoporating four-course meal into your week." (Publishers Weekly)
« A great adventure of joie de vivre to read without moderation. » (André Cointreau, president of Le Cordon Bleu International)
« Once again, Harriet Welty Rochefort perfectly deconstructs the mind and spirit of the French. Joie de Vivre picks up where Welty Rochefort’s classic French Toast leaves off, exploring the French in all their alluring and baffling ways. Welty Rochefort’s inimitable brand of humor and insight plus décades of expatriate living make her a consummate observer of the French. Culling from all walks of life and dipping into history, Joie de Vivre is a sheer pleasure, sure to become a must-read in the canon of books about the French. » (Debra Ollivier, national bestselling author of What French Women Know)
«This is more than another guide to France or an essay on some of its peculiarities. It's a very humorous, well-written, yet respectful cultural analysis of those aspects of French life too often hidden to the casual visitor, but necessary to know if one wants to experience the "joy for life" that defines that nation and its fascinating citizens. » " (Ronald C. Rosbottom, Professor of French and European Studies, Amherst College)
« With humor and authority, Harriet Welty Rochefort provides the keys to understanding the French, while unlocking the secrets to ‘the good life.’ » (Eleanor Beardsley, France correspondent for National Public Radio)
« Wit, wry humor, and some deliciously withering words of wisdom make Harriet Welty Rochefort’s latest book a must for anyone hoping to understand French expressions of Joie. » (David Downie, author of Paris, Paris : Journey into the City of Light)
« Revelatory and rich in stories, Harriet Welty Rochefort’s insider take on the French is a compellingly entertaining read. » (G.Y. Dryansky, author of Coquilles, Calva, and Crème)
« Many writers have come to France and tried to write about its people and customs, with varied results. But very few ‘get’ the French as well as Harriet Welty Rochefort. That’s because in part she had the good sense to marry a Frenchman who is himself an astute observer of his own culture. But it’s also due to Harriet’s own unmatched powers of observation, openness to the subtleties of another society, and great skill at conveying to readers what she has found - as she demonstrates once again in the perceptive, entertaining, and lively Joie de Vivre. » (Michael Balter, contributing correspondent for Science, food and travel writer, and adjunct professor of journalism at New York University)
Read an excerpt ....
- To be completed later....
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