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INSIDE FRANCE

Inside France: Bedbugs, international panic and local legends

From decoding the latest international panic about France (on the unlikely subject of bedbugs) to crime in rural France, holiday tips and a local legend, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.

Published: 7 October 2023 09:50 CEST
Inside France: Bedbugs, international panic and local legends
View of the harbour at Marseille. Photo: The Local

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

Punaise!

France appears to be at the centre of an international media storm this week on the unlikely subject of bedbugs – from panic-stricken headlines to endless memes and social media jokes, it seems that the US and UK are very interested in France’s bug problem.

But does France truly have a worse bedbug problem than anywhere else? Evidence for this is rather sketchy – which of course has not stopped politicians and media pundits from getting involved.

Most of the memes have at least been amusing, but the debate has also taken a rather darker turn – a French right-wing media pundit asked if immigrants with “lower standards of hygiene” were to blame for the rise in bedbug reports, while foreign media have implied that it is the French themselves who are dirty and unhygienic.

Time for a factcheck – bedbugs have nothing to do with hygiene and can appear in even the most immaculately clean homes and tourist accommodation. In fact luxury hotels (including those in Paris and Las Vegas) have been the site of recent infestations. 

That’s not to say that bedbugs aren’t a problem – I know several people in Paris who have had an infestation at their apartment, and apart from the inconvenience and horrible itchy bites the biggest problem is the incredible cost of getting an extermination, easily up to €600. 

That’s one of the reasons the Paris deputy mayor is calling on the government to create a national bedbug action plan (that’s the guy who said that “no-one is safe” from bedbugs. Or did he?).

Talking France

The Talking France podcast might have a few DIY sounds in the background this week, as I recorded it from my attic deep in rural Charente, but we still managed to have a good chat – crime in rural France, the new protocol for neighbour disputes, why Paris may be tripling its tourist tax and why baguettes taste different these days. Listen here or on the link below. 

Holiday tips

And if you’re after a French holiday tip, I can highly recommend the night train from Paris to Nice. You hop on board in Paris in the evening (bring your own wine and crisps, is my recommendation as there is no buffet car), are lulled to sleep by the rocking of the carriage and then wake up just in time for breakfast in Nice. 

Icon of the week 

You’ll probably remember the video of Irish rugby coach Ronan O’Gara’s team talk in La Rochelle, with its distinctive English/French language blend.

Well, if this flag – spotted at the World Cup – is anything to go by, the talk is well on the way to earning him legend status. Think I’m going to start using this in The Local’s editorial meetings . . .

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

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INSIDE FRANCE

Inside France: Violence, QR codes and stuffed animals

From violent unrest in a French territory to the QR codes required at the Paris Olympics, via D-Day and weird taxidermy, our weekly newsletter Inside France looks at what we have been talking about in France this week.

Published: 18 May 2024 07:38 CEST
Inside France: Violence, QR codes and stuffed animals

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

High tension

After a relaxed week with a double holiday and most of the country taking a break, it seems that the news has come roaring back this week – first a highly dramatic jailbreak that left two prison officers dead and a fugitive at large, then the worst rioting in 30 years on the French island of Nouvelle Calédonie which left five people dead, and finally a man shot dead by police while apparently trying to set fire to a synagogue in northern France. It seems that there’s barely been time to breathe. 

These three things are, of course, not connected and in the case of Nouvelle Calédonie have followed years of political and ethnic tensions on the Pacific islands.

But it’s not surprising that people feel a bit punch-drunk at this series of events. Already right-wing parties are attempting to make capital out of this ahead of the European elections – a favourite tactic of the far-right in recent years has been trying to portray France as in the grip of an uncontrolled wave of crime and violence.

While no-one would deny that France has crime and that there are problems with violence, the statistics do not bear out this image of a ‘lawless’ country’. 

QR codes

Talking of security, the big topic in Paris this week has been whether we need QR codes to get around the city during the Olympics, after the security plan for the Games was unveiled in detail.

For many people this will bring back bad memories of Covid restrictions, attestations and health passes – although once you dig into the detail of the Games QR codes you realise that they won’t actually affect all that many people.

The areas that they cover are limited and the most onerous restrictions are only in place for the week leading up to the Opening Ceremony. You can find a complete guide to whether you need a code, and how to get one if you do, HERE.

Talking France

We look at the QR code situation on this week’s Talking France podcast, as well as France’s economic reality, the quirks of the French health system and the new ‘drive like a woman’ campaign.

Plus John Lichfield talks about his involvement in projects to commemorate D-Day in his Normandy home, and why the 1944 landings still hold such a special place in French hearts. Listen here or on the link below. 

Get stuffed

But my biggest question about France remains unanswered – why is weird taxidermy furniture so popular? If you’ve spent time at a French brocante you will likely have come across stuffed animal parts made into a variety of items from coathooks and ashtrays to – as below – chairs or stools.

Answers on a postcard, please.  

Inside France is our weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

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