La Belle Vie is our regular look at the real culture of France – from language to cuisine, manners to films. This new newsletter will be published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to newsletter preferences or adding your email to the sign-up box in this article.

When I first moved to France, people kept telling me that the French were like melons – hard on the outside, but soft on the inside. This was often countered with anglophone countries being peaches – soft on the outside, with a hard pit interior. Basically, it was a tip to not get too discouraged over the time it takes to make French friends.

The next tip I often received was to read “Sixty Million Frenchman Can’t be Wrong” – only after that would I really understand French culture.

The advice was sound, and I’ll never forget some of the fascinating cultural analyses offered by author Jean Nadeau. Books really are a great glance into a society, so here 12 that teach you almost everything you need to know about France.

12 books that tell you (almost) everything you need to know about France

Books are not the only way to get a taste of French culture though – films are equally important.

There is no denying that France is home to quite a lot of cinephiles and the arthouse streaming platform Mubi is (almost) as popular as Netflix and Amazon Prime in France.

If you want to go head to head with a French person at a dinner party about the best movies ever, you’ll have to study up on your ‘French New Wave’ references, and for that the works of dearly-departed Jean-Luc Godard is a perfect place to start. Wearing a black polo-neck and smoking is optional, however.

French cinema: 7 Jean-Luc Godard films to watch

And it would not be a French dinner party without wine.

This tricky beverage can be either your friend or foe in the quest to not be noticeably-not-French. The French have a joke: “How do you spot a foreigner in a café? It’s the one drinking red wine” (red wine should go with food).

Every time I try a new wine I think and say “what an oaky afterbirth” and people look at me weird… pic.twitter.com/W0avHEze36

— carly girl 🌙 (@carlymb_) May 17, 2018

No-one wants to be Michael Scott in The Office (US version) – raising everyone’s eyebrows with an out-of-place wine comment), so here’s a look at some of the etiquette around wine in France.

Common wine blunders you should really avoid in France

One of those faux-pas is buying cheap wine – compared to many other countries wine in France is very reasonably priced (because it’s a locally made product).

But not all wines are created equal and the really good stuff is – unfortunately – often pricier than the rest.

This is why you need the Foire aux Vins – every year in the fall grocery stores, wine caves, and wine-selling websites attempt to make some space on the shelves by marking down their vintages – meaning you can get good bottles for very reasonable prices. 

Foire aux vins: How to find bargains on high quality wine in France

It might seem like a simple word, but knowing how and when to say bonjour (or bonsoir) is quite an art form. You walk into a room of twelve people…do you say bonsoir to all of them? Just how necessary is it to go out of your way to greet every person you cross paths with?

This is the essential question, especially for those of us who come from cultures where someone saying hello to you out in public might inspire fear of having to sign up for something or join a mailing list. Greetings are important in France, and there are some people you absolutely should greet.

Explained: When should you greet a French person

Finally, at the end of a long week, you might be looking for some comfort food and TV (not Nouvelle Vague films above, for which you will have to use your brain).

The perfect combination is France’s version of The Great British Bake Off – Le Meilleur Pâtissier (the best baker).

If you appreciate French pastries and quite enjoy a baking disaster, you’ll love seeing French baking amateurs attempt to construct a Breton tower out of 60 crêpes. You can watch the show online from anywhere in the world, with episodes available for catch up on www.6play.fr. 

Five reasons the Bake Off is better in France than in Britain

La Belle Vie is our regular look at the real culture of France – from language to cuisine, manners to films. This new newsletter will be published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to newsletter preferences or adding your email to the sign-up box in this article.