✨ Welcome to the very first episode of À la française, the podcast that shines the light on the French art of living, and those who shape it.
In this conversation, Pierre-Jean Romatet sits down with Ayyam Sureau, who has called France home for over 40 years. With wit and elegance, she shares her unique perspective on:
– The paradoxes of the French character: a mix of modesty, ambition, and lighthearted pessimism.
– The essence of the art de vivre: simplicity, refinement, and centuries of savoir-faire, from cuisine to wine.
– Paris beyond clichés: dawn in the City of Light, hidden cafés, secret restaurants, and the neighborhoods where locals truly live.
– The outsider’s eye: how foreigners experience France, from cultural shocks to unexpected beauty.
– Escaping Paris: Normandy’s raw coastline, forgotten towns, and stories that still carry the memory of World War II.
This episode is more than a guide to France: it’s an invitation to experience Paris and French culture like an insider, far from the tourist clichés.
🎧 Whether you’re planning your first trip to France or simply dreaming of Paris from afar, this episode will change the way you look at the French way of life.
00:00 – Introduction
01:00 – Ayyam’s cosmopolitan childhood
02:00 – First encounters with France & Paris after the war
04:30 – Choosing France: language, studies & settling down
06:30 – Childhood readings: The 3 Musketeers, Arsène Lupin
08:00 – The paradox of the French character
12:00 – What is art de vivre? Elegance in simplicity
15:30 – Wine & savoir-faire: a dialogue with nature
18:30 – Why the world dreams of France
19:00 – The Pierre Claver School: helping refugees integrate
22:00 – Culture shocks: French manners through foreign eyes
30:30 – Paris at dawn: the city’s secret beauty
33:00 – Hidden Paris: neighborhoods & secret squares
36:30 – Tourist spots revisited: Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Sacré-Cœur
39:00 – Eating in Paris: from local secrets to foreign cuisines
45:00 – Paris as a “city of all cities”
49:45 – Escaping Paris: Normandy & Coutainville
53:20 – Life in Coutainville: oysters, tides & war memories
55:50 – Advice for travelers: what to read before coming
57:15 – The Count of Monte Cristo & the French paradox
58:15 – Songs, secret places & closing reflections