The Complete Patient

I am generally loathe to make lots of comparisons between other countries I visit and the U.S., since it is difficult to gain a true picture of another country in a brief visit.

But one thing that definitely stands out in driving around southern France is how beautiful and well preserved the countryside is. There just aren't any strip malls, Wal-Marts and fast-food stands to clutter thin gs up. Each small town is self-contained, and there aren't any shopping malls to greet you on the way in.

So the countryside has the look it's had for many hundreds ofyears--tranquil and pleasing to the eye, with neat fields of corn, wheat, and sunflowers.

I've been staying with cousins in a tiny town near Montauban, not far from Toulouse, the last couple days. They spend ever more time here in France and less in the U.S. One of the reasons they are drawn here is that France supports its farmers, and in doing so, preserves its countryside much more effectively than we in the U.S. (and many other countries) have done.

Even so, they foresee a trend in France that has the countryside eventually losing influence. One part of that trend involves foreigners buying up farmhouses and farmland for vacation homes. In their town, there are now British, Dutch, and German homeowners both in town and in the adjoining countryside. These foreigners tend to preserve the land, but they don't cultivate it. This trend is repeated around France.

A second trend is globalization. As much as France wants to support its farmers, the pull of international trade agreements is forcing the country in the direction of the U.S. in encouraging factory farming as a way to increase "productivity" and a "free market."

In the meantime, it's refreshing to experience a number of old-time customs out in the countryside with regard to food and eating:

• The practice of allowing pets into restaurants (actually common in cities as well). It's a bit of a jolt to have a dog come barking into your brasserie, but it happens pretty regularly, and no one bats an eye.
• In the country, flies seem to be everywhere in and around restaurants and hotels. People swat them off their food, but they are an accepted part of the atmosphere.
• While public bathrooms have improved a great deal over the years, many still feature common cloth towels shared among many, rather than paper towels or blow dryers.