...a culture that views the prizing of efficiency as almost vulgar.
Truths of a French Village NY Times http://nyti.ms/1yosFSU By Roger Cohen A few weeks ago I was in France, where I’ve owned a village house for almost 20 years that I am now planning to sell. A real estate agent had taken a look at the property and we had made an appointment to discuss how to proceed. She swept into the kitchen, a bundle of energy and conviction, with an impassioned appeal: “Monsieur Cohen, whatever you do, you must on no account sell this house!” I gazed at her, a little incredulous. “You cannot sell it. This is a family home. You know it the moment you step in. You sense it in the walls. You breathe it in every room. You feel it in your bones. This is a house you must keep for your children. I will help you sell it if you insist, but my advice is not to sell. You would be making a mistake.” This was, shall we say, a cultural moment, one of those times when a door opens and you gaze, if not into the soul of a country, at least into territory that
