Holiday reading

Apparently French people read as much on holidays as they do during the rest of the year combined.

I love holiday reading, because you can take your time savouring each word, each sentence, each detail. You can read long chunks of a book in one go, therefore really getting into the atmosphere of the book and think about what you are reading rather than just superficially following the broad lines. The best thing is you don't need to read the same line over and over again because your brain is too tired to focus or because you have inadvertently fallen asleep in the midst of the process.

I really enjoy tackling new subjects on holidays that I have an interest in, but have not had much time to look into in more detail during the rest of the year. Previous subjects have included environmental issues, the banking crisis, the meaning of friendship, relationships, etiquette at work, and Neuro Linguistic Programming. (Yes, I am a fan of self-help books, despite much teasing from my friends; I find that they help me re-assess my beliefs and behave in a way that is truer to myself).

Of course, I always bring my dose of light and inconsequential reading which allows you to sit on the beach and spend time in a frivolously purposeless manner.

This year, during our holiday in France, one of the subjects I will be looking into is chess. My blonde-haired blue-eyed Chinese boyfriend (see post on Love Languages) introduced me to chess after I complained that my strategic thinking was abysmal.
I experienced BBCB's naturally great pedagogical skills there. 
After explaining the basic rules and roles to me, we started playing, and of course, at first I could not think of anything else than what my current move should be, often taking a long time to decide, in fear of making the wrong decision.
To help me relax and enjoy the game, BBCB employed a few unusual tactics. First he would ask me questions such as: what happens if you make that move? and we would work out together the sequence of events that this particular move would trigger. It would generally eventually lead to me losing the game. At that point of realisation, he would get back to the original decision point in the game, piece by piece, move by move (How can anyone remember that many moves??!!) and I would have another go at making that original move.
Another tactic BBCB has used to help me think about my adversary's game is to suddenly turn the board around and switch games: I would take his pieces and he would take mine. At the beginning I would often feel like I am starting a new game, having paid no attention whatsoever to his pieces and how advanced he is in his game.
I really enjoy our chess games: we both play for me to win! And I am very grateful that BBCB clearly has the patience of a saint...

Another book I will be reading is The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton. I will always remember that my last philosophy teacher at university (in a business programme) said to me in our last class with her that most students probably won't ever do any more philosophy in their lives. She was probably right for the majority of the time, but holidays give a great opportunity to make an exception to the rule. A little bit of philosophical thinking is good for the soul! And Mr de Botton is good at making philosophy accessible and pleasant to read. 


Then I would like to read Watching the English by Kate Fox (subtitled The Hidden Rules of English Behaviour) again. This is a very insightful and funny book about things English people do, which during my first years in the UK used to seem completely alien, illogical, eccentric, quaint... but which I now also do myself unconsciously, having clearly had a cultural transplant! I recently celebrated my 10th year living in the UK, and I would like to think about all the things that I love about the English and that have made me want to stay in this country.


The whole thing will be punctuated by dipping in and out of French learning books, as BBCB is intending to further improve his already very good French. I am planning to give him daily challenges to use a series of expressions and words he has learnt.
Hopefully these challenges will lead us to discover the region's tasty cuisine (we are off to French Catalonia). For any French-Chinese person no holiday is complete without satisfying your tastebuds' hunger and curiosity! For background on how I am French-Chinese, you can refer to this post.
I am already dreaming of 'jamòn jabugo' (exceptional cured ham from very muscled black pigs exclusively fed on acorns), 'sobrasada' (paprika and mince meat spread), tomatoes packed with flavour and of course the local wines, especially the sweet red Banyuls, which I am planning to drink as an accompaniment to whichever fanciful dessert will be on offer.


Now my stomach is growling. I am going to prepare dinner before dreaming about what brasserie dishes I will have during our stopover in Paris: escargots? steak tartare? sole meunière?... (Obsessed? Me??)