Are You the Foie Gras Correspondent?: Another Slow News Day in South West France

by Chris Bockman

A humorous and honest account of an ex-pat reporter's life in the south west of France. Packed with amusing anecdotes and true stories about the characters and places of the region. A must for anybody even thinking about crossing the Channel for the good life in rural France! Every summer thousands of Brits and other Europeans head to the south west of France for bliss, beauty and freedom. It's great for a holiday - but what's it like to actually live and work there That is what reporter Chris Bockman decided to find out when he set up a Press Agency in Toulouse. His project was doomed (apparently) - he was constantly told by industry sages that nothing goes on there out of season. But he soon discovered that the strange characters, ambitious local politicians, vain sportsmen and yes, badly-behaving foreigners provided more than enough material to keep newsrooms happy. There are the politicians preaching the benefits of Brexit while living a grand life in France. There is also one village in the Pyrenees where many flock believing when the inevitable end of the world comes, it will be the sole place that will survive. More stories include treasure-seekers convinced of a Catholic Church cover-up, the downright dishonest practices in the truffle markets and other inhabitants of the region who have included ex-terrorists and murderers on the run. This is an inside look at the peculiarities of human nature and life on the other side of the Channel, with characters and places you'll love, Are You the Foie Gras Correspondent is a book for anybody thinking to pull up stakes and moving to where life is "slower-paced" or has a fascination with the true life in France's southern provincial cities and countryside.

312 pages, Paperback

Published May 28, 2018

Reviews

[Mel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was looking forward to reading this book, as I live in the SW of France. What a disappointment. Endless boring tales of local rugby matches and insignificant coaches, way too many clumsy references to the author's imagined prowess as a local Casanova, the bulk of the book lifted and quoted from already published pieces, missing words and grammatical mistakes any editor should have caught. I had to force myself to finish this "book."

[Stephen Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as engaging as I had anticipated, given the subject matter (being a news correspondent in the south-west of France, a favourite place of mine) but an enjoyable read nonetheless, with some interesting pieces on the politics, sport and characters of the region.