The French aren't the only ones who understand comme il faut.
French women get all the credit when it comes to throwing chic parties and entertaining.
Perhaps one of the most familiar gurus of French living is Mireille Guiliano, author of “French Women Don’t Get Fat.” This book was released in 2004 and quickly landed on the
New York Times bestseller list. Clearly, we fat Americans are hungry for some cultural nourishment.
Yet most of my experience in living well comes from my German relatives. My mother's mother, Gertrude, immigrated from Germany in the summer of 1948. Fortunately, I still have relatives in Germany that I visit every few years. These visits are what kindled my interest in travel, culture, language, beer, food, and so much more.
One of the things that I remember about my grandmother, who passed away when I was 10 years old, is her understanding of there being a "right" way to do things. I was too young to identify whether or not she was a perfectionist (my mother would probably say yes, yes she was), but I remember things were done very deliberately in her home. There were certain expectations and unwritten rules to follow. A lot of these rules revolved around how you treat other people when they are in your home. Although I have many memories of how Grandma (we did not call her
Oma) liked to do certain things, there are two very important concepts that I especially remember and that I try to practice today.
I have a habit of overextending myself sometimes. Which is why, in the middle of the busiest and final weeks of the college semester, I decided to repaint my basement, volunteer for a local event's publicity committee, and host a 30th birthday party for my husband.
