Negotiating, French Style

Culture Shock. I guess that's what you have to call it when you go from shock to disbelief to reluctant acceptance.

Now, there are many differences here, and most of them are completely charming. But then there are France's famous strikes, as synonymous with France as croissants. Yet as irritating and inconvenient as visitors usually find strikes to be, noone is ever surprised by them. Being from Canada, I'm even used to labor strikes. But this was unlike anything I've ever seen or heard of.

As I tried to turn into my favorite grocery store, called LeClerc, this morning, I noticed a strange sight: cars parked on the side of the road and the entrance to the parking lot blocked by a pile of old tires about 8 meters high and 20 meters across. Then I noticed clumps of hay strewn about, and someone had scrawled in spray paint "LeClerc Voleur" (ie, LeClerc is a theif) in huge letters across the outside wall of the store. Incredulous, I drove around to the other side of the store to see if the other side was open, but there too, it was a disaster scene...shopping carts overturned throughout the parking lot, tires and hay piled up by all the entrances. And more spray paint on the gas station signs: "fermee" (closed) written below all the numbers and some other indesipherable scribbling all over the gas station number sign. Then I caught the whiff of manure. Could these vandals have included that in thier attack?

What state of mind could make people act this way? Are they a bunch of overgrown brats who get a thrill from destroying and defacing property ? Is it disgruntled welfare recipients, angry that they didn't get a raise. Who could have done this? I can't imagine, but obviously it took some serious manpower and equipment to spread all those huge tires and copious quantities of hay and excrement. And how could they not get caught? I mean, can't the police look at traffic light cameras from the area, and get the licence plates?

So, I was already completed shocked by this display (as well as irritated because I couldn't get my shopping done this morning, so I knew I'd have to cancel my English lesson with Dablan today). So imagine my surprise, when, as I was picking up Annika for lunch, I told one of the teachers about it, and she said, casually, "oh, ya, that is the Dairy Farmer's Association": "they're just angry", she explained as my eyes grew ever wider and my jaw fell ever closer to the floor, "that their costs are increasing, and the store won't pay them more for their products". She made it seem like it was all in a day's work. "But it's such a mess", I countered, "is it not illegal for them to make such a mess and deface property?" She just shrugged, and then she had to run.

So, I thought that could not be real. She must have misunderstood me. How can she be so casual?

But then, I brought it up with another mom tonight at Lauren's school play, and she confirmed that it was just the Dairy Association doing "business". She also thought it was no big deal. "Ce n'est rien," she told me. She thought we were lucky they didn't break windows and loot the store.

I can barely believe this. Still.

Anyway, as to Lauren's play...it was so adorable...photos forthcoming. Video too. The kids and teachers and parents did a fabulous job.