Why the French don't do spicy food and just how elitist is France?

In this week's new episode we examine why the French can't bear spicy food and take a look at just how elitist the country is especially when it comes to its schools and universities. And for second home owners and regular visitors we take a look at what might happen if you don't respect that pesky 90-day rule and stay too long in France. Could you banned from the EU? Plus much much more for anyone interested in France.

See below for related articles.

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Hello and welcome to a new series of Talking France.

Hi to all our regular listeners thanks for joining us again and a big welcome to anyone listening for the first time. Talking France is a podcast produced by the team at The Local France and made possible by our members so thanks to all those listeners who have joined.

If you want to understand the big issues in France right now and learn more about the French way of life and the challenges foreign residents like us face then you are listening to the right podcast.

This week we'll look at why French spelling and grammar has become a divisive issue, why France is surprisingly elitist - especially when it comes to its schools and universities and which part of France is hoping to host the winter olympics in 2030 - if we still have winters in 2030.

We will also try to understand whether there's any truth to claim that the French hate spicy food and try to explain why that might be.

And finally a crucial subject for second home owners and tourists. We'll explain how France enforces the 90 day rule and what the consequences are if you stay too long in the country.

Ben McPartland, your host and joining me once again at our office in Paris is The Local France's dynamic duo Editor Emma Person and journalist Gen Mansfield, plus we'll hear more insight from our politics expert John Lichfield who'll join us from Normandy.

Further reading:

• Making French fully inclusive is a grammatical and political nightmare
• Five things to know about France's 2030 Winter Olympics bid
• Do the French really hate all spicy food?
• How seriously does France enforce the 90-day rule?

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