Blog Number 3

Welcome back! The week was more touring various cities than focusing on agriculture. It was nice to take a break and just observe the beauty of the cities. But getting back on track... Over the past few days, I spent a couple of days with a French friend. Over the course of the day, we explored Rouen which in my opinion was one of the most historical cities I've visited in France. We visited the famous site where Joan D'Arc was burned and we saw this amazing Cathedral. Next, I visited their hometown and gained quite an insight on the views of a local grower with a backyard garden. The garden consisted of tomatoes, lettuce, parsley, groseille which is like a special French grape, and zucchini. The tomatoes and zucchini don't do well in the rainy climate of Dieppe and the others seem to do very well except snails and slugs, diseases and pests are still a problem. the smaller gardens make use of companion planting to prevent and repel the problems listed above. From this, I saw some of the French views against nonorganic produce and of France in general. The French despise Monsanto for ruining farmers who use the seeds. They see the seeds as part of what the farmers buy. The Americans seem to support Monsanto since copyrights and all the trademarking is a huge part of our commerce. The seeds are seen as a trademarked item that is violated if it's "resold" in the form of new produce. The interpretations of the other country's people is quite inaccurate. The reputation of the French being rude and every American being cocky seem to have stuck the majority with the qualities of the few. The French actually are very generous and I don't believe Americans are always full of themselves. Very few of the French I've encountered have been rude. Overall, the trip was good in showing the city and giving me a little insight into smaller gardens that aren't commercial. Speaking of commercial... Until next time, I'll catch you later.