Keeping food fresh is easier thanks to the French. Nicolas Appert, a confectioner by trade, came up with the concept of canning foods, using sealed glass containers which were placed in boiling water. Pierre Durand came up with a practical way to preserve food in tin cans. During the Middle Ages, Paris had a huge problem with rats, so the city introduced cats everywhere to control the population. Some streets reportedly had more cats than people!
On April Fool’s Day (Poisson d’Avril), French children tape paper fish to their friends’ backs as a prank. It’s a quirky tradition that continues in schools across the country. In 1795, France introduced the metric system, which is now the standard in almost every country in the world. It was meant to replace all confusing local measurements and create a universal system. In Sarpourenx, local laws are so strict that wearing shorts in certain historical areas can technically result in a fine. While rarely enforced today, it reflects the French love for tradition and decorum.
