I've only been here for a year, but when I'm not here I miss things like:

1. Cheese! I've never lived anywhere that has such a fantastic selection of cheese as France. I especially miss French cheese in Canada and the US where cheese tends to be oily and has the texture of plastic.

2. Weather! My house is in the Languedoc region, which is in the South near Spain. Even in the winter, the weather is mostly very nice here with very little rain and lots of wonderful sunshine.

3. Wine! Oh my goodness, the wine here is amazing and plentiful and cheap. Even if you don't think you like wine, you'll probably find wine you like in France. From sweet, light aperitif wines like muscat to heavy, fully bodied reds to refreshing whites and rosé ... And you can afford to experiment because it's incredibly affordable here.

4. Multi-course, slow meals! This sometimes irritates me if I just want something simple and easy, but in general, it's a boon. It's lovely to be able to try lots of different things via multiple courses and the slow speed of everything means you really get an opportunity to enjoy what's in front of you.

5. The diverse landscape! I live 20 minutes to the Mediterranean sea and 2 hours to the Pyrenees mountains, in little valley on the edge of a tree filled national park surrounded by vineyards. It's so wonderful to have access to so much diversity, so much beauty and so many choices.

6. Europe! I'm originally from Canada where everything feels spread out by great distances. In Europe I can drive to Spain or Italy in a matter of hours and other countries in a short amount of time. Better yet, I can take the train. Europe is well connected with fairly fast train lines that make it easy to get from one place to another in relative comfort.

7. Small producers! It's quite common to get your local produce and other food directly from the people who grow/make it. Markets are in almost every village on a weekly basis and it's lovely to support the person who farms just up the road.

8. Seasonal eating! It's less common to be able to get everything you want all year around here. I remember that in the Spring, all the restaurants and markets had the nicest asparagus. Then one day the guy who sells veg at the market announced that he had the last asparagus of the season and I never saw it again after that. Food tastes better when it's in season and not frozen and shipped half way around the world.

9. Baking! It's a cliché because it's true: bread is a way of life in France. When everything else is closed, the bakery will almost certainly be open. Best of all, the choices are endless. Did you know there about half a dozen different kinds of baguette (short, long, well done, soft ...)? Bread and pastries are an art form here and they're delicious and fresh.