We are not French – and some would thank
Dieu for that. After all, as
General de Gaulle once observed, "How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?"
Instead, we have the good fortune to live in the Lucky Country – a place of commendable order, if only because it has just
les trois fromages (Coon, Bega and Bodalla).
Nevertheless, it can be quite the lark to occasionally play the Frog, whether munching on a
baguette, sipping
café au lait or watching a Gérard Depardieu film about wife-swapping. And to that list can be added playing
pétanque.
For the uninitiated, pétanque is best described as lawn bowls for continental types. The
rules are quite similar: basically, you throw, rather than roll, your hollow metal ball (or
boule), trying to land it as close to the jack (
cochonnet) as possible. Good throws are typically followed by a condescending quote from
Sartre or
Camus; bad throws induce a Gallic shrug of the shoulders.
Scoring takes place after each round, with the superior individual/team being awarded a point for each boule that is closer to the cochonnet than the opponent's best-placed boule. Bonus points are not awarded for wearing berets and smoking Gauloises, although they should be. The game then continues, until the winner accumulates 13 points.
If you're interested in giving this fun sport a go, head to the
Boules Artistes in Canterbury, where you can take part in training courses, open days and relaxed weekend comps. You'll also find more information
here.
