Parisian Agriculture.

What other world capital plays host annually to its nation's farmers? Very few, I imagine. But right now Paris is hosting the national Agricultural Expo and having a ball. Imagine the biggest state fair in the US; now imagine it hosted in Manhattan. Seven out of the eight great halls at the Portes de Versailles expo center are taken over by animals, farm equipment, regional & international cuisine and media booths. The city mice are visiting their country cousins this week and it shows - suede boots have given way to rubber boots.

In the US this would be a truck-n-tractor pull.

France's rural roots run deep and have historically played an important role in the nation's (and EU) politics. France itself was still considered a rural country until less than a century ago. This emphasis on agriculture has meant that rural influence has outweighed its actual importance. From government subsidies on the international market to politicians courting the rural vote, the rural emphasis is a highly symbolic gesture since farmers now comprise less than 3% of the labor force (that's just twice the number of unemployed in France!). This symbolic gesture is hardly surprising given that many French urbanites identify themselves as rural and flee the city for the provinces whenever the opportunity presents itself.

The French may not in actual fact be paysans, but their national identity is tied up very strongly in this rural link.