In the unchanging world Parisians called la France profonde, night was host to hobgoblins, witches, and will-o'-the-wisps.

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Coupled with a sensitivity to the rural charms of la France profonde, this has led to a moratorium on shale-gas exploration in France.

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She enrolled in cooking classes at Le Cordon Bleu, where she realised that French cuisine was not about national origin, or some mythical connection to la France profonde: it was about technique.

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