h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Whilst most French farmers that I have encountered don't mind a few melons or s or s being pilfered from their fields it might really annoy some of them. Our encounter with an annoyed farmer lead to a tractor/push bike chase to our parent's summer cottage. After Mum and Dad paid for the purloined melon and gave him a cognac Monsieur Moreaux calmed down and saw the funny side. However, I haven't pilfered anything since!

QB

I live in the country so for one you're very lucky you weren't shot.
Recently there has been allot of thefts and vandalism by tourists and even country kids if caught by the owner the punishment is usually more severer than jail.
My advise is leave the cottages and farms alone a few cobs of corn or some straw berries may not seem harmful for just one person to take but one after the other "sample" the farmers hard grown food and farmers see this as an invasion and theft and will take it on there own to punish you.
Although if you are polite and ask like a decent human being they may let you bring some produce home.

I completely agree with you anonymous Researcher 236911! In my defence, all I can say is that I was young at the time and didn't know any better. Our neighbouring farmer had invited us to pick a few items of produce from his land - but we just didn't realise that the field next door was not his! It was a nmisunderstanding on the whole and was amicably sorted out (with the aid of Cognac) but I'll never do it again.

QB

Where I grew up we all had huge gardens, and garden pilfering wasn't a problem. We used to pilfer out of our own garden, though - usually peas, carrots, raddishes, rhubarb (if we could sneak some sugar out of the kitchen). If caught, though, Mom would say something like, "Oh I see the peas are ready. You two can go right back down there and pick enough for supper." Then we got to sit on the veranda and shell them. Punishment enough on a nice summer day.

We had a neighbour in the village who had a crabapple orchard, and we used to go over the back fence and pilfer crabapples, but at least we were careful of his fence and trees, and only took a pocket-full.