Pétanque is no laughing matter in the south of France; it’s part of the three Ps (Pétanque, Pastis, Provence—not necessarily in that order) and therefore practically a matter of life and death. The game in its current form originated in La Ciota in 1907, and believe it or not, world championships are organized. The last one took place in 2008 in Senegal, and the French won (they mostly, but not always, do). The weirdest variation is “boules carrées”, or square balls (cubes, in other words), the 30th World Championship of which just took place in Cagnes-sur-Mer last August. The idea is that rank beginners and top experts start with equal chances... Lest you think Americans are above such things, there is a US Federation of Petanque, though they do drop the accent. Barbarians!