NEIGHBORS : County Flavor : Forget L.A., why not give visiting French students a tour of Ventura’s many eating spots?

Last week we asked for some help with an unsettling problem:

French students are coming to Ventura County several times throughout the summer in an exchange program sponsored by the Organization for Scholars of France and Britain. Unfortunately, nearly all of the scheduled sight-seeing locations planned by host families are in Los Angeles County. A county, to be sure, but the wrong one.

We asked for some suggestions for places this side of the line, but due to an under-whelming number of responses--none--we are forced to make some recommendations of our own. So . . . if we were planning a day or night on the town for the students, we’d probably take them to:

* Any (or all) of the 17 McDonald’s restaurants in the county, for some french fries. Price is 75 cents, 95 cents, or $1.15.

* One of the three International House of Pancakes establishments, for French toast. Price is $3.45 and $4.80 (for what they call Viva la French Toast, which might impress the students).

* One of the six Sizzler restaurants around town, to get a salad and some French dressing. Salads are $5.99 or you could try to snatch a cup of dressing from the salad bar for free.

Three meals, lots of fun, only $11.94, plus tax, maximum.

Speaking of culture. . . .

At least one Ventura resident, sculptor Joe Cardella, thinks the county is seriously lacking in it. And he should know. Cardella is the publisher of a very artsy monthly publication called Art/Life.

As an example of how eccentric the publication is, consider that a recent issue included a work of art made of a hunk of artificial turf glued to a green piece of construction paper and titled “The Greening of America.” In the same issue a white page was covered with yellow paper rectangles stapled together with the edge of a Polaroid photo and placed next to the word “cheese.”

Art/Life is sold primarily in museums and artists’ bookstores in the United States, Japan and Spain--but nowhere in Ventura County.

“Our audience generally consists of well-educated people in major urban areas who understand and appreciate contemporary artwork,” he said. “If I had to depend on selling in Ventura County I’d go out of business.” Aw, shucks.

Ventura County Fair organizers announced last week that they are changing the whole direction of the customary parade Aug. 18. Not the intent, but the actual direction. Instead of traveling east to west and ending up at Ventura High School, marchers will head west to east and stop at the San Buenaventura Mission.

Why? It’s downhill instead of uphill.

If you’ve driven around Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks or Westlake Village this week you might have noticed recycling containers outside some of the residences.

On Monday the city of Thousand Oaks began distributing the 32-gallon receptacles to 3,000 residences as part of a four-month pilot program. Data collected will help officials determine the potential effectiveness of a citywide program.

City Hall workers already have gotten into the act. On July 5 cardboard boxes were distributed to each of the 260 employees for collection of mixed paper, computer paper, glass, aluminum, newspaper and California redemption plastic beverage containers.

“We’re averaging 200-300 pounds a day at City Hall,” said Grahame Watts, the recycling coordinator. “The average employee throws away 1 1/2 pounds a day.” Perhaps its the weight of all that red tape?