Literal translation
in La Ciotat, in Carpentras, they prefer the whole to the half
Meaning
in La Ciotat as in Carpentras, they'd rather have it all than half
Explanation
This expression attributes to two Provençal towns, La Ciotat on the coast and Carpentras in the Comtat Venaissin, the same marked preference for the whole over the half. Aimon miés (prefer, miés meaning better) tout (the whole) que la mita (over the half) state a simple preference, with no image to decode, applied jokingly to two communities that oral tradition links for their shared taste for all-or-nothing. This type of saying tied to one or more town names belongs to a widespread Provençal genre, good-natured territorial teasing, where each locality is assigned a character trait, often shared from town to town depending on the local version of the saying. That the same formula applies equally to La Ciotat and to Carpentras, two towns that are far apart and otherwise unrelated, shows that the mocked trait, a preference for the whole over the part, matters more than the town itself. The register is one of regional teasing, without real malice, often quoted by the residents themselves with amused pride.