Why Travel To France

An American in France writes about the good, the bad and the quirky

Headings Only

2008-10-22 7:10am

2008-10-21 4:33pm

2008-10-20 1:02pm

2008-10-20 10:34am

2008-10-18 8:16am

2008-10-17 2:07pm

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2008-10-16 2:56pm

2008-10-15 6:49pm

2008-10-15 6:36pm

2008-10-15 12:40pm

2008-10-15 11:48am

2008-10-12 9:01am

2008-10-11 7:18am

2008-10-10 6:16pm

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2008-10-10 1:31pm

2008-10-10 11:27am

2008-10-09 5:28pm

2008-10-09 4:04pm

2008-10-09 3:38pm

2008-10-09 1:15pm

2008-10-05 10:55am

2008-10-03 8:54pm

2008-10-01 3:57pm

2008-10-01 3:46pm

2008-10-01 2:02pm

2008-10-01 10:28am

2008-9-29 7:36pm

2008-9-28 3:23pm

2008-9-28 3:06pm

2008-9-26 4:41pm

2008-9-25 7:13pm

We heart Apple season (well I guess we heart all seasons) where we live and this wheelbarrow is about the third one of apples we’ve harvested in the last month or so - from only one tree. By the way, if we didn’t live here in the countryside I probably wouldn’t even be familiar with the French word for wheelbarrow, which is une brouette, just in case you were wondering. My city dwelling family members in the U.S. tease me about this to no end (because I used to be such a die-hard city person), and they sometimes tell people that I am a farmer now. I’m not but I’m actually fine with that.

So many people just leave their apples to drop off and rot on the ground, I mean hundreds upon hundreds of precious, yummy pesticide-free apples, which makes no sense to me but whatever. We can never have enough apples; bring ‘em on, we say.

So far, I’ve only made pectin (with the greener ones), apple compote, and lots of apple (plus other fruit and veggie) juice, but I really would like to try to make some chaussons aux pommes (French apple turnovers) and some tartes aux pommes (apple tarts/pies). You know, do something French with these apples, since they’re French afterall. Maybe I’ll try making something this weekend if I’m not too lazy.

tags: france, french, apples

2008-9-24 1:52pm

My book arrived in the mail today! A French expressions dictionary is perfect for my lack of attention span these days. Just open up a random page and learn something quickly. And voilà, quoi.

Some of the first items we fell upon were unknown to my sweetie, so there’s a good chance that many expressions in this book will not be that practical because even French people aren’t familiar with them. However, there are definitely some silly ones, good for a laugh. Here’s one I thought was fun, and like many French expressions, involves food.

avoir le persil qui dépasse du cabas - to have parsley overflowing from a basket (or grocery bag) - means that your pubic hair is exposed (because your bathing suit is too small or you haven’t shaved depending on your perspective). Example: Je ne peux pas aller à la piscine, j’ai le persil qui dépasse du cabas ! (I can’t go to the pool because my pubic hair is showing! (or because I haven’t shaved!))

tags: france, french, french expressions, parsley, pubic hair

2008-9-22 5:47pm

From Timesonline:

“France may be home to some of the world’s finest wines but it could be about to join the tiny club of Muslim states that forbid their promotion on the internet.

Winemakers and other players in the drinks industry are fighting to avert a ban on advertising, sales and even vineyard websites that has been looming ever since a court ruled that the internet should be included in France’s strict laws regarding alcohol advertising.

The Heineken beer company was forced by the ruling last February to block French access to its corporate site. Since then, some of the biggest drinks brands have shut out French visitors for fear of prosecution. “Today in France, the sight of a bottle of wine has become as offensive as a picture of war or pornography,” said Daniel Lorson, a spokesman for CIVC, the industry body of champagne producers.

The industry complains that it is being demonised and that an internet ban would penalise hugely one of the glories of the French economy and the national heritage. A click from France on Courvoisier cognac, for example, elicits the message: “Sorry, the regulations of your country do not authorise us to give you access to our site.”
Web users from France are even banned from dropping in on Orlando wines in South Australia, because they are owned by France’s Pernod Ricard drinks group. The site does, however, welcome visitors from Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

Even the…. Read the article

tags: french, internet ban on advertising alcohol, strange

2008-9-22 5:27pm

it would look like Artus de Penguern!

While feeding my chronic insomnia a couple of weeks ago, I was happy to find this late night French movie that actually was not like the variety of French movies where someone (or everyone) kills themselves at the end by jumping out a window. Instead, it was a very silly one called, “Grégoire Moulin contre l’humanité” (Gregoire Moulin Versus Humanity). Of course, lots of people die in this movie too, but it’s all in good fun. In a nutshell, Grégoire Moulin contre l’humanité is black comedy that seems to take inspiration from Amélie, After Hours (by Martin Scorsese!) and a drop of Reservoir Dogs, mixes them all together in a nutty 90 minute film. (Gregoire Moulin contre l’humanité was released the same year as Amélie, just six months later.)

Watching the main character played by Artus de Penguern distracted me a little because he constantly reminded me of a pensive and anguished older brother of Robert Downey Jr. If de Penguern looks familiar, you might remember him from his role as Hipolito, the failed writer in Amélie.

Related: Another celebrity mating

tags: france, french, Artus de Penguern, Grégoire Moulin contre l’humanité, Gregoire Moulin Versus Humanity, Martin Scorsese, Robert Downey Jr., Amelie, Reservoir Dogs

2008-9-21 3:10pm

The PSAs in France rock, and I really like this one launched by l’Institut national du Cancer that began airing on September 14 (and runs through October 8 on TF1, France2, France 3, Canal+, M6, TMC, TV Breizh, RTL 9, Planète Thalassa, Arte, Vivolta, Paris Première, France 4, LCI, National Geographic, Voyage, and TF6).

In just 30 seconds, the spot called, “le voyage intérieur‘ takes a serious subject, colon cancer, and de-dramatizes it with this funny-faced “cancer cell.” The ultimate goal is to reduce the fear factor, and hopefully get people (ages 50+) to consider getting tested for colon cancer, which is the second cause of death by cancer in France. (Lung cancer is the leading cause of death by cancer in France.) If it is detected early, 9 out of 10 cases are cured.

Click on the image or here to watch the 30 second spot

tags: france, colon cancer, psa, early detection, early prevention, second leading cause of death

2008-9-20 11:22am

From AP:

“After tainted baby milk, now toxic chairs from China.

Customers in France who bought Chinese-made recliners are complaining of stinging allergic rashes and infections.

One customer, Caroline Morin, said yesterday that she was stunned to learn the chair she bought last December appears to have caused the skin problems she says she suffered for months.

“You sit comfortably on something and in fact you have a bomb under your butt,” she said.

The French distributor, Conforama, warned clients in July that some of the chairs and sofas presented an allergy risk “in rare cases.” It has withdrawn them from sale and now says the health problems were linked to an anti-fungal chemical in the chairs.

The case gained attention this week following French media reports exposing problems suffered by people who bought the chairs.

One was Dolores Ennrich, who says that because of long-term illness she spent a lot of time sitting in the recliner she purchased in March 2007.

She says she suffered painful eczema and skin infections on her left thigh, back, and left arm.

“It went away, it came back, it went away. That went on for more than a year,” she said. “It is very painful.”

Conforama says it has severed its commercial ties with the Chinese supplier, Linkwise, and told its other suppliers to no longer use the chemical, dimethyl fumarate, to prevent mold.

Linkwise is based in the manufacturing hub of Dongguan in southern China.

A man who answered the phone at the company said yesterday that the firm is working with the Chinese government’s quality inspection watchdogs to investigate the problem. He would not give details.”

tags: france, conforama, dimethyl fumarate, anti-fungal chemical, toxic furniture

2008-9-19 5:02pm

The unsmelly version.

tags: france, epoisses, chateau d’epoisses

2008-9-18 5:22pm

I was recently at a dinner party and someone recommended that I get some DVDs of Raymond Devos, a famous stand-up comedian (as well as a humorist, clown and “fake” Belgian). She thought I’d really enjoy his humor. Immediately, another person in the group blurted, “She’s not going to understand that!” and continues, “there are too many expressions that will just go past her.”

Obviously, I didn’t appreciate his asinine comment at all. Admittedly, he may have been right about what he said, but he shouldn’t have said that JACKASS comment out loud. What a jerk.

He is now on my HATE list.

Anyway, last night on the news, they announced the release of a new dictionary called, On va le dire comme ca, and I had to get it! I just ordered it even though it is 30 euros. It’s sort of the first of its kind, apparently, and explains 5000 French expressions and sayings (in French). As a non-native French speaker who is always trying to learn new words and expressions, this kind of information comes slowly, and painfully, like in conversations. And it doesn’t help when I immediately forget what they mean.

With this dictionary, it’ll be nice to have most if not all expressions I’ll ever come across, conveniently located in one book.

tags: france, french, dictionary, french expressions, unpleasant dinner guests

2008-9-17 7:03pm

Tired of the constant criticism aimed at the wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon region, specifically that the wines were “crap,” an independent vintner responded with a revolutionary and rebellious idea and created, “Le vin de merde” (Shit wine). The wine label will be hard to miss if you ever see it on a shelf because there’s a big fat fly on it as if it were sitting on a pile of poo. Brilliant and funny publicity stunt. The wine, however, is supposedly not crappy at all. Would make a fun dinner party gift.

tags: france, wine, le vin de merde, great publicity stunt, shit wine

[via Canal+]

2008-9-16 2:44pm

Embracing the philosophy that the dangers and risks of cell phones are REAL, our very awesome grocery store, Morvan Bio, is adopting the same policies that healthcare facilities have put in force for years, that is, banning mobile phone use in their establishments. Hospitals in France (and even in the U.S. and elsewhere) do not allow the use of cell phones for obvious reasons.

We only recently noticed this “no cell phones allowed” sign on their door, but I think it’s been enforced since their opening about a year or so ago.

Good for them! I hope other businesses will follow suit.

Morvan Bio
10 bis Avenue Charles de Gaulle
71400 Autun France
Telephone: 03.85.52.44.44

tags: france, cell phone dangers, morvan bio, harmful radiation

2008-9-15 6:33am

From AP:

“Plastic forks, disposable diapers, drafty houses _ if it hurts the environment, make it cost more. That’s the message France’s government wants to send with a raft of proposed new taxes.

France’s ecology minister said Sunday the government is considering a “picnic tax” on disposable dishes to encourage people to use reusable plates and cups instead.

Speaking on Europe-1 radio, Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet said the plan wouldn’t stop at picnicware. For example, she said, “We could make it so that in all public maternity wards, you would be taught to use washable diapers.”

She said a new carrot-and-stick plan already applied to cars is being spread to other environmentally damaging products such as paints and detergents.

The plan offers a bonus of up to $7,000 to buyers of fuel-efficient cars, but as of next year it will slap extra fees of up to a few thousand euros (dollars) on the cost of heavy polluters like SUVs.

The idea is meant to change the habits of both consumers and manufacturers by getting people to calculate the environmental cost of their waste, though some critics _ even within the Finance Ministry _ fear it could crimp growth.

Kosciusko-Morizet said the plan could be spread to some 20 other types of products, from paints to household appliances and detergents. She said the tax would be determined based on the “recyclability” of the product, among other things.

And she said it could even be extended to homes, based on how energy-efficient they are.

The financial details of the taxes have yet to be worked out. Some will be introduced in the 2009 budget, which the government will present at the end of the month.”

tags: france, environment tax, picnic tax

2008-9-05 5:43pm

tags: france, pumpkins, squash

2008-9-04 9:53am

Tired of shlepping your guide books around Paris? If you have an iPhone, you might want look into Frommer’s Paris Guide, which fits nicely on your favorite mobile phone from Apple. This is basically the hard copy guide book, but in a digital and more convenient format.

While we’re on the subject of i-things, Apple is rumored to be announcing new iPods next Tuesday, September 9, so keep an eye out for that. By the way, iPod Touches are basically iPhones without the phone (but with internet), so most (if not all) iPhone apps should be able to work on these.

Frommer’s Paris iPhone App (You must have iTunes installed on your Mac or PC to view this)

tags: france, paris travel, travel guides, frommers, iphone apps

2008-9-01 7:01pm

Effective today, these new silver 5 euro coins will be in distribution all across Europe…as if we didn’t have enough coins! I wish they would get rid of the copper coins, especially the 1 cent ones that are roughly the same size as a grain of sand.

tags: france, money, new euro coins, 5 euro coins, pièce de 5 euros

[via]

2008-9-01 11:47am

The Parti Socialist (PS) just wrapped up their L’université d’été, a summer camp-like convention for French politicians. This year it was in La Rochelle (I’m not sure if the venue changes yearly). Here’s the extremely long-winded Francois Hollande, the premier secrétaire of the socialist party with the mayor of La Rochelle, Maxime Bono, in the background.

Previous dialogues: The Dalai Lama and Carla Bruni, Michael Phelps and Alain Bernard, Sarkozy and Qaddafi, Laurent Voulzy and Alain Souchon, Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy, Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan, Tom Hanks and Jean Reno, Daniel Balavoine and Francois Mitterrand, Florent Pagny, Zidane and Xavier Darcos

tags: france, politicians, ps, francois hollande, L’université d’été

2008-8-31 1:53pm

Have you changed your driving habits in France to be more environmentally friendly? Do you drive a hybrid or electric car, or have you given up your car permanently? Do you use biofuel? Did you join a carpool? Do you have any other tips related to reducing gasoline consumption? France 5 Television wants to have a word with you. Please call 01 56 26 16 76 if you’re interested in participating in a television show featuring people in France trying to change their lives to live more green.

tags: france, hybrids, peak oil, carpooling, green living in france france 5, television

2008-8-30 6:55pm

Here’s a new, ultra-handy, free dashboard widget for Mac users who speak and write French. It’s a French dictionary that is much easier to use than the tangible leaf through (with your actual hands!) version, as well as even an online dictionary. Install and off you go. Just hit F12 to access your dashboard and your dictionary will be waiting for you. Download it here. If you use it often, please consider donating to the developer.

tags: france, french, widget, dictionary, dictionnaire, dashboard, mac

2008-8-29 5:13pm

tags: france, notre dame d’amiens, cathedral, amiens

2008-8-29 1:32pm

From the rawfeed:

“France’s national train service (SNCF) is offering 1,000 USB TRAIN TICKETS in a trial. The tickets also contain a unique-ID RFID chip that provides wireless “easy pass” access to trains. By plugging the card into a PC USB port, the users’ computers are automatically connected to the SNCF web site, where they can make payments and get schedules. Schedules can be downloaded to the card. The cards work like a debit card — passengers buy some amount — say, 100 Euros — then the fare is deducted each time they ride. The cards also serve as photo ID, with passengers’ pictures on the outside.” Link

tags: france, sncf, train travel, usb train tickets, weneo

2008-8-28 8:47am

From electronista:

“French cellphone carrier Orange has admitted to imposing artificial limits on its 3G broadband network, reports say. The confession comes after complaints from a number of iPhone 3G owners, who in testing their download capacity discovered that they were limited to a maximum of 400Kbps, as compared to the 1.8Mbps possible on T-Mobile’s German network.

Most 3G networks are limited to a peak speed of 3.2Mbps, although some may support 7.2Mbps. Some upset Orange subscribers have been able to get their speeds raised by technicians, who have altered individual accounts to push speeds as high as 3Mbps. Customers have further alleged that the cap may be a violation of Orange’s service agreements, and a petition for proper 3G access has been formed online.

An Orange representative contacted by FranceInfo has stated that the cap is actually pegged at 384Kbps, and applies not just to iPhones but all devices on its 3G network. The limit was aimed at “preserving the stability of the network,” according to the representative, but Orange has since decided it will raise download speeds slightly; by September 15th, the cap should be 1Mbps.”

tags: france, iphone, 3g, 3g network speed, orange is evil

2008-8-27 11:48am

Here’s some kooky celeb trivia in France from bittenandbound:

“Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are eligible to receive $2592.81 in parenting subsidies [for 6 kids] each month as residents of France.

Jolie gave birth to twins Knox and Vivienne on July 12. The couple have three adopted children - Maddox, six, Pax, four and three-year-old Zahara, and a biological daughter, Shiloh, who was born in Namibia two years ago.”

tags: france, Chateau Miraval, CAF, Brignoles, jolie pitt, child support

2008-8-25 5:44pm

Previous dialogues: Michael Phelps and Alain Bernard, Sarkozy and Qaddafi, Laurent Voulzy and Alain Souchon, Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy, Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan, Tom Hanks and Jean Reno, Daniel Balavoine and Francois Mitterrand, Florent Pagny, Zidane and Xavier Darcos

tags: france, dalai lama, carla bruni, sarkozy no show, china’s slave

2008-8-24 6:30am

From autobloggreen and ecolotrader:

“We heard that MDI, the creators of the AirCar - excuse us, the “Compressed Air Vehicle” - broke off all commercial relations with Miguel Celades, who had been carrying its commercial operations for a while. We tried multiple times to contact Mr. Celades for further explanations, but couldn’t. So, we turned to MDI’s new webpage and other sources for the information.

The good news is that MDI is still working on their vehicle and has taken some steps to get it on the road. The French environmental website Ecolo-Trader has unveiled a picture of the first MiniCAT model with regular car plates, which should mean it’s road-worthy and has received all the legal requirements from the French Ministry of Industry. MDI’s MiniCAT has an range of 80 km while running exclusively with compressed air and, thanks to a system which heats compressed air (using fuel), the range can be extended even further. According to the website, which refers to the Southern France newspaper, MDI is planning a second factory to increase output of the MiniCAT. The model will be on display for the Paris Motor Show and on sale in France at the beginning of 2009.”

Note: The license plates look like they’re from the Var region in the south of France around the cities of Toulon and Draguignon.

[via]

tags: france, air car, mdi, minicat, guy negre

2008-8-23 9:18am

This time the uranium leak is in Pierrelatte, which actually shares the same nuclear power facilities as Tricastin, where the last two leaks were found, but the media has been suspiciously removing “Tricastin” from this news and are making people think that Pierrelatte is not in the same place. Well, it IS in the same place.

Tricastin and Pierrelatte are villages next to each other and they share the same nuclear power site, referred to as “Tricastin-Pierrelatte.” Pierrelatte happens to be in the Drome department and Tricastin is in the Vaucluse department but they are literally “across the street” from each other. Areva, the company responsible for the nuclear power plants, is the very same company responsible for all of the other uranium leaks in the area, and again is saying that it is a “small” leak and therefore of little consequence.” YEA RIGHT. article (in French)

Links: more uranium leaks, Greepeace suing Areva

tags: france, real estate, uranium, contamination, radioactive leaks, tricastin, pierrelatte, corporate lies

2008-8-22 7:15pm

tags: france, travel, bretagne, cancale, brittany

2008-8-21 2:27pm

Before the weather gets too chilly, I thought I’d mention the village of Cap d’Agde, where being butt naked is obligatory. If interested, you’ll still have time to enjoy the sun à poil (in your birthday suit).

The village of Cap d’Agde, also called, “The Naked City,” is a seaside port and resort along the Mediterranean not far from the cities of Carcassone, Nimes and Montpellier. (in the Hérault department, in the région of Languedoc-Roussillon). It is supposedly the world’s largest naturist village. “Naturism,” which many people call nudism, is legal so it isn’t uncommon to see families walking around naked in supermarkets, shops, banks, restaurants, hotels, hairdressers, camp sites, etc. The beach in Cap d’Agde, which extends across 3 kilometers of beach, enforces a “nudity mandatory” policy, which means you MUST be nude there. I’m not sure what happens if you have any clothes on. Do the police rip them off of you? Are you arrested for wearing a sock? What happens in the COLD winter?

So anyway, this is a place where you can literally let it all hang out, perfect for an even tan with no bathing suit lines. Definitely not for everybody, and for the most part, it’s really no big deal - But don’t be led to think it’s entirely a wholesome place to vacation with the kids. Cap d’Agde is a lot of things.

While it IS perfectly okay to vacation here with kids, the place fulfills a whole spectrum of expectations, primarily regarding sexual satisfaction. For example, during the day families and kids are at the beach to have fun in the sun, but at the same time, others may be scouting the territory to find potential sexual partners for the evening or couples will be looking for other couples to switch partners with. Say, you’re invited to a party one night in the village. It would very a rare occasion if that party didn’t involve gratuitous non-committal sex with multiple partners. In other words, it has some innocence but on the other hand, anything goes. So with all the swingers clubs scattered amidst the family shops and restaurants, and the people, voyeurs and all (yes there are naked voyeurs here), it all seems pretty relaxed. For some reason these two incongruous communities: happy family fun and the old school naturists, and the sex motivated swingers with pierced genitals, work harmoniously side by side.

tags: france, travel, nude beaches, cap d’agde, naturism france, naked city

2008-8-21 8:32am

From AP:

“France’s broadcast authority has banned French channels from marketing TV shows to children under 3 years old, to shield them from developmental risks it says television viewing poses at that age.

The three companies behind BabyFirstTV are Regency Enterprises, a film and TV production company that is a partner of News Corp.’s Fox Entertainment; Kardan N.V., an investment group based in the Netherlands and Israel; and Bellco Capital, a private Los Angeles-based investment fund.”

tags: france, television, france bans tv for babies, baby first tv, baby tv

2008-8-20 6:49pm

I wish they had these organic raw milk vending machines in my area, but these are in L’Arbresle situated in the Rhone region, not far from Lyon. The vending machines operate 24/7 and are found in 3 communities nearest a Champion supermarket.

Bring your own container to be filled or use one that is available at the vending machines. One liter costs 1.10, which I think is a great value. The milk has not been treated in any way and is simply stored at 3°C. 300 liters are stored per day, and the container is thoroughly cleaned and filled every morning. You can also get raw organic milk at the farm directly: Le lait de la ferme.

Le Lait de la ferme
Contact: Gerard Gayet
La Gondoliere
69930 Saint Laurent de Chamousset
Tél : 06 80 42 92 44
Mail : ggayet@terre-net.fr

tags: france, rhone, l’organic raw milk,vending machines, l’Arbresle, Gérard Gayet

[via]

2008-8-20 5:44pm

From hotelchatter:

“Picture this: A hotel guest, sleepless after a night spent at the posh Marriot Champs Elysees, asks the concierge for help getting an emergency passport.

Unfortunately, his directions were wrong. The concierge of an American hotel, a five-star hotel at that, had sent us awry. We … “ Continued:

tags: france, paris, hotels, marriott, Champs Elysees

2008-8-20 10:57am

Previous dialogues: Sarkozy and Qaddafi, Laurent Voulzy and Alain Souchon, Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy, Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan, Tom Hanks and Jean Reno, Daniel Balavoine and Francois Mitterrand, Florent Pagny, Zidane and Xavier Darcos

tags: france, michael phelps, olympics 2008, alain bernard, world record

2008-8-18 7:40pm

The life of animals according to man. Funny French vignettes here. (You don’t need to know how to speak French to understand these.)

[via]

tags: france, La vie des animaux selon les hommes, comedy, skits, french

2008-8-16 3:31pm

While I’m doing my best to eliminate junk food from my diet, my sweetie, on the other hand, remains true to some “non-foods” that nobody should be consuming. He was eating this so-called ice cream sandwich thing at my parents-in-laws and we joked about the kooky name, “Nacho.” I dunno, but that alone would make me not want to eat it unless it was crunchy, salty, melting with cheesy goodness and bursting with jalapeño peppers. Well, I guess it’s sort of shaped like a taco, which is remotely related. I don’t think there was any actual cream in this “ice cream,” and I’m almost positive it isn’t from France. Was this a bi-lingual dictionary disaster?

tags: france, nacho ice cream, junk food, snacks, calling something it isn’t

2008-8-15 5:40pm

Dinan, in Bretagne (Brittany)

tags: france, dinan, bretagne, photos, brittany

2008-8-14 2:26pm

Tucked away in Chennai, India (southeast coast of India in the northeast of Tamil Nadu), you’ll find an usual and unexpected establishment: a French baking school. The school was created by 25-year-old Alexis de Duclas, a graduate of Essec, one of France’s top business schools, and 24-year-old certified French baker, Antoine Soive, who had previously worked in one of Alain Ducasse’s Michelin star restaurants.

Together, they work toward helping the “Untouchables” in India,* (also called Dalits) the very bottom, absolute lowest level of the Hindu caste system. Their objective is to train and certify the untouchables in the production of French baked goods and pastries, so they will later be more fairly integrated into society and regularly employed. The inspiration to found the school came after a fateful meeting with Ducla and Father Ceyrac, a Jesuit missionary who had worked with Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charities to support children and people in distress in India. Many, many months later, Ducla launched his baking school.

Ducla’s school is the epitome of corporate social responsibility, with social issues being the very core of the business, while still maintaining the ability to literally and figuratively “make dough.” Ducla wanted to prove that humanitarian projects can also be profitable. The school is run by the Charity Education and Rural Development Trust. Classes are also funded by philanthropists from India and France. Ducla’s business manages to make a reasonable amount of profit by selling their products.

Students are chosen based on their “untouchability” therefore they must be from economically weak areas and they must be motivated. That is the criteria for selection to this unique school. Along with cooking lessons, the students are also required to take English, Tamil and Science lessons. The training is rigorous and students are required to wake up at midnight and work through the night. After two years of intensive training they should be ready and equipped to handle anything from a fancy gateau for a five star kitchen, to petit fours for a high end restaurant.

A couple of years after the launch of the school, Ducla opened La Boulangerie, a French bakery/ cafe in Anna Nagar West in Chennai operated and maintained by Untouchables (15th Main Road, Anna Nagar West, Chennai 10 Tamil Nadu, India), serving, croissants, cakes, breads and sandwiches.

*Who are the Untouchables in India?

Untouchables in india are branded as impure from the moment of birth. Approximately 1 out of 6 indians (160 million people) live and suffers at the bottom of the Hindu caste system. India’s Untouchables are relegated to the lowest jobs, and live in constant fear of being publicly humiliated, paraded naked, beaten, and raped with impunity by upper-caste Hindus seeking to keep them in their place. Merely walking through an upper-caste neighborhood is a life-threatening offense.

Nearly 90 percent of all the poor Indians and 95 percent of all the illiterate Indians are Dalits/Untouchables, according to figures presented at the International Dalit Conference.

tags: france, alexis de ducla, la boulangerie, chennai india, Anna Nagar West , untouchables

2008-8-13 5:48pm

From the Boisset Family Estates press release:

“…….”This year, Boisset Family Estates is the first winery ever to announce that all Beaujolais Nouveau wines imported to North America will be packaged exclusively in lightweight PET plastic bottles,” states Jean-Charles Boisset, President, Boisset Family Estates. “In addition, we will simultaneously debut Fog Mountain, featuring the first organically-farmed California Nouveau in 750ml PET bottles, to highlight our commitment to reducing the wine world’s carbon footprint by producing locally.”

“It is critical in today’s time, with the scarcity of our planet’s resources and the known environmental impacts of human activity, that we consider whether we should still ship thousands of cases of wine in heavy bottles via air throughout the world in order for the wines to arrive on time for their annual release date in November, when we can reduce fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions by more than half through a responsible choice of packaging.”

….Boisset Family Estates owns and imports Mommessin and Bouchard Aîné & Fils - two venerable Burgundy wine houses each with deep historical traditions in Burgundy and Beaujolais….”

This California company, importing wines from France, claims to be innovative and eco-minded.

Read the whole press release

tags: france, california, beaujolais nouveau, wine in plastic bottles, landfill problems, PET bottles, toxic

[via]

2008-8-13 8:56am

I haven’t given up on my attempts to support indie game and software developers, particularly those in France, so I’m featuring a small, time waster of the day called, “Hog Pop,” just released by Jean-Philippe Sarda, the same guy who brought you that fun yet infuriating Parallel Parking game.

With Hog Pop, your mission is to pop a required number of bubbles, but I haven’t seen any hogs yet.

Pop now!

More games:

How well do you know your world?
Cities Game
How Well Do You Know the World Map?
Ouverture Facile
Jeu chiant
L’expresso empoisonné
Run n Roll
Recyle
The Museum
Parallel Parking Game
Ladybugs
Boulangerie the Game
Solitaire

tags: france, games, hog pop, independent game developers, french, Jean-Philippe Sarda

2008-8-12 6:14pm

In our world that has unfortunately embraced the notion of “planned obsolescence,” when I encounter quality-made, let alone hand-made items, AND made in France, they stand out like stars amidst the dark universe.

In a small village not too far from where we live, we walked by an unassuming, “blend-in-the-background” studio and I’m happy we actually noticed what was inside because we saw these flowers in pots:

Nope, they aren’t really flower pots, they’re leather purses! Aren’t they totally adorable and original? They are one of a kind and there are several whimsical and unique purses inside this handbag artist’s studio: an haricot purse, carrot purse, and my favorite, an eggplant purse. Sorry, but the photo of the aubergine was too blurry to post.

We talked with Sylvia, an expat from Switzerland, who is the creative mastermind behind these works of art and we chatted a bit. She’d mentioned that she took several purses to a luxury handbag store in the south of France, a fancy store that sells designer handbags. The owner of this store had rejected her purses because he said, “They are too nice and well-made.” He wanted purses that would break in a matter of months so customers would return to buy new purses. Grrr!

Her purses, wallets, etc. - are all made out of high quality leather. They will last forever. These are also unique. As an artisan specializing in purses / wallets (and other maroquinerie / leather goods) in France, she is by law, not allowed to make more than 6 of the same style items. This isn’t a problem, she says, because it gives her more freedom to be creative with new styles.

And creative, she is. Look at this watering can key chain holder.

Here’s her “book purse.”

If you’re not into these playful designs, she does make more “serious” styles as well. Everything is impressive.

I love that these purses are so much fun, different and one of a kind (or at most 6 of a kind). It’s perfect for people who want a designer purse that no one else has. It’s a shift from mass produced to niche unique, which I feel is becoming a nice trend. The “mass market” used to be considered as highly demanded and therefore of quality value, but that is simply no longer the case. In reality, mass produced purses, even if they’re designer brands, represents a recognizable label that exists because of savvy marketing/advertising executives calling out to a shallow, broad appeal.

Niche items, like these purses, have much more value, are beautiful, and they will last a long, long time. Note: You can also order custom made bags from Sylvia. If you’re interested in purchasing any of her works, check out her purses at the following link below:

One of a Kind Handbags Made in France

tags: france, unique handbags,handbags, purses, made in france, leather, niche purses

2008-8-12 9:24am

From the nyt:

“The National Front, the French anti-immigration party, is selling its historic headquarters to a Chinese university to raise cash, the party’s leader, Jean-Marie Le Pen, left, was quoted on Monday as saying. Mr. Le Pen, whose slogan in several presidential campaigns was “Keep France for the French,” confounded predictions by reaching the runoff in the 2002 presidential election. But stinging defeats in last year’s parliamentary vote have left the party deep in the red. The magazine L’Express said on its Web site that Mr. Le Pen believed that the university, which he did not name, wanted to turn the building, in the Paris suburb of St.-Cloud, into a French-language school. He did not give the sale price, but L’Express reported that it would be as much as 15 million euros, or about $22 million.” [Link]

tags: france, china owns france, national front, le pen, ironic, greedy, fascists, hypocrites

2008-8-11 10:26am

Previous Dialogues: Laurent Voulzy and Alain Souchon, Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy, Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan, Tom Hanks and Jean Reno, Daniel Balavoine and Francois Mitterrand, Florent Pagny, Zidane and Xavier Darcos

tags: france, dalai lama, gaddafi, sarkozy snubs the dalai lama, china’s french poodle

2008-8-10 7:10pm

A couple of days ago Apple yanked one of the listed iPhone apps from the iTunes store. The app with a $1000 price tag (actually $999.99), brilliant in my opinion and funny to boot, displays an image of a glowing red ruby that would always remind you (and others when you show it to them) that you are rich enough to afford it. That’s all it does. I’m serious.

The kooky thing is: EIGHT people bought it! Really. So the German developer, Armin Heinrich worked for approximately one hour to churn out this app and voila, he made over 5,000 bucks. ($8,000 minus Apple’s commission) And according to the LAtimes, the buyers were 6 Americans, 1 German and 1 French person. (or someone living in France). Did they think they were getting an actual ruby? Or do you think they just wanted it and could kick around a thousand bucks just like that? Did they show it to other people? Are they proud of it?

tags: france, i am rich, iphone applications, ruby, insane

2008-8-10 4:00pm

^{“Paris Mushrooms, it’s when they’re in your mouth that they’re the happiest.”}

Aside from this ad promoting Champignons de Paris (button mushrooms) in France being very, very cute, I’m wondering why the mushroom industry (if there’s a mushroom industry) needs to advertise in the first place. Is there an overproduction of mushrooms? I rarely see ads for other veggies like cucumbers or celery or artichokes or for any veggies, ever; really, this is strange to me. Is there a silent mushroom consumption grève (strike) or something? … So much so that mushroom farmers need a push from ads?

Just a couple of weeks ago, our neighbors asked us if we had any extra mushrooms they could borrow because they couldn’t find any anywhere near our neighborhood. My sweetie, being even more of a conspiracy theorist than I am (yea, I know! unbelievable but true!), suggested that the radioactive leaks lately have been compromising the mushrooms, which perhaps were then removed from the market. Apparently, mushrooms excessively absorb radiation, which is an enormous help to people around…unless they eat those mushrooms…

tags: france, mushrooms, champignons de paris, radioactive contamination, uranium leaks

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2008-8-10 3:12pm

From AFP:

“The Dalai Lama kicks off Tuesday an 11-day visit to France that threatened to spark a crisis between Paris and Beijing, until President Nicolas Sarkozy quashed speculation he would meet the Tibetan spiritual leader.

Planned more than two years ago, the Nobel peace laureate’s French visit turned suddenly political after a Chinese crackdown on unrest in Tibet in March that sparked international outrage in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics.

Sarkozy’s initial threat to boycott the Olympic opening ceremony, together with rowdy pro-Tibet protests during the passage of the Olympic flame through Paris, fuelled a months-long diplomatic spat with Beijing.

And a decision by the opposition-held Paris city hall to name the 73-year-old spiritual guide an honorary citizen further fanned tensions.

Though Sarkozy decided last month to attend Friday’s opening, noting progress in talks between China and the Dalai Lama, he failed to prevent a wave of protests targeting French commercial interests in China.

Speculation over a meeting with the Buddhist leader in France since then continued to pour oil on the fire, with the Chinese ambassador in Paris warning of “serious consequences” for bilateral relations.

The French leader’s office finally announced Wednesday that no meeting would take place, saying it was the Dalai Lama’s decision.

The Dalai Lama’s representative in France Wangpo Bashi told AFP that the “timing is not right”, saying a meeting during the Olympics risked setting back talks between Tibetan and Chinese parties.

Instead, Sarkozy’s wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy — who under French law has no official function — will attend the inauguration by Dalai Lama of a temple in southern France on August 22.

On Wednesday, the Buddhist leader is scheduled to meet some 250 senators and deputies from the French parliamentary group on Tibet, before holding talks with leaders of the French Tibetan community.

The rest of his August 12-23 stay will be devoted to religious visits, in the Paris region and elsewhere, and a six-day teaching cycle in the western city of Nantes.

“It is first and foremost a spiritual, religious visit,” said Bashi, who heads the Tibet Bureau in Paris. “That is how it was always intended.”

France is home to an estimated 770,000 Buddhists, according to the French Buddhist union, three quarter of them of Asian origin.

The Dalai Lama has visited France a dozen times since 1982, meeting with city or government officials and once with the president, the late Francois Mitterrand, in 1993.

France’s left-wing Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and junior minister for human rights Rama Yade have both said they would be willing to meet him, but no such plans have been announced.

Sarkozy has been accused at home of flip-flopping on the issue of the Olympics and undermining France’s credibility in China.

Critics note that other Western leaders, including of the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany and Britain have met the Dalai Lama in the past two years without jeopardising their relations with Beijing.

Speaking from the Olympics opening ceremony, Sarkozy insisted Friday the meeting “has merely been postponed”.

The Dalai Lama’s representative confirmed that a meeting would take place before the end of the year.

China sent troops into Tibet in 1950 and officially “liberated” it the following year. The Dalai Lama fled into exile in India in 1959 following a failed uprising against Chinese rule.

Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of seeking independence for Tibet and of fomenting unrest in the territory to sabotage the Olympic Games.

The spiritual leader insists he wants autonomy and religious freedom rather than independence for Tibet, and has sent Beijing his “prayers and best wishes” for the success of the Olympics.”

tags: france, dala lama, His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso

2008-8-10 1:54pm

I’ve more than had enough of the clichéd sexist depiction of French maids, and the misuse of “ooh la la.” First, French maids don’t look like this. Ever. Secondly, if there were any French maids like this, which there aren’t, they would never say “ooh la la” in a light-hearted, provocative way, drinking wine and sporting a mini skirt and some fish net stockings.

Although these wines are from the south of France, the California company’s marketing people are obviously NOT French. I do see the silliness and play on words here and the wine might be legitimately good, but stop it, already!

In retrospect, I’m beginning to love the wine labels with the pissing fat guys.

[via]

tags: france, wine labels, french maid, cliches that refuse to die, wrong

2008-8-08 6:06pm

2008-8-08 9:45am

Two nights ago on the evening news Francoise Laborde lightly mentioned that there was yet ANOTHER uranium leak at the Tricastin nuclear power plant near Avignon. This makes a reported 3 radioactive leaks in the last couple of months, and 2 leaks at the same plant. Only partially paying attention, I wasn’t sure I heard correctly. Me, “Wait. WHAT??!” But the subject was over in literally 20 seconds. No elaboration of any kind. This seemed like substantial news but it was slipped hidden in between back to school news and international news (video archive Edition du Mercredi 6 Août 2008).

Me: That nuclear power plant in Tricastin is 30 years old or so, and it’s encountering more and more problems.

Him: Yup.

Me: Is this an accident waiting to happen, here? I mean, it’s literally falling apart at the seams.

Him: Probably.

Me: Should we get the hell outta Dodge?

Him: Dodge?

Me: Should we leave France? I don’t want to be here when that things blows. You know, a French Chernobyl.

Him: Don’t worry about it. It probably has already blown.

Me: Um. Great. No wonder I’ve been feeling so crappy lately.

Link: Tricastin: Encore une fuite cachée? (in French)

tags: france, uranium leaks, tricastin, radiation, contamination

2008-8-08 8:23am

From time:

“Too much wine, it is known, can cause violent behavior. But few have gone as far as the grape growers of France’s Languedoc-Roussillon region, the world’s biggest wine-growing area by volume. Hurting from overproduction and cheap imports and punished lately by the rising cost of gas, a small group of local winegrowers has resorted to “wine terrorism” in a violent attempt to shock the French government into helping them.

On July 26, police arrested a vineyard farmer from the region for production and possession of illegal explosives. Apprehended in a hospital where he was being treated for injuries suffered when those explosives unexpectedly detonated, 34-year-old Jérôme Soulère confessed to police that he’d been responsible for the July 2006 bombing of a tax-collection office in a neighboring village. He also admitted, police say, to authoring the failed bombing last year of a site the Tour de France was set to pass the following day.
Those incidents are just two of many in a series of violent and destructive acts by local grape growers over the past three years that has targeted public and private buildings, supermarkets, tanker trucks hauling cheap imported wine, and businesses accused of gouging growers with ever shrinking prices. Claiming responsibility: a clandestine group known as….”

Read the full article

Related: Don’t Mess with French Farmers

tags: france, wine, vandals, wine lake

2008-8-06 7:16am

Get ready to pay more for snacks, anything considered fattening and food and beverage items deemed generally unhealthful.

The French government needs money! Forget about them caring about the health and well-being of the people, they’ve blatantly come out and stated they will tax these foods because it will be another tool to help the country’s financial recovery.

What are they taxing? “Certains produits “trop gras, trop sucrés, trop salés qui ne sont pas de stricte nécessité” Products that are too fatty, too sugary, too salty, that aren’t of strict necessity will be taxed a whopping 19.6%. Even one of the last remaining affordable items in France, wine, will be subject to this tax. KWA?!

This law will not go into effect for a while, so you have some time to try to accept this new change, which will be hard to swallow for many junk food junkies.

Article: Le Monde

Related: Roasted Chicken Flavor Potato Chips, Ketchup Flavored French Fry Chips, Smoked Ham Flavored Bugles

france, tax on junkfood, deficit

2008-8-05 6:22pm

From reuters:

“A herpes virus is killing young oysters in France because they have spent too much energy developing their sexual organs rather than their natural defenses, an oyster crisis team has found.

Scientists have spent weeks investigating a mysterious surge in mortality among the mollusks that the French love to devour with lemon and white wine.

France’s main marine research institute, Ifremer, set up the crisis team on July 3 and its members have been working flat out to understand why 40 to 100 percent of oysters aged 12 to 18 months were dying in all but one of France’s breeding areas.

An Ifremer spokeswoman said on Monday the team had established that a virus called Oyster Herpesvirus type 1, or OsHV-1, was killing young oysters, helped by unfavorable weather conditions that had weakened the mollusks.

“We had a warm winter followed by a rainy spring, which caused high levels of planktonic plant life to develop,” spokeswoman Johanna Martin said.

“This meant that the oysters were particularly well fed and spent a lot of energy developing their sexual organs to the detriment of their natural reserves, leaving them vulnerable to OsHV-1,” she said.

There is no cure for OsHV-1.

Ifremer is continuing its investigations and admits that other factors could be contributing, such as toxic seaweed or Vibrio Splendidus, another virus present in France this year.

France produces about 110,000 tonnes of oysters a year, according to Ifremer data. It is the world’s fourth biggest producer after China, which alone accounts for 83 percent of world production, followed by Korea and Japan.

All of France’s oyster breeding areas, of which 90 percent are on the western coast, are affected by high mortality rates except one area at Arcachon in the southwest. Scientists do not know why Arcachon oysters have been spared.”

2008-8-03 6:54pm

This new music video by Laurent Voulzy has been playing way too much on TV lately…

Previous Dialogues: Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy, Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Vartan, Tom Hanks and Jean Reno, Daniel Balavoine and Francois Mitterrand, Florent Pagny, Zidane and Xavier Darcos

france, music, laurent voulzy, alain souchon, jellybean

2008-8-01 6:19pm

Sage in my garden.

france, sage, garden, herbs

2008-8-01 6:01pm

There’s one region where you will never be disappointed by the street side-made crêpes: Bretagne. I don’t know how or why or what exactly is the reason for this. The butter? Perhaps crêpes are the regional specialty because they are so good here. No. They aren’t just good here; they’re the BEST. It doesn’t really matter why, I suppose; it simply suffices to accept that it just is like this in Bretagne - and now I know. I also know now that I have to get back there for more. I had a simple salted butter crêpe, which melted in my mouth. My stomach grumbles thinking about it.

france , travel , bretagne , brittany , crêpes , street food , butter

2008-8-01 12:11pm

From the timesonline:

“The world economic crisis has hit borrowers in the US, banks in Britain and homeowners in Spain. Now it has claimed perhaps its most startling victim to date: the Gallic gastronome.

Lunches are being skipped, dinners shortened and apéritifs overlooked as the French cut back on their most cherished pleasure in an attempt to save their euros, according to new figures. Restaurants, bistros and cafés are reporting an historic drop in takings this summer amid signs that le pays de la gastronomie is turning to sandwiches and picnics.

Chefs say that the rare customers still reserving tables are resorting to one-course meals and a single glass of wine, sipped with glacial caution.

Diners are tending to abandon les entrées, les desserts and e café under a drastic cost-saving drive, they say.

“People have a lot less money now so when they go away on holiday, they have to chose what to spend it on and they often decide to cut the food budget,” Francis Attrazic, the vice-chairman of the French Union of Café, Restaurant and Hotel Owners, said.

“Lunch is disappearing almost completely a lot of the time, people don’t always have an apéritif any more and the evening meal is being lightened.” A survey by his union revealed a fall of up to 30 per cent in restaurant and café custom in tourist regions this month compared with July last year.

The study suggested that the number of holidaymakers is stable but that they are spending less on food. The findings do not apply to foreigners, notably the British, Germans and Russians, who are still dining in style. The French, though, are forgoing les plaisirs de la table.

On the French Riviera, for instance, restaurants no longer have a key role for holidaymakers, who tend to prefer a sandwich at lunchtime and a show rather than a meal, the survey said. In the south west, chefs said that their restaurants were alarmingly empty at midday and in the evening.

Interviewed on Europe 1 radio yesterday, a café owner in Toulouse said: “People just don’t have enough money to hang around in bars any more.

“And when they come, they consume a lot less wine, no more than is strictly necessary. They make their glass last a long time and they don’t knock back one glass after another these days.” Guy-Noël Chatelain, a partner in OC&C consultancy, which spe-cialises in consumer trends, said that the French were rediscovering the picnic and the sandwich to make a dwindling disposable income go farther.

His words were borne out by the Saint Martin canal in Paris yesterday where Raphaëlle Davin, a 26-year-old office worker, was eating a salad she had bought for €6.60 (£5.18). She said that she would have paid double that for a meal in a restaurant.”

france, french, changing eating habits, troubled economy, tightening belts , weak spending power, france, pouvoir d’achat

[source]

2008-7-31 6:13pm

All kinds of fun events take place in France during August. Here’s a small selection:

August 1 - 3
20è Festival International de la Marionnette / 20th Marionnette Festival - Mirepoix - Every year the lovely arcaded medieval village of Mirepoix becomes a stage for puppets and puppeteers! More info

August 2
Fête du lac / Lake Festival - Annecy - Every year Annecy’s lake becomes the beautiful backdrop of this celebrated festival featuring music, dance and memorable fireworks festivities. More info

August 7
Course des Anes / Donkey Derby - Trouville-sur-Mer, 2pm-5pm - free - This is an annual event in the seaside town near Deauville called Trouville-sur-Mer. When fancy schmancy Deauville holds its posh horse racing, Trouville-sur-Mer offers a