News
Where to Celebrate la Fête de la Musique in the U.S.?On the first day of Summer, 750 cities in 120 countries will participate in Make Music Day, or "Fête de la Musique." Originating in France, this festival was created by French Minister of Culture Jack Lang in 1982 to be an annual celebration of music in its most welcoming form. Free for the public and open to musicians of any...
Beyoncé and Jay-Z Shoot New Music Video at the LouvreAmerican stardom reaches France’s doors once again as Beyoncé and Jay-Z drop a surprise album and shoot the music video for one of their songs, "Apes**t," at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The power couple took over the French museum. They posed in front of the Mona Lisa, and stood on the Daru staircase. Part of the video is filmed in...
Coucou French Classes Moves to Nolita, ManhattanCoucou French Classes opens new headquarters in Manhattan, moving from Williamsburg’s backyard soirées to Nolita’s boho apartment aperitifs. These French language classes began in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 2013. "There was a niche in the market," remember Marianne and Léa Perret, French expats, cousins, and founders of the project. "We wanted to create a linguistic and cultural center that stood out...
The New Winners of the French-American Business AwardsThe competition created to champion the best French-American businesses and entrepreneurs in the San Francisco Bay Area has awarded 20 new winners this year. The victors include Facebook’s Fidji Simo, medical imaging company InkSpace Imaging, and Front, a cross-channel communications management app. Eve Chaurand, president of the French-American Chamber of Commerce in San Francisco which organizes the annual event, sees...
Opinion
Parisian Bistros Appeal for Unesco World Heritage StatusParisian bistro owners are looking to have their terraces granted Unesco's intangible cultural heritage status. The initiative is backed “wholeheartedly” by the city of Paris but has drawn criticism from the New York Times. The American media is quick to cover anything to do with French culture, especially when there is cause for controversy — a privilege reserved exclusively for...
A Celebration of Diversity at the French Consulate in New YorkFifty-seven people from 16 different countries became naturalized French citizens at a ceremony at the Consulate General of France in New York. Who said, and on what occasion, that “Our country is not a nation founded on blood, but on shared values”? And who celebrated the “diversity of origins” of new citizens at their naturalization ceremony? Anyone would be forgiven...
The Fatigue of the West“Compassion fatigue” is a powerful expression in the English language that, to my knowledge, has no translation in French. It refers to the feeling of weariness that overcomes supposedly charitable souls when they judge they have given too much to others without seeing many tangible results in return. This phenomenon can be seen when Western populations (who are almost the only...
Transatlantic CousinsAt first glance, Donald Trump and Emmanuel Macron seem to have nothing in common. The two men, however, share certain similarities. The former is twice as old and antagonistic; the latter even-tempered and well-behaved. Trump flouts all protocol, while the French president upholds European good manners. Trump is a nationalist and a populist, hostile to immigrants and to anything he labels...[Subscriber]
Culture
1918, the Beginnings of Jazz in FranceDuring World War I, Afro-American musicians posted to France popularized a new form of music. This “syncopated ragtime” was the beginning of jazz. An exhibition organized at the New Orleans Jazz Museum through November 15, 2018, takes a look back over this period. “Here, on February 12, 1918, the first jazz concert was played on European soil.” This declaration is...
Chicken, Roquefort, and Steel: A History of Franco-American Commercial FeudsFranco-American history features a number of commercial and diplomatic disputes, from the “chicken war” in the 1960s to Donald Trump’s recent declarations about taxing steel and aluminum imported from Europe. With its boycotts and protectionist policies, we explore these conflicts through five episodes looking at the history of certain controversial products. Episode 1: The Chicken War In the middle of...
From New York to Paris… by Car!As part of the 110th anniversary of the legendary New York-Paris automobile race, six vintage vehicles will be leaving Rhinebeck, New York on June 20. The first stop is in Oakland, California, before they make their way to France! The roaring of the eight-cylinder engine drowns out any conversation at the start of the phone interview. On the other end of...
Iconic: The EspadrillesOnce a working-class shoe, then the footwear of choice of Spain’s Franquistas, this rope-and-canvas sandal has attracted eccentrics such as Salvador Dalí, fashion designers such as Yves Saint Laurent, and in recent years, luxury and ready-to-wear brands. Basic and affordable, the espadrille has long been labeled the poor man’s shoe. The Basque country and Catalonia each claim to have invented...
Business
Paris Attitude, the Agency Specialized in Leasing Long-Term Furnished Apartments in Paris[Partner Article] With more than 6000 luxury-style apartments, Paris Attitude, specialized in rent for short and long-term furnished apartments, fits the needs of professionals in Paris as well as French expatriates returning to the capital. A furnished apartment, readily equipped with all the necessary amenities, and positioned close to the most prominent French business locations, starting with the Défense district:...
French Rosé Finds Fame and Fortune in the U.S.Sales of rosé wine shot up 53% in the United States last year. The reasons for this record growth can be found in the booming wine culture in North America and the aggressive marketing strategies employed by winegrowers from Southern France. It has to be said that rosé wine has not always had the best reputation. The go-to rosé in...
French Tech at the MoMA in New YorkThe Museum of Modern Art in New York will be exhibiting and selling some 30 objects made by French startups from May 9 through 29. French businesses are the guests of honor at the MoMa Design Store as part of NYCxDesign, an annual design festival in New York. This department in the museum is exhibiting a collection of 30 objects...
Anne Willi, a Parisian Fashion Designer in BrooklynAnne Willi dresses women from Paris to New York. The Franco-Swiss fashion designer already has two boutiques in France, and opened her second New York store in Williamsburg in March. France-Amérique: You have two spaces in Paris – one in the Bastille neighborhood, and another in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. What made you decide to expand your activity to the United States?...
Education
The Rebirth of Cajun French in Louisiana in Classrooms and OnlineFrom Baton Rouge to Lafayette and from the App Store to social media, a group of Louisianan activists is fighting to preserve the language of their ancestors — Cajun, or Louisiana French. Luke Romero uses his iPhone if he wants to understand his Francophone grandparents. Born into a family based in Louisiana since the 18th century, the 33-year-old software developer...
Kentucky’s First Dual-Language Classes Open Next AugustTwo dual-language French-English classes are set to open next August at Whitney Young Elementary, a public school in Louisville, Kentucky. The school sees the classes as a chance to help its underprivileged students. The dual-language French-English immersion program was approved in a four-to-one vote by the parent-teacher council at Whitney Young Elementary School on February 27, 2018. "It’s a wonderful...
A Documentary Depicts the Rebirth of French in LouisianaA pair of French teachers have spent two years following the key players in the rebirth of the French language in Louisiana, including teachers, activists, politicians, students and parents. The duo’s resulting documentary, Theo’s Choice, will premiere in Lafayette, Louisiana on January 26, 2018. Théodore Brode is one of the rare French teacher from Louisiana. He is part of the...
“Parents Are Driving Bilingualism in the United States”Fabrice Jaumont has a vision. By the year 2050, the Education Attaché at the French Embassy in New York hopes to have introduced a dual-language program into every school in America. Utah already has one in five schools organized in this way, and French is one of the languages of choice. In fact, with more than 160 bilingual options in...
Gastronomy
Discover our Selection of French and American RosésAs a third of all bottles of rosé sold in the United States are produced on American soil, some domestic rosés now offer the same quality as imported, French wines. Keith Mabry, Rhone and Loire Valley Buyer for the K&L wine stores in California, presents his selection of must-try French and American rosés. * Casa Smith, ViNO Rosé, Washington ($11.99)...
Dominique Crenn: An Homage to Good FoodAtelier Crenn made a name for itself with a multi-course tasting menu experience at 325 dollars and dishes garnished with gold leaf. But French restaurant owner and chef Dominique Crenn is now putting her talents into simpler things. Her new restaurant, Bar Crenn, set to open in San Francisco on February 20, promises to serve the standards of the French...
La Chandeleur: The Day to Flip CrêpesWhile Americans watch expectantly for the groundhog to emerge on February 2, the French will be flipping crêpes with their families. Known as Chandeleur in French and "Candlemas" in English, this event mixes pagan, Celtic, and catholic influences, and is named after the candles used for a pagan ritual celebrating the arrival of the harvest. In 472, Pope Gelasius I...
Bisou, French Cuisine in Touch With its FeelingsFrench-American restauranteur Nick Ronan is known as "the Kissing Chef" in San Francisco, where he greets customers with a peck on the cheek as they step into his aptly-named bistro, Bisou. The eatery will be taking part in San Francisco Restaurant Week from January 22 to 31, 2018. Nick Ronan found himself in the restaurant world in the same way...