News
Franco-American Esther Duflo Wins the Nobel Prize in EconomicsFrench-born American citizen and MIT professor Esther Duflo is one of three economists awarded the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics for her research into the fight against poverty. Finding local solutions to the global problem of poverty is the calling of Esther Duflo, one of the most prominent economists of her generations. While studying at the Ecole Normale Supérieure during...
Our Cover Illustrations Come to Life!This is the story of a waiter, an orchestra conductor, a businessman, and a French woman wearing a superhero cape. Olivier Tallec's iconic characters have been gracing the covers of France-Amérique since 2015 and they are now jumping out of the pages! Discover the latest animation by France-Amérique: => Subscribe now and discover the best of French culture!
Map: Where to Celebrate Bastille Day in the United States?On July 14, the French commemorate the storming of the Bastille of 1789 and the Fête de la Fédération of 1790. In the U.S., the event is know as Bastille Day, a celebration of France through wine, accordion, and pétanque! Over 200 Bastille Day events will take place in the United States this year. In New York, the French Institute...
Degas House in New Orleans Enshrined by French Culture MinisterThe house at 2306 Esplanade Avenue where Edgar Degas lived and painted from 1872 to 1873 has received the Maison des Illustres label from the French minister of culture. This is the second site in the United States to be recognized in this way, along with Marguerite Yourcenar’s house in Maine. The label was created in 2011 to showcase “residences that...
Opinion
This Joint Between UsMany U.S. states have legalized marijuana, while France is timidly preparing to authorize its medicinal use. But is this cautiousness justified? Marijuana is a perfect illustration of the radical difference and rivalry between French and American societies. It should be noted that the very idea of prohibition comes to us from the United States, beginning with the prohibition of alcohol,...
Bastille Day, or French Every DayTwo days before Bastille Day, the French national day, I was prompted to do a Google search for “bastille day celebrations usa,” which returned over 248,000 results. A 2018 map revealed some 200 celebrations taking place from California to Maine and Florida, and at many points in between. As an educator with a lifelong affection for French language and culture,...
What Do We Celebrate on Bastille Day?The French do not celebrate the Fourth of July, America’s Independence Day; they may not even know what it means. Americans, on the other hand, are familiar with what they call Bastille Day, an expression that, strangely, does not exist in French. This enthusiasm for the Storming of the Bastille is not shared by all French people — the Revolution,...
Revolution as Play in FranceOn July 14, Americans celebrate Bastille Day. On this day, the French celebrate more than their National Day or the anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille: They celebrate the everlasting spirit of the 1789 Revolution. “The French are better at fighting revolutions than making reforms”, wrote Alexis de Tocqueville in his notes in 1848. As a Deputy of the Manche...
Culture
The Spy Who Spoke FrenchA Parisian playboy, a Foreign Legion veteran, and a French gangster on the run in Florida were just a few of the identities used by Franco-American Marc Ruskin, who worked as an undercover agent for the FBI in the United States for 25 years. Jean-Marc is wearing a long woolen coat and a cap similar to the one sported by...
By the Grace of God in U.S. TheatersFrançois Ozon's latest film, an investigation of the pedophilia scandal in the French Catholic Church, will be released in U.S. theaters on Friday. When Alexandre (Melvil Poupaud), a family man and practicing Catholic, learns that the priest who abused him as a boy is still working with children, he decides to report him to the religious authorities of the diocese...
On the Trail of French-Speaking Migrants in North AmericaWe know everything about Jacques Cartier, the French sailor who discovered the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada in 1534. But we know far less about the other Francophones who settled in North America from the 17th century onwards. This is the ambitious objective of a transatlantic research project set to finish in 2026. Des Moines in Iowa, Traverse City...
Fashion & Faith: James Tissot in San FranciscoA new exhibition at San Francisco’s Legion of Honor invites audiences to reassess the multifaceted oeuvre of James Tissot — or discover it for the first time. The 19th-century artist James Tissot’s name is emblematic of his English Channel-spanning life and career. With a foot in two cultures, a style that refuses categorization, and a dramatic late-career shift in subject...
Business
Qwant, France’s Answer to GoogleSupported by banks and venture capital, the underdog French search engine dreams of upsetting the Google status quo. Could David one day fire a shot at Goliath, or even get his attention? French search engine Qwant, designed in 2013 to respect the privacy of internet users, has just launched Qwant Maps, an application similar to Google Maps. The company’s founder...
Grey Goose, the Premium French VodkaCelebrate National Vodka Day, on October 4, with a glass of Grey Goose, created by an American and distilled in France! Grey Goose takes its name from the eponymous birds that migrate from Europe to Manhattan every year, and is the world’s third-highest-selling vodka, just behind Smirnoff and Absolut. Although little-known in France, this high-end vodka enjoys widespread popularity in...
Jeep, a French-American Love StoryThe ancestor of the 4x4, Jeep was a World War II icon and a symbol of the liberation of Paris in August 1944. The brand, which was born in the U.S. and was acquired by the French group Renault, has become a strategic asset in the automobile industry. When asked about the instruments of America’s victory in World War II,...
Invest Remotely with My Expat[Partner Article] Ever wanted to acquire a property in France while living in another country? Now it is possible — and even easy — thanks to the online platform My Expat. Florent Vaudelin worked in finance in New York before creating My Expat when he returned to France. “I wanted to design a platform that would enable users to invest...
Education
The Success of French Dual-Language Programs in the U.S.Dual-language classes are flourishing in the United States. With more than 160 bilingual programs across 34 states, French is now America’s second most popular foreign language. In New York, one in ten public schools offers a bilingual education. In Utah, one in five schools is bilingual. And in August, Alaska inaugurated its first two dual-language French-English classes. These bilingual programs...
French Immersion Classes Arrive in Alaska!The first two dual-language French-English classes in Alaska will be launched next August at O’Malley Elementary School, a public school in Anchorage. Despite being isolated, this American state is attracting an increasingly large international population. Alaska is no stranger to bilingualism. After all, the state’s first dual-language program is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year! Japan was one of Alaska’s...
Are French Classes Under Threat at American Universities?According to the latest report from the Modern Language Association, which conducts an annual survey on the status of language learning in higher education in America, 129 French programs were discontinued between 2013 and 2016. Karl Cogard, education attaché at the embassy of France in Washington D.C., offers his take on this worrying situation. France-Amérique: The Modern Language Association’s report...
The École, a Bilingual School in New York, is Growing![Partner Article] Located in the heart of Manhattan, The École, which has recently expanded the size of its campus, is getting ready to admit new students to its bilingual program and reaffirm its original educational project. "Agile Minds, Open Hearts, Bright Futures." This is the motto of The École. Formerly known as the École Internationale de New York (EINY), it...
Gastronomy
A Tour of France in 45 CheesesFrom Abondance in Haute-Savoie and Valençay in Berry to Corsican Brocciu and Munster from the Vosges, artisan cheesemaker Dominique Bouchait presents 45 iconic French cheeses in a coffee-table book published by Rizzoli. A mouth-watering work filled with anecdotes and practical advice. “How could you possibly govern a country in which there are 246 varieties of cheese?” exclaimed Charles de Gaulle....
Les Trois Petits Cochons: Charcuterie Leader Branches Out Into Healthy Snacks[Partner article] Since its opening as a small charcuterie shop selling pâtés and quiches in New York in 1975, Les Trois Petits Cochons (The Three Little Pigs) has taken pride in combining elevated with accessible, maintaining the company’s premium sourcing, production, and quality standards that make for great French food products. This longtime specialty leader has gone back their roots,...
“Banning Foie Gras Is Easier than Going After the Poultry Industry”In 2005, Chicago Tribune reporter Mark Caro didn’t know a thing about foie gras. He then spent five years interviewing producers in the U.S. and in France as well as animal rights advocates, and published a book on the topic, The Foie Gras Wars. Ten years after the book’s release and in light of the ban recently introduced by the...
The Challenges of Banning Foie Gras in CaliforniaThe production and sale of foie gras have been banned once again in California. The law became enforceable on January 7, but how will it be applied and what are the consequences for the market? We interviewed key players in the sector and those who support the ban. Tara Gallegos, spokesperson for the California Attorney General’s Office, which is responsible...