News
Explaining the French Pension Reform Strikes to AmericansThe French pension reform is hardly a long, tranquil river. Our Paris-based columnist took a crack at explaining what pushed thousands of French railway and public-transit workers, pensioners, medical staff, and teachers to take to the streets. France has been paralyzed recently by mass strikes and demonstrations over the government’s plans to reform the pension system. At present, there are...
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...
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
“Europe Should Be Capable of Defending Its Interests by Itself”French scholar Benjamin Haddad heads up the Future Europe initiative for Washington-based think tank Atlantic Council, specialized in U.S. foreign policy. He is the author of Paradise Lost: Europe in the World of Trump. France-Amérique: The French often place responsibility for American isolationism on Donald Trump, but your book explains that the movement began with Barack Obama… Benjamin Haddad: The positions...
Talent Is No Longer an Excuse for CrimeThe French cultural world has been shaken to its core by the sexual misdemeanors of director Roman Polanski and the admissions of pedophilia by writer Gabriel Matzneff. Both men considered that their talent put them above the law and the common norms of decency in our societies. Victims are now speaking out. While their predators saw them as muses, they...
America’s Idealized FranceThe French-American relationship is passionate, whatever the subject, writes Guy Sorman. There is love and hatred on both sides, without nuance and sometimes without understanding. I will begin with a personal reminiscence. In 1985, I was teaching economics at Stanford University in California. Occupying the office next to mine was none other than Milton Friedman, Nobel laureate, preeminent spokesman for...
Farewell to the World PoliceAmerica has clearly reverted to its original isolationist doctrine. NATO has fallen; Europe must now learn to fend for itself. The United States is no longer the protector of the world order, and this global retreat is not just down to Donald Trump. He certainly accelerated the phenomenon by allowing Russia and Syria to annex neighboring territories, by withdrawing from...
Culture
Philippe Lançon: Life After Charlie HebdoIn Disturbance, the French writer and journalist describes his slow reconstruction after being severely wounded in the terrorist attack against newspaper Charlie Hebdo. A deeply moving account the author will present in the U.S. from January 23-31. On January 7, 2015, two men armed with assault rifles entered the offices of satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo and opened fire on...
Les Misérables: The French Banlieues in American TheatersThe first feature-length movie by Ladj Ly, out in U.S. theaters on Friday, sounds the alarm on the explosive situation in the French projects and could represent France at the Oscars. The film follows a dramatic day in the life of three police officers patrolling Montfermeil (Seine-Saint-Denis) near Paris, where the 39-year-old director was born and still lives. In the...
“French Culture Is More Than Fine Heritage”At just 30 years old, Gaëtan Bruel is the new cultural counselor to the embassy of France in the United States. Since September, he heads up a team of 90 people tasked with bolstering France’s cultural, educational, and academic reputation. He is familiar with New York, having taught at Columbia University for a year following his studies at the Ecole...
Chantal Thomas: “New York Sparked a Desire for Writing, Encounters, and Parties”French writer and historian Chantal Thomas moved to New York at the age of 30 in 1976. She lived in the East Village, a bohemian, immigrant neighborhood where everyone wanted to be a poet, and discovered what it truly meant to be free. She recounts this defining experience in East Village Blues. France-Amérique: What do you remember most about New...
Business
Pop! The Rise of American Sparkling WineThe consumption of sparkling wine in the United States has doubled since the 1970s. Thanks to champagnes imported from France, "American champagnes," and sparkling wines produced by French companies established on the U.S. West Coast, the American market is bubbling over! Since the first cases of champagne were delivered to the Thirteen Colonies in 1750, French bubbly has enjoyed a...
French Whiskey Barrels Onto the World StageKentucky and Scotland may be whiskey countries, but the French also produce premium blended whiskeys and single malts. And output is increasing every year. Here’s one for you: Which country consumes the most whiskey? The answer may surprise you. While many might think the British hold the top spot, the French are actually the winners. At 2.15 liters per inhabitant, they...
A French Company in Every U.S. StateThere is not a single American state without a French business within its borders. From New York to Alaska, companies such as Airbus, Michelin, Bel, Louis Vuitton, Safran, Saint-Gobain, and Sodexo are creating jobs and contributing to the U.S. economy. In its most recent annual report, the department of economic affairs at the embassy of France in Washington offers a...
Cider, Conquering American TablesWhen it’s time for the apéritif, a new drink is gaining recognition in the United States: cider. Popular during the time of the pilgrims, then falling into oblivion, this sparkling drink derived from apples has made a big comeback in the United States, where its consumption has exploded, partly thanks to the gluten-free and locavore movements. But unlike the Bretons...
Education
Teachers 2.0: An Online French-American High SchoolThe first online French-American high school, OFALycée, will be opening its virtual doors in September 2020. Its goal is to prepare students within the U.S. education system for the French Baccalaureate exams. Every year, some 400 high school students in the United States take the Baccalaureate exam, which enables them to continue on to higher education in France. Fourteen schools,...
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...
Gastronomy
King Cake: A French Tradition Little Known in the U.S.This golden, frangipane-filled cake appears in boulangeries and patisseries at the end of December. King cake or la galette des rois, is traditionally eaten with the family on the first Sunday after New Year’s Day, but many enjoy it from December 31 and throughout the whole month of January! Along with Yule logs and Easter eggs, this is another unmissable...
Dinner Is Served: The Art of Hosting à la FrançaiseWith the end-of-year celebrations almost upon us, what is the best way to host a dinner à la française without committing a faux pas? Here are a few invaluable tips for putting on a meal fit for the finest French tables. In the olden days in France, young women from well-to-do families all had a bible of good manners, Usages...
Foie Gras and Its FoesIn France, foie gras is the star turn of the festive dinner table, but in California it has been banned since January and it will be banned in New York City in 2020. Influential restaurant owners, supermarket chains, movie stars, animal protection organizations — and even a pope — have blacklisted the delicacy. But French producers won’t give up. A wave...
Robert Parker: The Godfather of Modern WineWith prolific writing and the creation of his 100-point scale, world-famous wine critic Robert Parker, who announced his retirement last May, is behind the public’s newfound wine fascination. As a wine retailer in New York City, I found myself swept up in “Parkermania” in the 1980s. Robert Parker and his newsletter, The Wine Advocate, were the talk of the wine world....