News
Covid-19: 72-Hour Testing Measures Spark PanicThe French community in the United States has been thrown into panic. From August 1, anyone wanting to travel to France from the U.S. will be asked to present negative Covid-19 test results obtained no more than 72 hours beforehand. Mission impossible? Almost. The French government’s decree n° 2020-911 on July 27, 2020 is very clear. It states that anyone...
Visa Suspensions: Exception Granted to French Teachers in the U.S.Bilingualism in the United States has won a major victory. The American government has decided to grant an exception to international teachers — essential for those hoping to teach in U.S. dual-language schools in September. Around 200 French teachers are affected by this measure, which will apply to the suspension of J-1 visas. “Hello, I think we’ve got some good...
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 known as Bastille Day, a showcase of French culture and gastronomy! A tradition set to continue this year despite the pandemic. This year, the sidewalks along Smith Street in Brooklyn will not be...
Anthony Smith, the General Who Championed French-American Military CooperationAmerican general Anthony Smith, who passed away in Virginia on May 31, 2020, played an essential role in military relations between France and America, and directed the French-American Foundation USA for five years. Anthony “Tony” Smith discovered France as a teenager when his father helped General Eisenhower launch NATO. He attended the Paris American High School in the early 1950s,...
Opinion
A Divisive ElectionThe November election will be the most racially focused of any in the history of the United States since Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860, writes Guy Sorman. It will not lead to an openly declared civil war, but we can expect a latent one. Racism is the implicit yet central stake in the upcoming American presidential elections. This is...
Black Lives Matter in Paris: An American Movement in FranceThis summer, Paris was beset by tens of thousands of French citizens braving the risk of Covid-19 to demonstrate under the banners of the American Black Lives Matter movement, carrying portraits of George Floyd like a martyr’s icons. Far from Minneapolis, these demonstrators belonged to all the ethnic communities that now constitute our societies, both French and American. This incursion...
Adrien de Chaisemartin: “The Covid Vaccine Must Be a Global Public Good”Adrien de Chaisemartin was a Young Leader with the French-American Foundation in 2016 and is currently the director of strategy, funding, and performance at Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. This public-private partnership, launched by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, strives to increase access to vaccines in poor countries and has helped save more than seven million lives since...
The Pursuit of HappinessThe United States is one of the rare countries to include the right to happiness in its national constitution. But what happens when the machine breaks down and the dream dissipates, fractured by racial discrimination? The United States is founded on a widely shared myth drawn from the Declaration of Independence: the right to the “pursuit of happiness,” an expression...
Culture
The Most Beautiful French Gardens in the United StatesWith their elegant designs imposing order on nature, formal French gardens make it possible to satisfy an art fix while remaining outdoors. The following stateside versions are currently open to visitors. Nemours Estate Wilmington, Delaware An American take on the Petit Trianon, Marie-Antoinette’s private retreat on the grounds of Versailles, Nemours boasts the country’s grandest French-style gardens. The 1910 mansion,...
Frédéric Jung: France’s New Consul in San FranciscoTo many French people, the northwest region of the United States, from the Golden Gate Bridge to the vast landscapes of Utah and Montana, is like a giant movie set. But according to Frédéric Jung, who was recently appointed consul general of France in San Francisco, the film now playing is a great tragedy. The 40-year-old diplomat from the town...
This Week on TV5MONDE USA (October 26-November 1)Every week, France-Amérique will compile a list of 5 films, series, documentaries, cooking shows, and children's shows you don't want to miss on TV5MONDE USA, the first French-language television channel in the United States. 1. Cinéma antillais, un cinéma en résistance Monday, October 26, at 4 pm EST (1 pm PST) French Caribbean cinema has battled to exist. Even if...
The French Revolution Storms onto NetflixEpic, graphic, fantastical, and staunchly modern, La Révolution will be available on Netflix in France and the United States on October 16. The new series offers a Tarantino-esque revamp of French history and the birth of democracy. The words Ni roi ni maître (“No king nor master”) are painted across the walls of a burning castle. In the main courtyard,...
Business
Chargeurs: From Haute Couture to Protective Face MasksLast March, Chargeurs was still producing technical fabrics for Chanel, Balmain, and Yves Saint Laurent. The French group, also established in the United States, is now making some 15 million protective masks every week — an unprecedented initiative in the group’s long history. Founded in 1872, Chargeurs has adapted its factories in Picardy and Alsace to meet the demand for...
Coronavirus: Industry Goes to War!Heavy industry and individual workers have arrived as backup to accelerate the production of masks and ventilators desperately needed by medical professionals. Both in France and the United States, a wartime economy has developed to fight against the coronavirus pandemic. On the banks of the East River opposite Manhattan, the Brooklyn Navy Yard is back to work. The former naval...
Emmanuel Macron Dreams of UnicornsAmbitious French president Emmanuel Macron wants to see a fivefold increase in the number of billion-dollar start-ups, or “unicorns,” in France over the next few years. His goal is to replicate the American model. Emmanuel Macron has a dream. He wants unicorns to flourish in France, and hopes that their number will rise from five to twenty, or even twenty-five,...
Ode à la Rose: Flower Delivery à la FrançaiseThe business model of Ode à la Rose, a flower delivery company founded by two French entrepreneurs in New York City in 2012, is based on the dual concept of French elegance and speed. Available across the northeast of the United States and in the Chicago area, the service will soon be expanded to and Florida. Monday is the most...
Education
Covid-19: A Tense Return to School for Florida StudentsAs Florida deals with another spike in infections – an average of 2,679 new cases of Covid-19 registered daily – the French-American School of Tampa Bay has started its third academic year. This return to the classrooms has been stressful for both teachers and parents, but a necessary step for the students. The forty students at the French-American School of...
Visa Suspensions Threaten Immersion Schools in LouisianaThe ban on all new J-1 visas declared by Donald Trump on June 22 has dealt a blow to French-English immersion schools in Louisiana, which depend on these temporary work permits for recruiting Francophone teachers. Worry hangs heavy in the air of Baton Rouge, the state capital of Louisiana. Around 2,200 students might be left without a full education if...
OFALycée, the French Online School for American High Schoolers[Partner Article] The first online French-American high school, OFALycée, will open its virtual doors in September. To assist students whose education was disrupted by the pandemic, its founders will offer online French and math classes for ninth, tenth and eleventh-graders starting on April 27. “Do you know about the drama of French-American education in the United States? Thousands of French...
Cécile David-Weill: “Authority Is Credibility Granted by Children”Cécile David-Weill is the author of three novels, including "The Suitors," a comedy of manners about French high society. In "Parents Under the Influence," recently translated from French and published in the United States, the French-American mother of three tackles accepted ideas about raising children. She shows how we are subconsciously influenced by how our parents raised us, with often...
Gastronomy
A Meal by Daniel Boulud Delivered to Your DoorHave you ever dreamed of enjoying a bouillabaisse or a platter of braised ribs prepared by double Michelin-star French chef Daniel Boulud, without reserving a table at the exclusive Daniel restaurant? You can now indulge from your home thanks to the Goldbelly food delivery service. The Covid-19 pandemic forced French chef Daniel Boulud to close his eight U.S. restaurants in...
Auguste Escoffier and the Birth of Modern GastronomyAuguste Escoffier, a chef, businessman, and genius inventor, changed French culinary arts forever. Director Olivier Julien has retraced the history of this man in touch with his time in a thorough, original docudrama to discover on TV5MONDE USA on October 14. France-Amérique: Did you know about Escoffier before looking deeper into his story? Olivier Julien: I had heard of him,...
Indulge in French Products Without Leaving AmericaThere is so much more to French food than cheese and wine! Whether Dijon mustard, macarons, compotes, Orangina, or duck breast fillets, you can eat (almost) as if you were in France without leaving America. Here is a rundown of the culinary gems you can find at your local deli or online. The art of eating à la française is not limited to...
Melissa Clark: “France Is Where I Learned How to Cook”Melissa Clark was celebrating the release of her latest book, "Dinner in French," when lockdown began in New York City. Since then, the "New York Times" food writer and author of 43 cookbooks (including one written with French chef Daniel Boulud) has spread her love of French cuisine through online cooking demos, live videos on Instagram, and simple recipes tailored...