News
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...
The French-American Business Awards Are Back in San FranciscoWho will receive the Start-Up of the Year award? Find out in San Francisco on May 23 at the French-American Business Awards! Preparations for the sixth edition of the French-American Business Awards (FABA) are underway. This competition distinguishes the best French-American companies in Northern California, and this year will feature 40 nominees across 10 categories such as specialty food industry,...
Philippe Etienne Confirmed as the New French Ambassador in WashingtonThe French ministry of foreign affairs gave France-Amérique the confirmation that Philippe Etienne will take up his post in Washington D.C. in September. Philippe Etienne, diplomatic advisor to Emmanuel Macron and a former ambassador to Germany, has been chosen to succeed Gérard Araud, who retired on April 19 of this year. He will begin his role after the G7 Summit...
Opinion
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...
Three ColorsWhy do the French and American flags share the same colors? Is it a coincidence? No one knows who designed these two flags, but there are a few clues. For the thirteen original colonies marked by British culture, and whose officers, most notably George Washington, had served in the occupying army, blue, white and red were already familiar shades used...
Culture
Pierre Angénieux: Lunar LensesOn July 20, 1969, fifty years ago this week, Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. This internationally groundbreaking moment was caught on camera thanks to an invention from a French engineer. At 10:39 pm EST on July 20, 1969, six hours and 22 minutes after landing, Neil Armstrong emerged from the lunar module Eagle. While...
Cardin’s Space Age Fashion Touches Down in BrooklynThe Brooklyn Museum is celebrating the 70-year career of fashion pioneer, Italian-born French designer Pierre Cardin, in a retrospective from July 20 through January 5, 2020. Like Saturn and its rings, the silhouette’s circular motion reveals looped strips of orange crepe and wool rising up around a short, sleeveless sheath dress. Ethereal, geometric, and dynamic, this 1969 piece known as "Car...
At War in U.S. TheatersIn this film coming out in the U.S. on July 19, French director Stéphane Brizé is back with his go-to actor, Vincent Lindon, portraying a social struggle that gets out of hand. Stéphane Brizé made a name for himself outside of France with The Measure of a Man, which earned its lead Vincent Lindon the Best Actor Award at Cannes...
The Bastille Key, a French Relic in AmericaThe Bastille key is a symbol of the French monarchy and the prison that was taken by Parisian revolutionaries on July 14, 1789. Today, it is exhibited in the United States at a museum south of Alexandria in Virginia. Mount Vernon, George Washington’s plantation located on the banks of the Potomac River, is now a museum home to the final...
Business
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...
French Cars Are Making a Comeback on American RoadsAfter a thirty-year absence, the French Peugeot Citroën group is preparing its triumphant return to the United States. You may be surprised to learn that French automobile manufacturers are nowhere to be found in the United States, the world’s second biggest market behind China, where the French also have little or no presence. Another paradox is that the only "French-made"...
Sustainable Development, a French-American ChallengeA new committee has been created by the French-American Chamber of Commerce in New York. Its mission will be to encourage dialogue between French and American business on the theme of sustainable development. “French is a big leader in innovation and sustainable development,” said the chair of the committee, Clyde Ranking, at the Sustainability and Innovation Forum organized by the...
“French Engineers Are Highly Sought-After in Silicon Valley”Helping French entrepreneurs found companies in the United States, rent offices, and meet with future clients are just a few of the services offered by the 20 branches of the French-American Chamber of Commerce. This network stretches from New York to Los Angeles and also advises U.S. businesses interested in the French market while fostering exchanges between the two countries....
Education
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...
The Boom in Dual-Language Classes in New York (3/3): The Future of Education is in Two LanguagesIn the third and final part of our series on bilingualism, Fabrice Jaumont, education specialist and author of The Bilingual Revolution: The Future of Education is in Two Languages, looks at the future of French-English dual-language classes in New York. Fourteen public schools in New York have opened a French-English dual-language program since September 2007. Four have been discontinued due...
Gastronomy
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...
Foie Gras Officially Banned in CaliforniaThe appeal by producers and restaurant owners has been rejected by the Supreme Court, and the law banning the production and sale of foie gras in California came into effect on January 7. While the appeal was still underway, foie gras remained legal in California. And the procedure filed in March 2018 by the Quebec Association of Duck and Goose...