News
Gad Elmaleh Announces North American TourRiding on the success of his Neflix special, American Dream, French comedian Gad Elmaleh will embark in the fall on a 12-date tour of the U.S. and Canada. Gad Elmaleh has been living the "American Dream" for the past three years. The Moroccan-born actor and comedian, who left France where he was a sensation to rediscover himself in New York City,...
Spanish Rosé Marked as French Sparks Scandal in EuropeTen million bottles of Spanish rosé were sold as French wine over the last three years, reported an official investigation quoted by Le Parisien this Monday. “Rosé amateurs beware,” notified the French daily. “You can face a nasty surprise at happy hour.” The DGCCRF, the French agency in charge of fraud control which led the investigation in 2016-2017, claimed that...
Claude Lanzmann, Shoah Memorialist, Dies at 92French journalist and film director Claude Lanzmann, famous for his nine-and-a-half-hour documentary about the Holocaust, Shoah, passed away this Thursday. He was 92. "The people in the Jewish community that I meet are not ordinary deportees," explained Claude Lanzmann to France-Amérique in December 2010 as his film Shoah was being screened in New York. "They are people who have gone to...
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 150 Bastille Day events will take place in the United States this year. In New York, the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) will...
Opinion
The French in Our LivesThis week-end, Americans will be celebrating Bastille Day by eating crêpes and drinking wine and cheering on the French team in the World Cup final. Foreign language advocate and devoted Francophile Kathleen Stein-Smith takes a look at the influence and impact of French language and culture in the United States. It is possible sit in a café, to have a macaron...
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,...
Trump vs. Harley-Davidson: A Wild RideThe U.S. manufacturer’s decision to relocate its production overseas in reaction to the customs duties imposed by the European Union has enraged the American president. The Harley-Davidson that Brigitte Bardot sang about in 1967 (I don't need anybody, When I'm on my Harley-Davidson!) is still the legendary motorcycle many French people dream about. The Harley-Davidson Federation has 36 fan clubs in...
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...
Culture
French-American Commercial Feuds (4/5): The Mimolette and Saucisson EmbargosFranco-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 4: The FDA Clamps Down on Mimolette Cheese...
Iconic: The Vuarnet SunglassesOriginally destined for high-altitude resorts and adopted by city-dwelling fashionistas and celebrities, the French brand will open on July 14 its first U.S. boutique in the SoHo neighborhood of New York. Take a look back on this French success story. In the late 1950s, French optician Roger Pouilloux teamed up with the skiing superstar of the day, Jean Vuarnet, to...
“Gauguin”: Voyage to TahitiFrench director Edouard Deluc devotes his latest movie to the Fauvist painter and his exile in Tahiti, in U.S. theaters from July 11. After Cézanne and I by Danièle Thompson last year and the recently released Rodin by Jacques Doillon, a third biographical movie has now arrived in theaters. This time the subject is Gauguin, another leading, 19th-century French artist...
French-American Commercial Feuds (3/5): Freedom Fries Flout the FrenchFranco-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 3: Freedom Fries Flout the French The United...
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
Le Bateau Ivre, a Haven for French Wine Lovers in ManhattanKnown as the first wine bar in New York City, the French bistro Le Bateau Ivre will be participating in French Restaurant Week through July 15. The owners of Le Bateau Ivre are from India. The chef is from Venezuela and the kitchen staff is from Ecuador, Mexico, and Guatemala. Yet the French atmosphere can be seen from miles away....
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...