Every month in France-Amérique,
discover the best of French and Francophone culture in the United States.
Analysis of French-American news • French cultural events in the United States • Interviews with leading intellectuals • Fashion tips • Traditional and contemporary recipes • Reports from across the United States • Authors’ perspectives on America • Portraits of artists, entrepreneurs, and other French-American personalities • The best of Francophone literature translated into English • French movies and series in theaters and online • French habits and linguistic subtleties • Unique places to visit in France • And so much more…
July 2021
The Bastille Day & Gastronomy Issue
As we near le quatorze juillet, France’s fête nationale, let us drink to la Bastille – this is the title of our editorial this month. The old Parisian citadel is long gone, stormed on July 14, 1789, and toppled the very next day, but its spirit endures in France and abroad. Also in this issue, discover how the French adopted the Mexican taco and made it into “a fattening Franken-food” named le tacos, and why Coca-Cola is suing its “French grandfather.” Finally, don’t miss our profile of French chef Laëtitia Rouabah, “Alain Ducasse’s leading lady in New York,” and American director Wes Anderson, whose latest project, The French Dispatch, will premiere at Cannes this month.
Featured Articles
LIFESTYLE
HÔTEL HOLLYWOOD
Dark Nights and Silver Screens
In an effort to bring audiences back to theaters, the Karmitz brothers have invented a new cinema-hotel concept in Paris: the Paradiso.
BON APPÉTIT
COCA-COLA VS. COCA MARIANI
A Transatlantic Power Struggle
American giant Coca-Cola is suing small-scale French producer Coca Mariani for intellectual property infringement. Yet the Corsica-based tonic wine created in 1863 is 23 years older than the American soda. In fact, it even inspired the iconic drink.
CULTURE
BENOÎT COHEN
American Dreaming
Filmmaker and producer Benoît Cohen has directed six feature-length movies including You’ll Be a Man, which won several awards at American film festivals. Since moving to New York in 2014, he has written three books. Yellow Cab and Mohammad, My Mother & Me are both available in English, while Le prix du paradis has just been published in France. For France-Amérique, he shared the story of how he reinvented himself in the United States.
CULTURE
WES ANDERSON
The Texan Director with a Parisian Heart
With The French Dispatch, his new movie premiering at Cannes this month, Wes Anderson has offered his greatest homage to France. Filmed in Angoulême, the latest saga follows a team of American journalists in France during the 1950s. The theme will not surprise anyone who knows that the director regularly draws inspiration from French culture and cinema. Looking back over his filmography is akin to going on a treasure hunt of references. With that in mind, here is a five-part trip through Wes Anderson’s France!
Table of contents
NEWS
Pass-Time: The French Cultural Scene Reopens. By Anthony Bulger
COME ON OUT
French Cultural Events in North America. By Tracy Kendrick
IDEAS
Editorial: Let Us Drink to la Bastille! By Guy Sorman
Michael Kwass: “American Historians Are Intrigued but Also Repulsed by the French Court Society.” By Guy Sorman
ENTREPRENEUR
Laëtitia Rouabah: Ducasse’s Leading Lady in New York. By Benoît Georges
FASHION
The Gentleman’s Style: What to Wear to a Wedding. By Julien Scavini
LIFESTYLE
Hôtel Paradiso: Dark Nights and Silver Screens. By Jean-Gabriel Fredet
BON APPÉTIT
CULTURE
Molly Wilkinson: The Lone-Star Pastry Queen of Versailles. By Gabriel Bertrand
A Canvas, an Artist: Jean Dubuffet, The Reveler. By Tracy Kendrick
Benoît Cohen: American Dreaming. By Sophie Joubert
David Diop: The Voice of African Infantrymen in the Hell of the Trenches. By Sophie Joubert
Wes Anderson: The Texan Director with a Parisian Heart. By Pauline Guedj
HISTORY
Cabaret-sur-Marne: Remembering the Guinguettes. By Dominique Mataillet
LANGUAGE
The Wordsmith: Parlez-vous occitan ? By Dominique Mataillet
