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Marcel Pagnol: Un Trésor de la Littérature Française (A Treasure of French Literature) Posted by mtaulier on Mar 7, 2014
Do the names Victor Hugo, Jules Verne, Alexandre Dumas or Gustave Flaubert sound familiar? All four of these French novelists have earned their place in the pantheon of literary greats and their books continue to inspire legions of readers nearly two centuries after they were written. What about Marcel Pagnol? Doesn’t ring a bell? Pagnol…
Astérix: A French Comic for the Whole Family Posted by mtaulier on Mar 5, 2014
Lisez-vous des bandes dessinées (Do you read comics)? I’m not referring to classic American comics with superheroes fighting les forces du mal (the forces of evil). Everybody has heard of Superman, Batman and X-men. The popularity of these characters, once confined to the pages of paperback comic books, has soared in recent years thanks to…
Pour les Gourmands and Gastronomes: Crêpes Suzette Posted by mtaulier on Mar 3, 2014
La cuisine est une passion Française (Cuisine is a French passion). Beginning in the 17th century, gastronomy reached new heights among la noblesse (the nobility) and the art of fine cuisine was refined over the course of several centuries. The stereotype of a French chef often seen in cartoons does not stray too far from…
“Tu Tires ou tu Pointes?”: An Introduction to the Game of Pétanque (Part 2) Posted by mtaulier on Feb 24, 2014
In the last post, we took a quick look at the evolution of the game of pétanque and talked a little about its popularity and its appeal. Today, let’s take a moment to learn the basics of the game and how it is played. The aim of pétanque is to get as many of your…
“Tu Tires ou tu Pointes?”: An Introduction to the Game of Pétanque (Part 1) Posted by mtaulier on Feb 21, 2014
France, like most countries of the world, seems to have a fascination with le football (soccer). Football has legions of fans throughout France but there is another game that is nearly as popular and that appeals to people of all ages. Pétanque (pronounced pay-tonk), commonly referred to as le jeu de boules (the game of…
L’Amour est dans l’Air (Love is in the Air): The Origins of Valentine’s Day Posted by mtaulier on Feb 14, 2014
Today is Valentine’s Day and for people in many countries across the world, it can only mean one thing: l’Amour (Love). But how did le jour de Saint Valentin (St. Valentine’s day) come to be? To understand the origins of Valentine’s Day, we must travel back plusieurs siècles (several centuries) to the days of the…
À l’École!: Fournitures Scolaires (School Supplies) Posted by mtaulier on Feb 13, 2014
Try to recall, for a moment, your days in grammar school. What kinds of school supplies did you use? Pens and paper? Pencils and erasers? One of my favorite back-to-school memories was going shopping for new supplies for the new year. Although I never really enjoyed school in my younger years, getting shiny new supplies…