French is French…ou pas? Posted by Sean Young on Apr 12, 2012
If you’re somewhat familiar with the French language, you know that The French-speaking world is called la francophonie, and people who speak French are des francophones. So, everywhere you go in la francophonie, you can speak French and have a good time, right? Well, it’s true in a sense. If you’re familiar with the differences…
How to Make a French Baguette Posted by Hichem on Apr 12, 2012
Ok, granted, not everyone can easily learn how to “make-and-bake” a French baguette, but with just a little patience and a fair amount of practice, you hopefully won’t need a “baguette magique” (magic stick) to do that! * * * Combine the steps of the video above with the detailed tricks listed below, and you may…
Poisson d’Avril (April Fools’): Would You Like Fries with That? Posted by Hichem on Apr 1, 2012
It’s no big secret: Despite the persistent legends surrounding them, the so-called “French fries” are almost as “French” as the “French onions“, the “French toast“, and even the “French Kiss“: In other words, they are not! But whether or not you uphold their fairly established Belgian origin, and consider les “frites” as a “faux French” dish, for…
Le camping en France (Camping in France) Posted by Hichem on Mar 30, 2012
If you are discovering France for the first time, it seems only logique (logical) to start with la capitale, Paris, and discover le Louvre, les Champs–Élysées, and la Tour Eiffel. But once you’ve done all the “touristy stuff”, what else is there to do? You may perhaps opt for what many French people do every year: Aller faire du camping (Going camping)! The paysage (landscape) is absolutely fantastique: From the famous Saint-Tropez and Cannes, to the less…
ÉDITH PIAF: A Unique French Voice Among “La Foule” (The Crowd) Posted by Hichem on Mar 29, 2012
Who said that la culture française rarely opened itself to cross-border influences and inspirations, and that the French always lived secluded within the stone walls of their village gaulois ? With her outstanding song “La Foule” (“the Crowd”), Édith Piaf dispels such prevaling misconceptions about her country, by interpreting a Peruvian Waltz titled “Que nadie sepa mi sufrir” (“Let no one know…
“J’ai un Rêve” (I Have a Dream) . . . that We Can Conjugate the Verb Rêver Posted by Hichem on Mar 26, 2012
However you wish to say it in French: rêver, rêvasser, songer, fantasmer, etc., it all basically means one thing: “to dream“; whereas expressions like être dans la lune (to be on the moon), être dans les nuages (to be on the clouds), actually mean “to daydream“—as I hear some students around here tend to do in the middle of their French class! Tsk-tsk 🙂 The verb rêver belongs to le…
Le Printemps est enfin revenu (Spring is finally back) Posted by Hichem on Mar 25, 2012
Oui, it is finally here, and it could never come back too soon: La saison du printemps est de retour! (Spring season is finally back!) Why don’t we all celebrate the happy event with some of les plus belles voix (the most beautiful voices) of l’opéra français (French Opera)? For many, Maria Callas has de loin (by far) delivered the best Delilah…