I’ve known for years that the arrival of the Beaujolais nouveau in November<\/a> is a big event in France. What I didn’t know was that there is un fromton <\/span>(slang term from fromage)<\/span> that has its own coming out.<\/p>\n Le Mont d’Or (or the Vacherin Mont d’Or) is un fromage <\/span>(a cheese<\/span>) from the Haut-Daubs region near Switzerland in eastern France.\u00a0Le fromage <\/span>has a unique woody and resinous taste which comes from its boite d’\u00e9pic\u00e9a<\/span> (spruce box<\/span>, which also smooshes the half-cured curds when they’re added which also gives the cheese a bumpy look that some say remind them of the local mountains that surround its home!). Uniquely, le fromage<\/strong>\u00a0is only available du 10 septembre au 10 mai<\/span> (from September 10th to May 10th<\/span>).<\/p>\n To learn more you can watch a short reportage<\/strong> (news story) <\/em>from FranceTVinfo here<\/a> [Remember: as we’ve discussed recently you can use the video and the summary to practice your listening and reading comprehension].<\/p>\n One lucky rooster<\/strong><\/p>\n For over two years now Maurice, un coq fran\u00e7ais de l’\u00eele d’Ol\u00e9ron<\/a><\/span> (a French rooster on the Isle of Ol\u00e9ron<\/span>), and his owner have been locked in battle with des voisins<\/strong> (some neighbors<\/em>) over le chant de Maurice<\/span> (Maurice’s<\/em> crowing). <\/span><\/p>\n Les voisins<\/span> – city folk “from away” who only come for vacation – didn’t appreciate having their early mornings disrupted by le chant matinal du coq<\/strong> (the morning crowing of the rooster<\/em>).<\/p>\n This latest ‘attack’ on French rural life and culture was too much for the locals. Well, happily a judge agreed with them and Maurice and his owner have won their case<\/a> against the neighbors and can keep living – and crowing – together.<\/p>\n Les gr\u00e8ves<\/strong><\/p>\n There used to be a joke that la rentr\u00e9e scolaire <\/span>was also la rentr\u00e9e des gr\u00e8ves <\/span>(back to school meant back to striking)<\/span>, because it often seemed that strikes increased in the fall. Well, the current gr\u00e8ves<\/span> of workers from the RATP<\/a> (supporting Paris’s M\u00e9tro system) are no joke. The last weeks have seen nightmare commutes for workers in and around the city.<\/p>\n Striking over a planned reform of the age des retraites <\/span>(retirement<\/span>), les gr\u00e9vistes<\/strong> (strikers)<\/span> se plaignent aussi<\/strong> “des conditions de travail difficile, avec des risques pour leur sant\u00e9 et des plages horaires trop longues pouvant aller jusqu’\u00e0 13 heures<\/strong>” (are also complaining about difficult working conditions, health risks, and long shifts that can be as long as 13 hours<\/em>).<\/p>\n Those affected by the strikes don’t seem very sympathetic. The current retirement age of 52 is much younger than workers in the private sector and as one traveler shared: “ils ont d\u00e9j\u00e0 plein de privil\u00e8ges donc au bout d’un moment, il faut arr\u00eater. Il y a des boulots plus p\u00e9nibles que conducteur de m\u00e9tro<\/b>” (They’ve got tons of benefits, at some point enough is enough. There are tougher jobs than driving a subway<\/em>).<\/p>\n Cover photo by Kaboompics .com\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>from\u00a0Pexels<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n One of the ways that I keep my French up is by watching the news from France. It’s a good way for me to practice my language skills, to keep up with what’s happening, and to feel closer to the people and places that still occupy a big place in my heart. A few stories…<\/p>\n
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