French Wine Takes The Summer Heat
Wine producing countries in Europe are feeling the heat just as badly…
The 2019 summer heat has been particularly devastating across the globe. While the west coast of the USA has repeatedly suffered through long droughts during the summer months, especially California, one of its fellow wine producing countries in Europe is feeling the heat just as badly. Unfortunately, it appears Global Warming is the culprit.
As of August 2019, France’s wine output was expected to fall 12% due to spring frosts that destroyed multiple vineyards and was followed by intense summer heatwaves that the land simply couldn’t handle. That harvest, the overall production was estimated to reach 1.15 billion gallons. This may sound on the surface like a decent harvest, but in actuality, it is down significantly from the 2018 harvest according to the country’s agriculture ministry.
The short harvest was born with this spring’s cold fronts that killed off young grape clusters or stunted their growth and then experienced a series of heatwaves which withered grapes on the vine, especially in the south.
European and US researchers later determined that July 2019 had been the hottest month on record, however rains in August managed to limit the losses in some areas, so while wine lovers may have to do with a limited selection this season, there are still many French wines that make its way to the market this past November.
What this means for summer 2020
With the devastating heat from the 2019 summer affecting the land, the yellow vest protests filling the streets of France since 2018 (affecting employees across France), the increased percentage in U.S.A. tariffs which caused mass orders to cancel and now the 2020 COVID-19 virus quarantine leaving vineyards sparse with employees, the wine market has been hit hard over the past year. Forging into the summer of 2020, wine owners are facing the facts that delays are inevitable, including unveiling the 2019 vintage will be on hold or delayed. People will still have access to ordering wines, having them delivered, or finding them on store shelves, but the future of the industry will be severely affected. Only time will tell just how severe and Wine Spectator has more on the topic.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about why wine lovers across the globe will be Weathering the French Wine Storm for the next season. What do you think farmers can do in the next season to mitigate their losses? Join the conversation below!
How to Make Authentic French Baguettes at home
Learn how to make this iconic French food item at-home with an authentic recipe that uses only 3 ingredients.
So you want to make authentic French baguettes at home? We salute you and love that you arrived at this article because we are passionate about this topic. We feel that making bread from home is one skill you can be truly proud of because, in general, bread is such a primordial food that it has become essential to our daily routine. Whether you use it for a sandwich, as the base of a tartine (kind of an open-faced sandwich common in France), or to eat alongside your favorite dip, bread is an incredible item to know how to make on your own. Of course we can get fancy and make authentic French baguettes that are shaped like the ones you see in store windows or add unique ingredients to make something like a focaccia bread (like the Italians), but bread is something we eat almost daily and we want to show you how. In this post, we want to teach you how to make your own authentic French Baguettes along with teaching you some cool French food vocabulary that will help you navigate through other French Recipes. To get started, we’d like to take you on a quick walk down memory lane for some history of the French Baguette. If you'd rather cut to the chase and skip the history and french lesson this time, you can scroll to the bottom for our authentic French Baguettes recipe.
Photo by Mae Mu
The History of the French Baguette
Ask a French person how long baguettes have been a part of their culture and you’ll likely get a very puzzled look. That’s because bread has been such an essential part of French culture and cuisine for so long they probably can not remember. Much like the rest of the world, bread is a key piece of many popular dishes, but the baguette itself is very specific and unique to France. We’ll explain. Originally in France, bread was made of whole wheat and had an earthy, brown color. It was baked in round shapes and sold as une miche (a rounded bread loaf). French people were crazy for bread and it made up about 98% of what French people consumed in the 18th Century. To put that into perspective, a French person could eat about 3 pounds of bread a day!
With this enthusiastic consumption of bread, something unique happened. It became a symbol of the ‘essentials’ and, what was originally a miche bread loaf, became transformed into the shape we know as a lengthy baguette. Why did this happen? In typical French fashion, it was due to the Aristocracy who demanded a form of privileged-bread to please the people in power at the time. Compared to the other types of bread, the baguette would make more croûte (crust) which was a delight for the French elite who did not want to eat as much of la mie (the white part inside the bread). To dig a little deeper and shed light on a not-so-happy topic, there is also an arguable element of racism to the baguette. The French elite had a habit of separating themselves from their own people, including people of color. They had this notion that things looked better white. This was because people associated the color white with things that were pure, high end and of a social ‘ascension.’ If you read between the lines, you can paint your own picture there. Essentially, they tweaked the original recipe, which used whole wheat flour (and would be dark in color) and made it whiter when they would pétrir la pâte (knead the dough) very quickly. This actually stripped away the traditional taste of bread which was preferred outside of Paris. It took a while for all of France to welcome la baguette and, while it was traditionally a Parisian creation, it is now a French cliché and must be eaten within the hour (according to specialists).
Have no fear, in another typical French fashion moment, the people eventually protested. After the French Révolution in 1789, one of the demands of the people of France was Le Pain Égalitaire which would legally force bakers in 1793 to bake the same bread for everyone or they would go to prison. Et voila! This is how the baguette for everyone was (legally) born!
Photo by Florencia Viadana
The Baguette Today
The French Baguette is so popular worldwide that the French Government, along with the la Confédération nationale de la boulangerie-pâtisserie française (The National Confederation of French Bakeries), decided to apply to make the recipe of the French Baguette as an Intangible Heritage at the UNESCO in 2018.
President Emmanuel Macron said: “ La France est un pays d’excellence dans le pain parce que la baguette est enviée dans le monde entier. Il faut en préserver l’excellence et le savoir faire […]” saying that France is a country of excellence in terms of bread and the baguette is envied around the world and we must protect its excellence and savoir-faire.
To sum that up, bread is like a badge of honor for most of France. It is a way to measure the price of things and understand any inflation that might be happening in a said time. There are also subtle taste and style preferences among French people when it comes to bread. Have you ever thought about how you like your bread? Take a look below and let us know how you prefer bread in the comments section at the end of this article:
Bien cuite - Well Done
Blanche - White (lightly baked)
Croustillante (crunchy)
Complet (whole-wheat)
De campagne (country style)
Anatomy of a French Baguette
There is only two things that make up the anatomy of the French Baguette.
La mie: the white inside of the baguette. French people refer to la mie as being moelleuse (soft), aérée (airy), or consistante (heavy).
Loaves of bread that sliced and are made of only la mie, are called, pain de mie.La croûte: the outside part of the baguette, or the crust. The crust of the baguette is what determines how good a baguette is.
French people refer to la croûte as being croustillante (crunchy).
An Authentic French Baguette Recipe
Baking bread can be seen as a very difficult task. However, our Founder, JP, wanted to teach you a simple recipe he learned when he was 5 years old growing up in France. With this recipe, you will be able to make warm baguettes croustillantes easily using only 3 ingredients (+ water)! If you prefer, you can watch JP teach you step-by-step how to make baguettes via our Instagram LIVE workshop with Time Out New York or keep scrolling to read the recipe.
Read the Recipe
Ingredients
375 grammes de farine (3 cups of flour)
300 ml d’eau tiède (1 1/4 cup of warm water)
1 sachet de levure déshydratée (a packet of dry activated yeast)
1 cuillère à thé de sel (1 tsp of salt)
Tools Needed
un saladier (a mixing bowl)
une cuillère en bois ou une Maryse (a wooden spoon or a spatula)
un moule à baguette, ou une plaque pour le four (a pan for baguettes or a baking tray)
un lèchefrite ou une plaque de cuisson (a drip tray or just another baking tray)
Directions
Dans un bol, mettez le sachet de levure déshydratée et ajouté une partie des 300ml d’eau tiède pour couvrir. Laissez reposer dix (10) à quinze (15) minutes.
In a mixing bowl, add the packet of yeast and add a portion of the 300ml of warm water to the mix. Set aside and let it activate for 10 to 15min.
Ajoutez le reste de l’eau et la cuillère à café de sel.
Then, add the rest of the water and the salt. Stir.
Ajoutez la farine et mélange avec la Maryse ou la cuillère en bois.
Add the flour and stir with a spatula.
Couvrez le saladier avec un torchon propre.
Cover the bowl with a clean & wet kitchen towel.
Laissez reposer dans le four pendant 1h30 dans votre étuve faite maison.
Proof the dough for 1 hour and 30minutes in the oven (turned off).
Une fois la pâte levée, sortez-la du four et formez vos baguette sur le moule et faites de petites incisions sur le dessus. Humidifier vos baguettes.
Once the dough has risen, take it out of the oven and shape your baguettes (if the dough is too sticky, you can add a bit of flour). Make small cuts on the top and spray with water so the dough becomes moist again.
Mettez votre lèchefrite en bas du four et remplissez-le d’eau. Enfournez les baguettes et faites cuire 25 minutes à 225 degrés Celsius jusqu’à ce que les baguettes soient bien dorées.
Add water to the oven baking sheet and put it at the bottom of the oven. Bake your baguettes for 25min at 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake until golden brown
Dégustez !
Enjoy!
Merci!
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A Guide for Saying 'Cheers' in France
Before you sit down at a French dinner table, it's imperative to understand the etiquette to a proper toast! This simple guide tells all.
The etiquette of eating a French meal can be a meticulous process. From the way you place your hands on the dinner table to the order in which you food is eaten, the entire experience has a very specific process. French people will be certain to take note of any mishaps during a meal, so we thought to make a simple guide to what to expect during the aperitif (the drink before a meal) to help you blend in like a native. To your good health, we wish you santé!
Photo by Sebastian Coman Photography
The Guide to Saying ‘Cheers’
Instead of saying 'cheers' while toasting, the French wish each other good health or 'santé.' You will typically hear this word along with a clink of the drink glasses, thus instead of saying santé, you might hear 'chin chin' (which is the sound the glasses make when they touch each other). Besides these two common sayings, you might also hear 'A ta santé' ('To your health' - informal), 'A votre santé' ('To your health' - formal), or 'A la tienne' ('To yours' (to your health)). Of course, silence always does the trick if you are stuck at a dinner table and do not remember what to say. Even while silent, it is polite to always address a person with your eyes while toasting a drink. Make sure to follow the rules below on what to do while experiencing a French toast.
Photo by Scott Warman
What to Do - Body Language
Again, the very first important step is to always look in the eyes of the person you are toasting. There is a hidden belief that any person who does not exchange this glance during a toast will suffer from seven years of bad sex or seven years of bad luck, whichever you prefer. It is also very important to never cross your glass with anyone else's. This means, never try to toast someone across the dinner table by putting your glass above or below theirs to reach someone else. After you have toasted everyone around the table (it is important that everyone is included), do NOT place your glass on the table. It is impolite to do this. Simply hold your glass in hand, then take the first sip. After this, you are welcome to place your glass on the table and continue the conversation and eating.
Why Do the French Do this?
These rules might sound silly, but they do have some history. Back in medieval times, people would often put poison in each other's drinks. So, to make sure a drink didn't have poison in it, people would clink each other’s glasses and a portion of the liquid would transfer to the other cup. This way, if someone was being sneaky, poison would be among all of the cups. While clinking glasses, people would look intensely at each others' eyes to detect any weird behavior or stress in their demeanor. Things are very different now, but at least some of the traditions of how to toast in French have some background.
Photo by Jemima Whyles
In summary, it’s important to take notice of the fine details while in France. Even amongst close friends, the dining traditions are an integral part of the culture. Think you’ve mastered the art of saying ‘Cheers’ in France? Take our short quiz below to find out!
We hope you enjoyed this Guide for Saying 'Cheers' in France! Don't forget to share this with your friends or online community using #jplingo @jplinguistics. If you are looking to learn for more French language and culture, check out our Group Classes and FREE Online Workshops at JP linguistics. Bonne Journée!
*This post was edited on April 21, 2020 from its original version
Large Scale French Graffiti
How do you put a painting on a Parisian rooftop? Start with les drones.
French graffiti artists Ella and Pitr have painted Europe's largest work of street art on a roof of a Paris convention centre. Covering 2.5 hectares, the image of an old woman intersected by the ring road around the French capital can be fully viewed only from the sky.
Only from high above can one see how it adds up to an image of an old woman, looking down at the traffic on the Périphérique, the busy ring road that surrounds the French capital. The duo stated that “Her eyes are half closed because she’s very bored by all the fast stuff around her…We wanted to find something with a lot of contrast with the geographic site,” which is full of traffic both by car and foot.
Photo: Objectif Aéro/Ludovic Delage
The duo gained access to the roof through an arrangement between city officials and Art en Ville, a group promoting urban art in public places. This isn’t the first time the duo has created projects like this. Ella + Pitr have created other large-scale works in France, Portugal, Chile, Canada and elsewhere since they met in the French city of Saint-Etienne in 2007.
The new work covers a surface equivalent to four football fields. It breaks the artists’ own record, set with a mural in Norway in 2015. Amazingly they completed the mural over eight days in June using acrylic paints diluted and loaded into spray cans.
The duo brilliantly used drones to create it while referring to aerial photos of the roof. Because of it’s location, even by standing on an adjacent rooftop, the full image is not visible and the Olivier Landes, the curator and founder of Art en Ville stated that “We’re counting on the Internet and the media to spread the aerial image, which will be viewed virtually, on a screen, like all works of urban art.”
The artwork itself will exist until 2022, when the hall is to be demolished as part of a renovation project to prepare the complex for the 2024 Olympic Games.
We hope you enjoyed learning about Large Scale French Graffiti! What are your thoughts on this new form of urban art? Does it add character to the city even though it can only be viewed online? Join the conversation below!
The Ban on Destroying Unsold Goods
The French government has decided that enough is enough when it comes to destroying unsold goods.
The French government has been making steps to become more eco-friendly, and it’s most recent proposal to cut waste is set to affect online retailers such as Amazon and large luxury brands.
The destruction of non-food items, such as clothing, household appliances, beauty and hygiene products will end in France within the next 5 years as part of an anti-waste bill which will be presented to the Council of Ministers in July and aims to instead ensure these products are given away or recycled by the end of 2023.
Today more than $600 million of new and unsold non-food products are discarded or destroyed each year, according to the government, and the prime minister, Edouard Philippe has stated that "We can avoid (...) this scandalous waste.. (&) our idea is not to constrain or impose, but to support companies (...) to ensure that we move to a new stage in our economy."
The PM's office said special arrangements are anticipated for the luxury sector to avoid allowing brands to use the excuse that they are maintaining the exclusivity and luxury mystique of the brand by destroying unsold goods.
France's junior environment minister Brune Poirson promised a law to tackle waste in January after a documentary was released showing the online retail giant, Amazon destroying products that had been returned by consumers.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about France’s new proposed Ban on Destroying Unsold Goods! Do you think this will help France’s economy make a positive impact on the environment? Join the conversation below!
3 Lesser Known Must-Try French Dishes
Move on from the ratatouille and boeuf bourgignon and impress your friends with your connaissance of French cuisine.
France’s influence on the world’s culinary industry can not be overlooked. However, there are some dishes that we think were created so perfectly, they don’t need the latest fusion to keep them relevant. While some may seem “strange” by American standards, these dishes are not only worth trying, they are a must for anyone wishing to immerse themselves in the French way of life!
ESCARGOTS A LA BOURGUIGNONNE
This dish is also known in English as herb buttered snails and no one can visit France without trying these. Snails tend to be associated with the French cuisine, and for good reason as they are a staple food of French families during the holidays.
2. STEAK TARTARE
This dish is essentially uncooked beef, that is ground up and blended with other ingredients. It may seem unappetizing or unhealthy, keep in mind that it has evolved a good bit from when the French made it with horse meat. Restaurants that serve this dish are very careful to ensure their meat is safe. and ready for any daring customer to enjoy.
3. FROG LEGS
Photo: Ruocaled
These became a French delicacy after the monks who were banned from eating meat had these qualified as fish. The peasants followed their example and ever since France has been the epicenter of frog leg cuisine. Though it may seem a bit bizarre, locals state the taste and texture are comparable to chicken, so even if you’re weary, you may still be in for a treat.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about 3 Lesser Known Must-Try French Dishes! Ready to immerse yourself in all of the wonderful culinary creations France has to offer in their native land? Our culturally immersive group classes and native instructors can put you on the path to fluency faster than you might think! Click below to learn more.
5 Words To Know If You’re Spending The Holidays in France This Year
Traveling to France during les fêtes de fin d'années? Add these words to your vocab to celebrate along with the Frenchiest of Frenchies.
By Brian Alcamo
Joyeuses Fêtes, tout le monde! If you’re in France this year for les fêtes de fin d'années, which take place during the month of December and the beginning of January, add these words to your vocabulary to make sure that you can celebrate along with the Frenchiest of Frenchies.
Le Marché de Noël
New Yorkers might be impressed enough by the Christmas markets at Bryant Park and Union Square, but if you’re looking to be blown away, you must go to Strasbourg for their Marche de Noel (Christmas market). The market is so massive that the city has dubbed itself the “Capital of Christmas” according to its website. The official name for the market is Christkindelsmärik, which is tied to this border city’s German heritage.
La Bûche de Noël
(A more “loggy” buche de noel)
This is a French Yule log cake, and it’s absolument delicieuse. Also known as a gâteau de Noël or a gateau roulé, this cake is prepared with a sponge cake that is iced and then rolled into a cylinder before being iced once again. Some people like to decorate their cakes in a Christmassy fashion, while others are intent on making sure you understand that this cake was inspired by a log. Either way, be sure to get your hands on a slice of a bûche de noël anywhere you are in France.
La Crèche
This word means “Nativity Scene,” and most in French are very typical, with Mary and Joseph holding court in a nondescript manger with Jesus. However, a creche provencale is a little different. It transposes the story of the nativity onto a southern French village. Little figurines, or santons, carry provencale essentials, like lavender and rosemary (yes, I said essentials).
Les Papillotes
While the word papillote can be used to denote anything wrapped or cooked in paper, une papillote is a special holiday treat wrapped in a metallic foil, which typically contains a message. The papillote’s origin story is that sometime during the 18th century, a Lyonnaise candy maker created small treats so that he could send little love messages to the girl in the village that he was smitten with. Now, the candies are simply cute and edible holiday decorations.
Le réveillon du jour de l’an
It’s New Years’ Eve! Like most places in the world, France turns out for the last party of the year. A few hours before this, though, the President address the French people on television, discussing the current political climate and his vows for the new year. If you’re looking for fireworks on this special night, please note that Paris does not put on any of these cherished feu d’artifice on New Years’ Eve. Fireworks along the Champs Elysees used to be part of the New Years’ tradition there, but in recent years have stopped. This lack of fireworks should not deter you from running out into the street at midnight to shout your heartiest bonne annee!
Also: You might also hear this day called Le réveillon de La Saint Sylvestre (Saint Sylvestre is another way to say New Years’ Day in France).
We hope you enjoy your holiday season wherever you are. If you’re in France, be sure to keep an eye out for these cultural traditions!
Thumbnail Image Credit: Alicia Steels
A New French Single Hits #1
Australian pop star, Kylie Minogue has released a new French language single that has already broken the charts…
Australian pop star, Kylie Minogue has released a new French language single that has already broken the charts. The song, On Oublie le Reste, is a duet with French singer Jenifer, and includes a nod to one of Kylie’s biggest hits, Can’t Get You Out Of My Head. The new sure-to-hit track features lyrics sung entirely in French by both Kylie and Jenifer and incorporates the famous “la la la” refrain from Can’t Get You Out Of My Head, which reached #1 in 40 countries in 2001.
Throughout her career, Minogue has been known for reinventing herself in fashion and music. She is described as a style icon and has been recognised with several honorific nicknames, most notably the "Princess of Pop". Minogue is also recognised as the highest-selling female Australian artist of all time. In 2008, Kylie received one of France’s highest cultural awards when she was made a Chevalier dans l’ordre des Arts et Lettres (Knight of Arts and Letters) for her contribution to French culture and for her overall love of the country. “Princess of pop, uncontested queen of the dance floors, you are a sort of Midas of the international music scene who turns everything she touches into gold, from records to micro-shorts,” said Christine Albanel, the French cultural minister at the time, when presenting the award to Kylie in Paris.
France wasn’t the only country where the song hit #1. Australia, Britain, Germany, Ireland and New Zealand all boosted the duet to the #1 spot. On Oublie le Reste, which in English means “we forget the rest”, continues Kylie’s long association with France where her music has generated twenty-four Top 40 hits, including 10 Top Ten singles and now, a chart-topping #1 single.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about how A New French Single Hits #1! Ready to jam out to the newest Kylie Minogue track and understand her lyrics en Français? Our native instructors and culturally immersive classes will allow you to dive deep into the French language and improve your entire listening experience. Click below to learn more!
The Expansion of French Language Classes
Montreal offers an expansion to French education with multiple budget increases to help more people learn French.
In a new proposal by the immigration ministry of Montreal, $70.3 million will be added to the existing funding for French instruction within the ministry, bringing the total to $170 million annually. Access to the courses will be expanded to include immigrants who have been in Canada longer than 5 years.
Quebec Immigration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette announced as well that the weekly allowance offered participants in full-time French courses will be increased to $185 from $141. And part-time participants, who received no allowance, will now receive $15 for each day of training.
Child and disability care allowances for part-time participants also rise to $9 a day from $7. The expansion of the classes will see an additional 80 French teachers hired, an increase of 17%. The additional funding is hopes to create 300 extra French-class spaces for immigrants.
The province also hopes to reach an additional 4,500 immigrants annually through the expansion and contribute to the full-time French instruction of 17,500 a year. Stéphane Forget, head of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, said he believed the measures will “permit a more rapid and easier integration of immigrant workers into businesses in all the regions of Quebec.”
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about how Montreal is implementing The Expansion of French Language Classes! Looking to improve your own French proficiency? Our native instructors and culturally immersive classes are sure to put you on the path to fluency faster than you may have ever thought possible. Click below to learn more!
French Day of Music
A collaboration between Egyptian and French musicians for a government sponsored musical on the longest day of the year? Sign us up!
The French Institute in Egypt will hold the 2019 edition of the Music Day at Al Azhar Park on June 20th. However, if you’re looking for a lineup, you may be out of luck. The Egyptian and French artists that will partake in the festival are usually discovered on that day.
This year's edition will focus on Rai and its late iconic performer Rashid Taha while featuring a unique variety of artists including the Egyptian musical band El-dor el-Awal (First floor), French - Algerian singer Soufiane Saidi and French Mazzleda team. The closing set will be performed by DJ Countess.
Music Day is an annual music celebration that takes place on June 21 where citizens of some cities are allowed and encouraged to play music outside in their neighborhoods or in public spaces such as parks. Many free concerts are also organized, where musicians perform for fun as there is no payment involved.
Organizers ensured that Music Day takes place on the day of the summer solstice and was originated in Paris in 1982 by French Minister of Culture, Jack Lang, and Maurice Fleuret, and since then, it has been celebrated in 120 countries around the world.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the French Day of Music! Want to hear some of our favorite French hits? Listen to the official JP Linguistics Spotify playlist below!
The French LGBTQ+ Reproductive Rights Debate
Women of all persuasions will soon share the same reproductive rights previously guaranteed only for those in heterosexual couples.
France's Prime Minister Edouard Philippe announced to the National Assembly on Wednesday that by the end of September that Parliament will be reviewing a bill that will include an extension of medically assisted reproduction for all women, including those who are single and lesbian couples which was one of President Emmanuel Macron’s main campaign promises. The prime minister said that the bill was ready, but the content of it was still to be made public.
Minister of Justice Nicole Belloubet spoke to French radio France Inter about the 3 options being considered: "Either we extend the current legal regime to homosexual couples and single women or we create a special status for all children born from IVF with a third donor or we create a special status only for female couples and single women."
Another major point of debate will be the children's access to their origins, thus allowing all French citizens access to records about how, when, and where they were conceived. The details of this discussion are still under wraps, but should the bill pass, it will be a milestone for the fight for reproductive rights transparency.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about The French LGBTQ+ Reproductive Rights Debate! What are your thoughts on this new bill? Join the conversation below!
Budget Friendly Luxury French Flights
Coach is cramped. Treat yourself and upgrade your flight without breaking the bank.
Looking to take a luxury trip to France this summer without breaking the budget? If you’re willing to depart from New York City, you’re in luck! La Compagnie has announced round-trip flights from New York to Paris for just $1,000 on their business-class only fleet.
The airline launched in 2014 as a business-only option for those making the trip across the Atlantic and haven’t stopped innovating since. In September 2017, the airline announced that it was offering all-you-can-fly passes for its Newark to Paris route, costing $40,000 per year. In 2018, La Compagnie relocated its Paris operations from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Orly Airport and announced a new seasonal service to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport from Newark. Most recently, in May 2019, the airline took delivery of its first Airbus A321neo which has caused quite a conversation in the airline industry.
Why the excitement about this jet? For starters, every seat on board becomes a fully lie-flat bed and free and unlimited Wi-Fi for all passengers. The deal also includes lounge access at the airports on either side, two checked bags, wine and champagne on board, noise canceling in-flight headsets, and, best of all, a Maison Kayser croissant in your sea upon arrival.
Not ready to pull the trigger just yet? Be sure to check in on their official site for more promotions!
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about Budget Friendly Luxury French Flights! Want to make sure you’re prepared to experience the culture of France when you arrive? Our native instructors and culturally immersive group classes will have you conversing in French in no time! Click below to learn more.
The Trouble with Teknivals
Turns out you can party too hard.
Festival-goers at an illegal rave in France have been taken to hospital after contracting hypothermia after an unexpected snow storm hit the unauthorized hill top festival at a military site in Creuse over the weekend. Hundreds of survival blankets were handed out to attendees by rescuers, with many people receiving treatment on site.
Teknival is in its 26th year and only reveals the location of each installment at the last minute. It’s estimated that 10,000 people attended this year’s edition with only 500-600 staying until the end after temperatures plummeted to nearly 20 degrees F. The festival was further dampened by more than 100 police officers made a number of seizures of drugs including cannabis, ecstasy and cocaine.
Currently French law permits free parties with 500 people or under (subject to no noise complaints), and while Prefets generally refuse the applications now required for free parties with over 500 people, through constant negotiations with the Ministry of Interior since the August 2002 teknival on the French/Italian frontier at Col de l’Arches where sound crews set up rigs inside the Italian border facing the party goers in France, the French Government have reluctantly allowed up to three large teknivals each year, even though they are technically unauthorized events.
Teknivals also take place outside legal festivals such as Printemps de Bourges, Transmusicales in Rennes or Borealis in Montpellier. Teknival negotiators deal directly with the Ministry of Interior, not the Ministry of Culture (with whom the commercial ventures seeking official status must deal) indicating that they are largely not cultural but security concerns.
We hope you’ve enjoyed The Trouble with Teknivals! What are your thoughts on these giant free festivals? Should the government allow them to continue, or are they simply too much of a public health risk? Join the conversation below!
A Brief History of The French Open
There’s more to the story than red courts.
In America, the U.S. Open brings out the best in tennis talent, however we often forget that just 10 years after the first event that across the world, a tournament that holds equal prestige would begin.
The French Open is an annual tennis tournament held over two weeks in May and June. Established in 1891, The French Open has been played since 1928 on outdoor red clay courts at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris, France and is one of the four Grand Slam tournaments played each year.
The first winner of the Championship was the British player H. Briggs who was a member of Club Stade Français which entitled him to compete. French players were dominant in the early stages of the tournament, in particular Max Decugis, who won eight titles before the outbreak of the First World War.[10] Once the open became viable to international challengers in 1925, France's victory in the 1927 Davis Cup increased interest in the tournament and required a new stadium to be built.
Jack Crawford's victory in 1933 was the 1st time a foreign player had won the tournament since 1891. Following his victory, no French players won the title up until 1940, when the tournament was suspended following the outbreak of the WW2, though it was held unofficially under the name: Tournoi de France. Marcel Bernard won the first event after the end of the war in 1946; he was the only Frenchman to win the event before the advent of the Open era in 1968.
No one player dominated the event during this period until in 1968, when professional players were allowed to compete with amateurs as an official “open.” Previously only amateurs could compete in the Grand Slam tournaments.
Australian Ken Rosewall, was the first Grand Slam tournament to be played in the Open era. Michael Chang later became the youngest man to win the French Open when he beat Stefan Edberg in 1989. Prolific tennis phenom, Rafael Nadal won his first open in 2005 and held a streak until 2008. After losing to Robin Söderling in 2009, he regained his title from 2011 - 2014 and was defeated in 2015 by Novak Djokovic.
2005 marked Rafael Nadal's first French Open; he won four consecutive titles from 2005 - 2008. Nadal was beaten in 2009 tournament by Robin Söderling but regained the title in 2010 and defended his crowns in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. In the 2015 event, he was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Novak Djokovic.
As we move into 2019, Nadal plans to continue his streak starting in 2017 to continue building on his 11 championship wins. This year’s French Open will take place May 20–Jun 9, 2019 and can be streamed via the EuroSport website.
We hope you’ve enjoyed A Brief History of The French Open! Are you looking forward to watching the open in its native language this year? Our native instructors and culturally immersive group classes are sure to help you celebrate with every winning announcement! Click below to learn more.
Debating The Reconstruction of Notre Dame
Can the famed cathedral be rebuilt by the 2024 Paris Olympics?
French lawmakers on are currently debating a highly controversial law for restoring Notre-Dame within 5 years. The cathedral was nearly destroyed in a fire that broke out in the cathedral in April, and French President Emmanuel Macron has set a target for the restoration to be finished by the time Paris hosts the Olympics in 2024.
The surrounding controversy is that the proposal would involve removing provisions protecting the ancient structure. Nearly one billion euros has been donated, and experts believe believe the total bill will come to between 6-700 million euros. This begs to question what will happen to leftover money? France's Observatory for Religious Heritage has found that there are between 40,000 & 60,000 churches and chapels in France with 5,000 in poor condition.
This law, should it be passed, will create a public body to oversee and carry out the work but grants the government power to override regulations on planning. Notre-Dame has become a world renowned cathedral as it has survived the peaks and valleys of the sometimes turbulent French history since construction began in the mid-12th century.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about how the French government is Debating The Reconstruction of Notre Dame! What are your thoughts on the new bill? Join the conversation below.
Barreling Across The Atlantic
And you thought Niagara Falls was the it-place for aquatic barrel rides.
Some people enjoy the slower pace of boat travel compared to air travel. However, one French man in particular has decided to take a very primitive approach to cross the Atlantic.
Photo: Facebook - Jean-Jacques Savin
Jean-Jacques Savin set sail from the Canary Islands this past December in what appears to be something straight out of a cartoon - a barrel made of resin-coated plywood. The measurements worked out to 10 feet long and 6.8 feet across.
The 71 year old spent the first 4 months of 2019 inside his barrel, traveling at about 2 mph as he relied entirely on the ocean current to guide his journey with a bit of assistance from JCOMMOPS, an international marine observatory, which provided him with markers to drop off at various parts of the sea to help study ocean currents.
His epic voyage lasted 128 days, and he posted updates via social media to keep interested viewers in the loop about his adventures. He also was sure to bring treats for the various holidays he would miss celebrating on land including a bottle of Sauternes white wine and a block of foie gras for New Year's Eve.
As far as his return track to France? As one may think, he has opted for a simple plane ride to his homeland.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning how one Frenchman had the adventure of a lifetime Barreling Across The Atlantic! Would you be willing to take on a journey like the one Savin completed? Join the conversation below!
Making French Mandatory
A fight for linguistic dominance is emerging in Ghana, and French’s future in the country is at stake.
Since achieving it’s independence from the British in 1957, Ghana has had strong ties to the English language, and most of it’s citizens who’ve been through some level of formal education speak English alongside their regional language. However, Ghana’s president Nana Akufo-Addo is now actively campaigning for Ghanaians to also learn French and one day make it the country’s official second language.
Akufo-Addo descends from a Ghanaian political aristocracy with long ties to Britain and was partly educated in England from a young age, but he also speaks French fluently which has lead him to push for French to become a requirement for high school students and in a 2018 speech which was given entirely in French.
Akufo-Addo’s support for French comes as France’s president Emmanuel Macron is also making a soft power push to raise the status of French across Africa, starting with former French colonies. In March, he stated, “As France represents only a fraction of the active French speakers, the country knows the fate of French language is not its burden alone to carry.”
While it may be obvious that the push for French in Ghana has a lot to do with the president’s personal affinity for the language, there is good reason for increasing the number of Ghanaians who can speak French. All of Ghana’s immediate neighbors use French as their official language and in the wider Ecowas regional block, eight out of 15 member countries are Francophone. A “bilingual Ghana”, strategically positioned, could stand to benefit economically from ever closer ties with her neighbors.
In recent time, teen students in Ghana have had to take a French language exam as part of a national exam that allows students to progress to high school but has failed to translate into a considerable number of citizens being able to communicate in French fluently. There is also the social aspect that is tied in with the history of colonialism in Africa., However recently, the reservations have not been about French, but instead about Mandarin and China’s increasing economic and political influence as countries including Kenya, Uganda and South Africa are all introducing Mandarin into their schools’ curriculum.
Last, there is the issue of local languages being lost forever. It is estimated that at least a dozen Ghanaian languages have been lost over the past century and about a dozen more have less than 1,000 speakers. While almost a third of Ghana’s indigenous languages have less than 20,000 speakers and rapid urbanization and global influence may mean the languages risk extinction, it will be up to the keepers of these languages to document them to allow them to continue to flourish alongside whichever foreign language may be introduced to the formal schooling system.
Revolutionary Art & Free Bitcoins
Solve a puzzle and win a crypto prize, all in the name of l’art.
A Paris based street artist has created a crypto-inspired masterpiece that has quite the hidden gift for those smart enough to find it.
Pascal Boyart has hidden $1,000 worth of Bitcoin inside a new mural in Paris. The big catch is that it’s location is undisclosed. Inspired by the famous Eugène Delacroix artwork “La Liberté guidant le peuple” (Liberty leading the people) from the 19th century, Boyart pays homage to the Gilet Jaunes, or Yellow Jackets (the French protest movement fighting for reprieve from an ever-increasing cost of living and what has been described as indifference of the current leader of France, Emmanuel Macron.
Photo: L’Express
Boyart posted to Reddit stating that in order “to solve the puzzle you must be in front of the mural,” Foreigners need not fear as he has stated that possible to solve “part” of it even if you aren’t in France.
This piece is the latest in a series of prominent Bitcoin-infused artworks from Boyart, who has said that he plans to create a new mural every six months while using BTC donations to fund his work.
Thinking of getting in on the BTC cash grab? You can track the status of the bounty through the Bitcoin address found here. As of now, the prize has yet to be claimed.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning how Boyart is creating thought provoking art while providing a monetary incentive with Revolutionary Art & Free Bitcoins! Planning to solve the puzzle yourself? Before you head to France, be sure to check out our culturally immersive group classes and private lessons to make your Bitcoin hunt as smooth as possible. Click below to learn more!
Wrangling With French Wine Consumption
Controversial new guidelines for how much, or little, alcohol one should consume in the country of vin rouge.
France has one of the highest alcohol consumption rates in Europe largely attributed to wine (with just over 50% of the country’s total alcohol consumption). This past Monday, the public health agency and the National Institute of Cancer (INCa) launched a national campaign, with recommendations for the maximum daily intake of alcohol of two glasses per day on non consecutive days. Currently, alcohol is the second-biggest cause for preventable deaths in France after tobacco, killing over 40,000 people each year.
Previously, the daily limit had been set at 2 glasses per day for women and 3 glasses per day for men.
France’s relationship with alcohol has been a long embroiled one as the first-ever campaign to try to get the French to reduce their alcohol consumption in the mid-1950s and encouraged the French to “drink less than a liter of alcohol per meal.” Oddly enough, it wasn’t until 1956 that France banned the serving of alcohol to children under the age of 14 in the school canteens. Prior to that, school children had the right to drink half a liter of wine, cider or beer with their meals. It was only in 1981 that France implemented a total alcohol ban in the country’s schools.
It is safe to say, however, that this recommendation is not going over well with everyone as even France’s Agriculture Minister Didier Guillaume suggested that wine “ isn’t like other alcohols” and rarely the cause of binge drinking amongst the youth. “Alcohol addiction is a real problem, notably among young people with binge drinking and so on,” Guillaume said, blaming the problem rather on hard liquor.
French President Emmanuel Macron similarly found himself a target of criticism last year after telling journalists that he drinks wine with both lunch and dinner and has announced that he had no plans to tighten the laws on alcohol advertising during his presidency.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about how the public health agency and the National Institute of Cancer are Wrangling With French Wine Consumption. What are your thoughts on these new recommendations? Join the conversation below!
The Newest Language Learning App
Connect and learn 8 Romance languages at once, all from your phone!
The French Ministry of Culture has just launched its a brand new application called ‘‘Romanica’‘ that features 8 Romance languages on all mobile devices. The theme of the app includes greetings, time, travel and arts, and the central aspect of the game teaches that learning doesn’t have to be a daunting task as the languages are not very different.
The French minister of culture, Franck Riester stated that “This game is a way of bringing together languages and cultures…(&) shows everything that unites us.” Currently, the app is available for free on download platforms and partnership is expected to be formed between the game producers and the French Ministry of National Education. This would allow Romanica to be used in schools for learning languages thus making the languages more accessible to students earlier in life.
The initiative was praised by the Romanian Ambassador to France who welcomed this interest in languages via by mobile technology.
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