One of the advantages of being proficient in French is the ability to consume media from sources originating in Francophone countries. U.S. news tends to anchor itself in shock and outrage, whipping the population of news junkies into two vehemently opposed camps. French news undoubtedly suffers from some of this…
Journaling… like every other human endeavor, there exists a narrow sliver of people who raise this seemingly simple practice to the level of a refined and illuminating art. Such is the case with graphic novelist Craig Thompson’s Carnet de Voyage. In the spring of 2004, Thompson traveled to Europe to…
Or, Just Because You Have Impostor Syndrome Doesn’t Mean You’re Not a Fake Last week, I wrote about an excursion I took with friends to the top of La Grande Arche—a massive office building in the heart of Paris’ modern business district, La Défense. In the spring of 2023, we…
Since President Biden left the White House, the daily news cycle has turned into a foutoir total. Every day, we hear stories about cuts to important government departments, violations of human rights, aggressive actions taken against our allies, declining stock prices, failed peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, ongoing conflict…
I’ve covered stories about the Eiffel Tower on this site perhaps more than any other topic. This week I thought I’d serve up depictions of the famous monument by some of France’s renowned painters and illustrators. To liven things up, I thought I’d offer readers a challenge. Below, I’ve listed…
Last week, I wrote about the importance of art during times of oppression, focusing on how art has the power to expose society’s flaws and portray a better world. However, art is also a source of pleasure-laden escape. I recently discovered a French textile artist, Sandrine Torredemer, whose work provides…
One of my favorite French films is Les Saveurs du palais, the English version is Haute Cuisine. The movie is based on the life of Danièle Mazet-Delpeuch, the first-ever female chef of a French president. The trailblazing Malzet-Delpeuch was François Mitterand’s private chef from 1988 to 1990. In addition to culinary expertise,…
One of the contenders for this year’s Oscar for Best International Film is The Seed of the Sacred Fig. Secretly filmed in Tehran, the fictional screenplay takes place during the weeks of protest that followed the nonfictional death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian woman who died in police custody…
