Agathoune!

When most people think of France, they probably imagine the hexagonal country mashed in the middle of continental Europe and its stunning capital city Paris.  Although this does make up the most populous bulk of the country, France also consists of many overseas territories (Guadeloupe, Tahiti, etc.) as well as one of the largest, most beautiful islands in the Mediterranean Sea:  Corsica (”La Corse”).

Genovese Tower at Campmoro Corsica

The French call Corsica  ”l’Ile de Beauté” (the island of beauty) and it truly is a place of inspiring landscapes and stunning geography.  Unlike the French Riviera which has basically turned into one gigantic strip of unbridled concrete sprawl, the Corsican coastline is still virtually unspoiled, with limited construction allowed only in major cities or very small fishing towns that have been there for centuries.  In fact, if you try to build a vacation house too close to the coastline in Corsica, it is actually not an uncommon occurence for the local Corsican populace to blow it up during the off season.  A few suggestions before embarking on a building project in Corsica would include 1) having a Corsican or Italian sounding name and 2) acquiring good standing with the local population by helping to “finance” a project of public interest (something more consequential than a public bench).

You've heard of the TGV? Well here's the NGV (High Speed Ferry)!

Although not as well known outside of Europe, Corsica is an extremely popular summer vacation destination for many of the French.  So popular, in fact, that you literally need to reserve accommodations in October for the following summer!  On top of exorbitant rental prices, there is also the added cost of paying for the high-season Saturday car ferry crossing and also fighting against every other person in France who is driving to their vacation destinations on the same day!  However, once you’ve visited the island once, you will quickly see that it’s all worth it.

Sausages Anyone?

First of all, despite their penchant for blowing things up, excellent hospitality is actually a question of honor for most Corsicans.  Because of the island’s Mediterranean climate, you’re also virtually guaranteed to have sunny weather.  Hearty Corsican meats, cheese, fish and wine provide an exquisite gastronomical experience.  And, did I also mention that the entire island, with its turquoise beaches, hidden mountain villages, rolling green hills and ancient citadels, is also stunningly beautiful?

Corsicans refer to France as “le continent” (the continent) and visiting French as “du continent” (from the continent).  In fact, no true Corsican would ever say that they would willingly be part of France, and there is still an independence movement¹ on the island that occasionally will bomb a deserted town hall or post office in the middle of the night.  However, considering the massive amounts of subsidies provided by the French government for new public infrastructure projects and income supplements, it is probably in no Corsican’s interest to actually secede from France.  It is also a popular past-time to see how much money can be skimmed from the local tax authorities.  In fact, many businesses and restaurants only accept cash, so don’t forget to use that ATM when you see one!

Corsican Village by the Sea...

The island itself is a hiker’s paradise.  The coastal paths are breathtaking, winding through rocky outcroppings, sandy lagoons and always not far from an ancient Genovese watchtower².  The middle of the island consists of a massive mountain chain with stunning alpine landscapes full of rocky spires, goat herders, crystal rivers and ancient bridges.  There is also a popular, high altitude hiking path (GR20) that traverses the island from North to South in 15 days with mountain refuges for weary hikers after long days of climbing the Corsican summits.

Stunning Beaches...

Because of its mountainous geography, the roads in Corsica are not for the faint-hearted.  The main roads are actually quite well maintained, but as soon as you turn into any side road, be prepared for hairpin turns, narrow tunnels, steep inclines and clinging to your side of the road in the hopes that other drivers stay in their lane!  Corsicans are also renown for driving extremely fast, passing everything that moves and tailgating.  A Corsican friend actually explained to me that they don’t mind slow tourists, but only the ones that don’t pull over to let them pass.  Also, always remember to honk loudly when going around a blind corner on a two-way cliff road that is actually only wide enough for one car…

Les Aiguilles de Bavella - The Corsican Dolomites

Corsicans themselves are some of the most welcoming people I’ve ever met in France.  Families have lived on the island for generations and adhere to strict values of honor, tradition, family, religion and hospitality.  Ancient tombs line the roadways, speaking of a long past of family rivalries and secret vendettas (imagine Romeo and Juliet).  Road signs are in both French and Corsican to help maintain the local language.  Churches also ring with traditional Corsican music sung by male acapella groups.  The high notes are quite amazing with never ending vocal vibrations!

Links

Bonifacio - On the Southernmost tip of Corsica, despite being a massive tourist-trap, the city of Bonifacio is really worth seeing from a boat.  It is a disconcerting vision to observe the ancient houses all huddled together on a cliff that is slowly eroding into the sea.  There is also a staircase literally carved into the cliff face apparently used during a past invasion attempt!

Bonifacio's Beautiful, Doomed Houses - Ever Heard of Water Erosion?

GR20 Route Planning Information and Map - This site provides map and planning details for the difficult North/South hiking path that traverses Corsica.  Check out some stunning photos of the scenery at the bottom of the page.  Hiking boots are required!

I Muvrini - Can’t get enough of the vibrating Corsican acapella music?  Time for some I Muvrini!  I’ve also linked to a beautiful song, “Le Temps est Assassin” (Time is Deadly) the singing group performed with Véronique Sanson.

embedded by Embedded Video

YouTube DirektI Muvrini and Veronique Sanson

La Maison Bonaparte - France’s world famous Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, was actually a Corsican!  The house of his birth is now a museum in Ajaccio.

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1. FLNC - Fronte di Liberazione Naziunale Corsu [↩]
2. the island was ruled by the Genovese for many centuries and is surrounded by watchtowers to provide warning of invaders [↩]

September 20th, 2009 | Tags: Aiguilles de Bavella, Ajaccio, balades Corses, Bonifacio, building laws, Corse, Corsica, Corsican hiking, Corsican traditions, driving in Corsica, france blog, France ferry, french blog, goat cheese, GR20, i muvrini, Le Mare e Monti, le temps est assassin, Le Trou de la Bombe, Maison Bonaparte, NGV, sausages, Véronique Sanson | Category: La France d'Ailleurs, Le Vagabond | Leave a comment

Pig Latin City

When I was growing up, once I knew how to spell, my parents had the ingenious idea to teach me Pig Latin.  For those of you who don’t know what Pig Latin is, it’s a way of creating a sort of “secret language” by transforming English words into seemingly gibberish sounds unless you know the formula for creating the words.  In the case of Pig Latin, the rule is to take the first letter of the word, move it to the end and then add “ay”.  For example, the word “dog” would be said “og-day” (2 syllables).  The phrase “I went to the park” would be said phonetically ”Iyay entway otay ethay arkpay” (the “A” sound at the end is a long A, pronounced the same as in “way” or “say”).

Growing up in rural New Hampshire, there was frequently not much to do, so my brother and I soon became experts at speaking Pig Latin.  We would speak it so quickly that our parents could no longer understand what we were talking about and it became a fun sort of code language.  To this day, I still enjoy rattling off phrases in Pig Latin, but unfortunately it’s only my brother who can actually understand me (and we live 4000 miles away from each other, so there’s not much use disguising our conversations over the phone)!

Verlan - The Language of "La Cité"

The French language also contains many coded ways of speaking.  As someone who loves to learn slang, I was fascinated to discover that the origin of many funky slang words is actually the result of inverting the syllables of existing French words.  This special language is known as “Verlan” which is how the word “L’envers” (which means “backwards” or “in reverse”) is pronounced when the two syllables are inverted!  In fact, many of the inverted words in Verlan are already regular slang to begin with, so in many ways Verlan is actually “slang made from slang”. Verlan is also used frequently in more lower-class neighborhoods, especially by inner city immigrants, many of whom are still learning French and who may not even know what the word originally was.

There are so many wacky phrases in Verlan, that I’ll start with a few simple examples.  The word “femme” (woman) is pronounced “meuf” in Verlan, as in “où est ta meuf?” (where’s your woman?).  The words mère and père are transformed into “reum” and “reup” (remember this is a phonetic translation - Verlan isn’t really written).  Keep in mind that saying a word in Verlan is frequently considered slightly derogatory, so you should never refer to your girlfriend as ”ma meuf” in front of her parents!

For your learning pleasure, I’ve compiled a table of some common expressions in Verlan.  These words do occasionally slip into conversations, even with elite French speakers, so it’s good to have some background knowledge.  As a foreigner, they are also a lot of fun to occasionally throw into your French phrases to show your language “culture” (if you want to call it that)…

Because Verlan slang words can be generated from nearly any word in French, it’s fun to try to create them; in fact, one of my personal goals is to insert a new Verlan word into the French language.  I’ve tried on many occasions to create original Verlan words and slip them into my conversations, but nothing more than confused silence greeted me as a response.  My French friends all said I should just give it up - apparently the words I create just don’t ”sound” right.  Nobody wants “c’est aivre” (c’est vrai), “pine-co” (copine) or ”aimp” (pain).  In the end I’ll probably just end up talking to myself and translating French into Pig Latin… à ientôtbay!

Links

Online Pig Latin Translator- This site translates any phrase into Pig Latin.  Loads of fun!

Les Années Verlan- An intellectual article about Verlan by Alain Rey.  If you can make it through this article, then you’re probably too cultivated to speak Verlan!!

WikiPedia’s Take on Verlan - Details, origins, etc. - easy reading after Alain Rey’s article (and in English)

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July 25th, 2009 | Tags: aimf, backwards French, Carrouf, féca, france blog, french blog, French slang, igpay atinlay, keuf, l'envers, meuf, opstay, Pig Latin, relou, reuf, reum, reup, reus, teuf, translating slang, verlan, zarbi, zyva | Category: La Langue Internationale, Le Nouveau Roman | Comments (6)

France is generally regarded as the birthplace of democracy in Europe.  Although the 1789 French Revolution is considered by many as the spark that lit the fire of European democratization and the propagation of fundamental concepts such as equality or human rights across the continent, the French Republic itself has had a very turbulent history of trying to maintain its core democratic values and power over the centuries.  When I use the general term “French Republic”, I’m referring to a period in France’s history when it was more or less governed democratically by representatives of the people without any interference from a king, an emperor or an autocrat.  In fact, since the declaration of the “First Republic” in 1792, the French government has actually functioned under five different republics, each governed by different constitutions, with the current republic conveniently known as the “Cinquième République” (Fifth Republic) whose constitution was actually only recently approved in 1958! 

Between these different republics were various periods of crisis and social upheaval, including World War II, two Napoléon emperorships, the restoration of the French Monarchy, the 60s culture wars and general infighting between different political factions who only wanted their strict vision of democracy applied.  In fact, given France’s history, I fully expect to live through the foundation of the Sixth Republic sometime in my lifetime!

Still Going...

Unlike France, the United States still adheres to its original 1789 constitution¹ with only a mere twenty-seven amendments added to the text.  And the first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights, don’t count because they were approved at the same time as the original constitution.  Of the remaining seventeen amendments, two amendments (18th and 21st) concerning prohibition of alcohol cancel each other out, so in reality the US constitution has only been modified just fifteen times since it’s original inception!  Other than these fifteen additional amendments, NOTHING has been changed - not one old English phrase has been modified and not one strange looking letter ”S” rewritten!

Founding Fathers Think Things Through...

In fact, simply to propose an amendment to the US constitution requires either 2/3 of both houses of Congress or 2/3 of states legislatures to launch the ratification process.  Then the amendment must be approved by 3/4 of the US states’ legislatures (or a state’s ratifying constitutional convention)!  This is the reason I tell my French friends why it is so difficult to reform anything that is hard coded into the US constitution, such as changing the US presidential election process (which was designed to allow time for delegates to a special “electoral college” to arrive on horseback to designate a president) or to pass any sort of gun control laws (the 2nd amendment explicitly allows the “right to bear arms”).  For my European friends, remember that the US constitution is almost considered a sacred document by most Americans, so even simply the thought of modifying it brings shivers down people’s backs.

The French, however, have no such scruples about changing their constitution.  Changing the constitution only requires 3/5 approval of the current legislature which gives the impression that it is constantly being tinkered with, whether it is to allow France to conform to the latest European Union directive or simply to promote the President’s current program.  In the beginning I found this nonchalant approach to constitutional modifications surprising, but after a while it all turns into background noise until one day soon when the Sixth Republic will be secretly declared…

The history of France’s five periods of republican rule (by the people) is very interesting reading.

Just Another Monarchist Collaborator!

The First Republic (1792-1804) - The ”First Republic” was declared in 1792 during the turbulent time of the French Revolution and was meant to be a complete rupture with every religious or monarchist convention of the past.  And there’s no better way to force people to obey a new republican constitution than to temporary suspend it, terrify the population into mutual betrayal and then send any suspected traitors to the guillotine²!!  After events calmed down a bit, in 1793 a second constitution was adopted called “La Constitution de l’An I” (The Constitution of Year 1) which established a republican government and also had the unique idea to reorganize the calendar into 12 months³ of 10 day weeks⁴, and dividing each day into 10 hours, each hour into 100 decimal minutes and each minute into 100 decimal seconds! 

Napoléon - Who needs a Republic when you can have an Emperor?

In 1795, yet another constitution came into effect, “La Constitution de L’An III” (The Constitution of Year 3), reorganizing the government into two creatively-named legislative bodies called the “Coucil of Elders” (upper chamber) and the “Council of 500″ (lower chamber with, amazingly, 500 representatives).  These bodies were managed by a five person executive committee called the “Directoire”, which, after an internal coup d’état, later became a group of three “Consuls” (The Constitution of Year 8) and finally only ”First Consul for Life” Napoléon Bonaparte  (The Constitution of Year 10), who became Emperor two years later!  With five different constitutions in twelve years, it’s no wonder people so easily accepted Napoléon as their Emperor, if only to simplify government!  Incidentally, Napoléon also abolished the new calendar in 1805…probably because he was so sick of trying to remember the bizarre names of all the months!

French Revolutionary Calendar Months (starting with the first month of autumn):  Vendémiaire (vintage), Brumaire (mist), Frimaire (frost), Nivôse (snow), Pluviôse (rain), Ventôse (wind), Germinal (seed), Floréal (blossom), Prairial (meadow), Messidor (harvest), Thermidor (heat), Fructidor (fruits)

July Monarchy (King is from the “Orléans” branch) - (1830 - 1848)

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The Second Republic (1848-1852) - As you can see by the dates, this constitution didn’t last long.  Maybe the founders should have reconsidered when they designed direct presidential elections resulting in Napoleon’s nephew, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, as president.  What a surprise when he declared himself Emperor (Napoléon III) during the coup d’état of 1852!  Won’t they ever learn?

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Emperorship of Louis-Napoléon (1852 - 1870)

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The Third Republic (1870-1940) - Currently the longest lasting French constitution, la Troisième Republique (The Third Republic) is considered by many as one of the most stable periods of French republican government.  In a sort of irony, the constitution of the Third Republic was actually just a temporary measure designed to limit executive power (remember all of the recent coup d’états?) before a better one could be agreed on.  However, the temporary solution was actually fairly well balanced and ended up lasting 70 years!   The constitutional power was heavily weighted towards the legislature resulting in a very weak, figurehead president of the Third Republic who was also frequently the butt of many jokes!

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Invasion and Occupation of France by Nazi Germany (1940-1945) - déjà vu?

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Prime Minister Chirac Absolutely Loves President Mitterand!

The Fourth Republic (1946-1958) - Although executive power was slightly increased, the motto of the Fourth Republic was that government only requires one big happy assembly and there would always be a majority consensus to manage the country.  Unfortunately, if you combine the Algerian War (France’s Vietnam) with the 60s culture crisis and the rise of communism, you have a good recipe for complete governmental gridlock…  Time to make a new constitution!

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The Fifth Republic (1958 - present)- The distinguishing feature of this constitution is the French rediscovery and reinforcement of executive power which the Third and Fourth Republics lacked.  The new presidential powers were meant to arbitrate during periods of crisis, command the armed forces and foreign policy, and basically to maintain the integrity and unity of the French Republic.  Although the French President has the right to dissolve the current national assembly and call elections, it is actually the prime minister (head of the elected assembly) who is in charge of government legislation.  In fact, in the history of the Fifth Republic there have been two periods of “co-habitation” where the President and the Prime Minister were from opposing parties!  This makes for great early evening TV with both men competing against each other for power, prestige and sound-bites (especially in high profile events on the world stage).

So despite being such an ancient power, the French still haven’t had the same constitution for more than 70 years while the US is still running strongly after 220 years!  Which approach is better?  Did France really have a choice after so many coup d’états, emperors and foreign invasions?  Could it possibly be a better design to allow a consitution conceived before electricy, cars or the telephone to be more easily changed?  Or is it better to not touch a document that has worked relatively well as a basis of government for over 2 centuries?  I guess we’ll see generations from now when the US is still debating whether it’s a constitutional right to machine gun a deer and France has entered it’s Tenth Republic (for better or for worse!).  Until then, Vive La République!  

Links:

Wouldn’t it be cool to say you were born on “10 Nivôse CLXXX”?  Click here to convert any normal date into revolutionary French format!

France isn’t the only place with a constitution.  The European Union is trying desperately to ratify its own supra-national constitution (currently disguised under the name “The Treaty of Lisbon” after the original one was rejected in 2004 by French and Dutch referendums).  In a sort of irony, just the preamble of the proposed European constitution is almost the same length of the entire US constitution!

Link to the European Constitution Explained by the BBC

So how many constitutions has France invoked since guillotining their king?  Quite a lot to say the least!!  Here is a definitive list of ALL the French constitutions, including the not so democratic ones…(Napoléon actually reigned under a constitution)

Here is a list of all of the modifications to the constitution of the current French Fifth Republic since its inception in 1958.  With 24 modifications, it’s almost the equivalent of a constitutional change every other year!

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1. the country did briefly function under the 1781 “Articles of Confederation” until the final federal constitution was approved [↩]
2. this period of the French Revolution was known as “La Terreur” (The Reign of Terror) [↩]
3. every 3 months corresponded to a season [↩]
4. The 10th day replaced Sunday as the “day of rest” [↩]

July 11th, 2009 | Tags: amendments US constitution, Bill of Rights, change US constitution, cohabitation, Consul, Council of 500, Council of Elders, Fifth Republic, First Republic, Fourth Republic, france blog, french blog, French constitution, French constitution changes, French dates, French democracy, French presidential power, French revolutionary calendar, La Terreur, Louis-Napoléon, Napoleon, prohibition, Reign of Terror, Second Republic, Sixth Republic, Third Republic | Category: Administration and State, Civil Society, History, La France, Politics | Leave a comment

Driving in France is not for the faint hearted. Although the French do (thankfully) drive on the right side of the road, it still is a huge learning experience to adapt the relatively easy-going, law-obeying American driving style and concept of space to the ultra-aggressive, unforgiving driving style common here in France.

My French Urban Warhorse!

Take something as simple as vehicle space. When I drive in the US, I’m always amazed at how much room exists around the car. In general there is ample space on either side of the car, not to mention huge breakdown lanes on both sides of the road in case of any issues. Vehicles are also much wider, heavier and tend to be slower to respond, so that I sometimes feel as if I’m literally floating in a boat down the road. In comparison, many of the roads in France have little or no breakdown lane and, with the sheer number of winding streets and overpasses mashed into the urban landscape, it frequently feels like you’re a rat running through some sort of twisted concrete maze hoping to find the cheese of your final destination (preferably Roquefort)! Most French cars are also 5-speed, manual-shift compact vehicles¹ ideally adapted for navigating through this geometrically restricted landscape, accelerating at breakneck speeds and also finding a parking spot in whatever space happens available.

Big Red Light, Little Red Light

There is also another very important element to add into this driving chaos that many Americans completely ignore: the motorcycle! I can’t describe how many two-wheeled vehicles there are in France whizzing around on all sides of your car at any conceivable moment. They range from noisy dirt bikes to supersonic Japanese cycles that can fly past you like a bullet at any instant! Do you remember learning to check your blind spot in driver’s ed? Well to avoid killing motorcyclists and the occasional recreational bike rider, you need to spend about half your driving time constantly looking over both shoulders and checking your side-view mirrors because most motorcyclists here have an irresistible impulsion to pass any and every moving vehicle they encounter at all costs! After a while driving with so many two-wheeled vehicles around becomes second nature as you develop excellent peripheral vision and learn to leave some space on the side of the car for passing bikers, but in the beginning it’s quite a harrowing experience!

One final factor to take into account when driving in France is psychology. As a general rule, once those cultivated, suave Frenchmen (and women) get behind the wheel of a car they become completely crazy! Maybe it’s because the French tend to baby their cars or have major issues with pent up aggression, but I’m always amazed at the amount of violence that is unleashed when two drivers accidentally cut each other off or even brush one and other’s bumpers (always tons of yelling, insults and the occasional fist fight)! I once saw a group of pedestrians literally tackle a crazy motorist because some tourist had accidentally scraped his car! In all seriousness, I have considered taking martial arts courses just to defend myself in case I ever get in an auto accident over here, and, during my daily commute, I’m always very thankful that it’s illegal to own guns!

Might is Right

Wrong Way!

A One Way Street!

Although driving rules in France are actually very similar to the US, there are still some mysterious French road signs and a few odd laws that make no sense to the neophyte American driver. I find that the most difficult French driving rule to learn is the famous “priorité à droite” (the person on the right always has the priority). In France, for historical reasons, there are a lot of obscure side streets that connect to the main street in every which way. If the side street isn’t explicitly marked with a stop or yield sign, then the car leaving the side street is actually legally allowed to impose himself in front of oncoming traffic on the main street (because, technically speaking, the car coming out of the side street is on the right)! This means that if you’re zooming down the main street at 70 km/h (~45 mph) then you are required to slam on your brakes when grandma slowly pulls out from her farm road in front of your car!

Put on the Brakes - Priorité à Droit!

The Big Yellow Diamond!

When I drive down a main street in France, I’m constantly scanning on my right side to see if any vehicle is going to randomly assert its legal privileges to cut me off. Fortunately, the French have devised two intuitive signs to help us - one has a big black X which obviously means that there’s a “priorité à droite” ahead (so look out for grandma) and another sign that has a big yellow diamond meaning that the main road has priority until you see another big yellow diamond sign with a black slash through it! Unless, of course, grandma doesn’t know about the yellow diamond sign you saw 2 kms earlier… (it’s all so straightforward).

A few other oddities to note about French roads and rules are as follows:

• Almost all of the lines on French roads are white (even the middle line). If the middle line is solid white, it means no passing. And if it’s a dotted white, it means you can pass, but be careful of oncoming traffic unless, of course, the road is now a double lane, one-way road (which you may have no way of knowing until other drivers start honking and zooming by you)
• French traffic lights are on the same level as the stop line, generally on a pole to the right of the passenger window. You might ask how the first car manages to see when it’s green? Well, to avoid straining drivers’ necks, all French traffic lights are also equipped with mini, redundant traffic lights at the car window level (see my earlier photo).  This makes it easy for the lead driver as well as any motorcyclists to see the lights.
• Unless otherwise indicated, the speed limit is 50 km/h (~35 mph) in town and city centers, 70 km/h (~45 mph) on departmental (local) roads, 90 km/h (~55 mph) on the national roads and 130 km/h (~80 mph) on highways.  Needless to say, readjusting to the 55 mph highway speed limit back in the US can sometimes be difficult…

Watch Out for the Cops!

The Aliens are Coming!

So how do the French patrol all this chaos? As I mentioned earlier, with generally no available breakdown lanes, it can become difficult for police to pull over any bad drivers. In fact, I have never seen a French cop turn on their lights and actually pull over a motorist! The preferred police method is to setup a roadblock and perform random vehicle checks. Unlike in the US, French police can stop and search your vehicle without any justification. Road stops are frequently setup on rotaries, intersections or toll booths, and random vehicles are chosen to be “controlled”, where the police will pull you over and check to ensure that your car has valid insurance, was recently inspected, all of the required safety features exist (such as the famous orange triangle and reflecting vest), and that your license, registration/title are all in order.

Speaking of “car papers”, in France the car’s registration and title is actually the same piece of paper, called “la carte grise”, and it’s required by law to always carry this when driving. Always having to remember to take “la carte grise” can be really annoying, especially because it’s a wide, bulky rectangle that doesn’t easily slip into your pants pocket. And it’s doubly aggravating because you can’t just leave it in the car; if the car is stolen with “la carte grise” in the glove compartment, then it becomes somewhat easy for the thief to just sign the title, pretend that the car was just legally sold (instead of stolen) and legally re-register it.

You Must be a Moron to Miss this Sign!

Just Watching the Traffic

French traffic police also have dynamic road stops looking for a specific infractions such as not wearing a seatbelt, talking on the telephone or speeding. In fact, it’s quite common to see a French cop hiding in the bushes with specially equipped laser “radar” binoculars aimed at a fast section of the road. When a speeder is clocked, he then radios the car’s description and infraction to the waiting officers at an upcoming road checkpoint. The speeder is then pulled over and cited.

And, of course, there is the famous “vache à lait” (source of huge income) of the French road system, automatic speed camera radars. Permanently positioned in accident-prone locations, speed cameras take a photo of anyone driving too fast and then automatically send the scanned license plate information over a computer network for processing. A few days later, the owner of the car receives a ticket in the mail. Despite the fact that there are huge signs warning motorists of the automatic speed camera beforehand (to avoid any sudden braking), there are still tons of people who drive over the limit right in front of the radar!

Despite the fact that the French are ultra-aggressive, compared to my driving experiences in Boston or New York they’re actually not that bad.  In general, if you assert yourself just a bit, people will give you enough space to merge into traffic (unlike in Boston where you literally have to chisel through a wall of cars to change lanes).  And if you turn on your blinker way ahead of time and stick your hand out the window, you can also make it around the double-laned rotaries without being side-swiped.  And I must admit, as an American, it can still be quite a unique, thrilling experience darting around traffic with a stick shift in a vintage French car! 

Bonne chance et bonne route…

Links

“La Code de La Route” (Rules of the Road) according to Wikipedia.   I had a hard time finding a site that actually could list and explain French driving laws!

Driving in France PDF (US Embassy in Paris) - There are fourteen states that have signed some sort of strange accord with France to allow direct swapping of a US license for a French one.  Considering that a French license requires you to be at least 18 years of age and also to spend ~$2000 on drivers education classes as well as passing a very difficult written and road test, now I understand why all of the French exchange students I knew wanted to get their license in the US.  If you plan on living in France as an expat and are from one of the 14 lucky states, make sure you trade in your US license for a French one within the first year of your carte de séjour (otherwise you’ll have to take the French driving test!)…

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1. the main reason behind the dominance of manual transmissions in Europe is because they are simply more fuel efficient [↩]

June 10th, 2009 | Tags: American driving in France, American licenses in France, automatic radar, car papers, carte grise, code de la route, france blog, French aggressive driving, french blog, French motorcycles, French road rules, French road signals, French speed limits, French traffic lights, French traffic police, jumelles, manual transmission, panneau radars, panneau route prioritaire, priorité à droite, searching vehicles, sens interdit, sens unique, speed binoculars | Category: Administration and State, Civil Society, La France, Transportation | Comments (9)

I have frequently noticed that when you learn to speak another language, you tend to understand the structure, spelling and grammar rules of the foreign language better than your own native language.  This is not to say that you can actually write or speak the foreign language better than your native language!  It simply means you tend to understand why verbs are conjugated a certain way or a phrase is crafted with a special structure because you have intensely studied the rules governing that language. 

Bernard is Watching You!

I can attest that with my limited six months of formal English grammar education in the eight grade (remember that I was a product of the American public school system, so I consider myself lucky!), I honestly have no idea how to correctly conjugate the English language, speaking or writing pretty much by instinct and basically using what I have learned from reading novels, magazines, etc.  In fact, I am always a bit nervous that my blog articles have gaping holes in their grammar or that my colloquial writing style is just too informal.  At least I know the difference between “their”, “there” and “they’re”, which I am sad to say many Americans have a hard time with.

Native French speakers are no exception.  Despite their strict French language education, I am always amazed to see the number of grammatical, pronunciation or word usage errors that have slipped into the daily interactions with my French friends.  A good example of this is the verb “réaliser”.  I can’t tell you how many French people I hear saying “j’ai realisé” (as in “I realized” something).  I want to remind all my French friends that the correct verb is actually “se rendre compte”.  Remember that the verb ”réaliser” is used to describe the completion of a project or goal, not to become aware of an idea!!

Below is a list of frequent errors I’ve compiled to help my French friends … improve their French.  I hope they won’t take this lesson badly to be corrected by “un amérloque” (slang for an American), but remember it is every French citizen’s civic duty to speak the language as purely as possible!!

For non-French speakers or beginners, this section may be a bit difficult to understand, so hold onto your beret!

Links

Merci Professeur! - For those of you interested in obscure rules governing the French language, here is a link to several short language videos of Bernard Cerquiglini.  This guy is my hero!

The Proof is in the Pudding

Here are a few fun links and references to help make my case…

Censé ou sensé - This one is tricky because when it’s spoken they both sounds the same.  So ask yourself which one you are thinking of when you speak?

Après que - It really does take the indicatif!

Ce qui est important, vois-tu, c’est de dire “excuse-moi” et pas “je m’excuse”. Tu ne peux pas t’excuser tout seul, linguistiquement ce n’est pas correct - Philibert from the film “Ensemble, c’est tout”

Réaliser - The verb “réaliser” used in the sense of the English verb ”to realize” (as to become aware of something) is widely considered an “anglicisme”.  Below is a copy of a page from the ”Dictionnaire sélectif et commenté des difficultés de la version anglaise” (Jean Rey - Éditions Ophrys).  Although using “réaliser” in this way is now tolerated, it still isn’t correct usage (click on the image to zoom)…

The truth behind "réaliser"

Please don’t hesitate to add any additional expressions as comments - they’re more than welcome!

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May 30th, 2009 | Tags: après que, Bernard Cerquiglini, common French language errors, fautes de grammaire, france blog, french blog, il faut que je, je m'excuse, je suis cencé, je suis sensé, la mauvaise langue, le homard, les haricots, malgré que, Merci Professeur, réaliser, se rappeler de, se rendre compte, si j'aurais, their, there, they're, un entretien, un interview | Category: La Langue Internationale, Le Nouveau Roman | Comments (6)

Chapelle Saint-Jean - An Enchanted Grove

It may come as no surprise to hear that France is traditionally a Christian country.  In every corner of France you will see a testament to its historical, Catholic traditions.  Whether it is the huge cathedral completely surrounded by an urban center, the forgotten chapel high up in a hidden mountain village or a crumbling oratory by the side of a forgotten hiking path, the country is teeming with reminders of its Christian past.  Even the towering peaks of the French Alps are frequently marked with huge iron or wooden crosses!

Alpine Cross

Pull the Rope, Ring the Bell!

With Christian signs permeating the daily landscape and many public holidays corresponding to a religious celebration, it is somewhat ironic to see how little modern France really cares about actually living its Catholic culture.  Unlike the US where ~40% of Americans attend church weekly, only ~10%¹  of French Catholics regularly go to Sunday services, and I can attest from the occasional experience that most of the time mass here seems one step away from a retirement home.  Vocations for the priesthood are plummeting and many are now shipped in from neighboring Italy or even Africa.  The Church also has an image problem in France where it is frequently associated as a community of rich, bourgeois families and ex-nobility who are out of touch with working-class realities.  And in a more somber note, it has also been accused of Nazi collaboration during World War II.

Despite such a rich Catholic tradition, there are many reasons for declining participation in the religion.  To begin with, the Catholic church has a virtual monopoly on Christianity in France.  Although in bigger cities Protestant churches do exist, the vast majority of churches in France are Catholic.  Unlike in America where even the smallest towns will have 4-5 different churches and people tend to “shop around” until they find the community that best fits their spiritual needs, in France there is no incentive for the (usually elderly) priest to lighten up on the guilt, fire and brimstone of their sermons and reach out towards people’s real needs or modern issues.  As a result, many people who are searching simply do not feel “fed”, but rather driven away, and just give up on Christianity - after all, where else is there to go?  And the ones that have no religious tradition in their families would have no reason to attend in the first place…

The Real Faces of Notre Dame Cathedral

France also has a tradition of secular, scientific humanism and direct conflict with the Catholic Church.  During the French Revolution (1789) many churches, abbeys and other religious buildings were burned, sacred tombs were pillaged and priests were brutally executed.  Even the heads of the statues decorating the doors of Notre Dame Cathedral were chopped off, the result of an explosion of pent-up anger at the abuses of power, not only by the King and the nobles, but also the clergy.  Traditionally, high members of the clergy (bishops, etc.) were usually appointed directly from the noble classes and had vast amounts of wealth and power at their disposal.  The Church also levied a hefty tax on all peasants (know as “la dîme”)², and the local population was frequently exploited.

Saint Etienne du Mont - Church or Temple of Reason?

During the French Revolution, the feudal regime was brutally uprooted and transitioned towards a democratic government based on universal principles.  Religion was seen as an obstacle to scientific progress and many churches were reinaugurated as “Temples de la Raison” (Temples of Reason), the goal of which was to bring freedom and equality to all people.  Traditional Christian holidays were renamed and even the Gregorian calendar was replaced with one based on the seasons and 10 day weeks³.

After the frenzy of the revolution, the French government⁴ realized that despite their newfound freedoms, most of the country was still very traditional and strongly Catholic, so it was better for civil unrest, not to mention people’s consciousnesses, to make some sort of peaceful compromise with the Church.  The famous “Concordat of 1801″, agreed between Napoleon and Pope Pius VII, returned much of the confiscated property to the Church and also reinstated Catholicism as the majority religion in France while maintaining religious freedom for other sects (Protestants, etc.).  However, it also established government oversight over Church affairs, including such things as nominating bishops and dictating the salary of clergy.  And if your pay now depended on the new French state, it would be wise not to protest too much!!

An Inspiring Heritage!

Fortunately, in modern times, religion is now (more or less) free from state interference in France, but the brutal separation between the church and state during the French Revolution has left scars even to this day.  For example, before you are allowed to be married in a French church, you must first be legally married in the eyes of the French state.  This is why with French weddings, in the morning there is always a legal wedding ceremony at the local town hall presided by the mayor and in the afternoon the traditional church wedding ceremony takes place (if the couple is religious or at least has been baptized…).

The almost sacred upholding of secular traditions of logical and scientific inquiry also can be seen from the French response to certain religious teachings.  For example, most French cannot understand why the Pope insists on discouraging the use of condoms to fight AIDS, despite all of the scientific evidence showing a high correlation between condom use and successful prevention and control of the epidemic. 

L'Abbaye de Sénanque

Another recent example is the controversy over allowing young muslim girls to wear headscarves in public school.  Because a public school is an extension of the French state, it was decided that wearing a headscarf in school was too much of a religious provocation against the pure secularism of the state.  And don’t get me started on the French reactions to what are perceived as ridiculous American debates concerning prayer in school, posting the 10 commandments in front of government buildings or whether evolution really happened!

Despite the diminishing participation in traditional Catholicism, France still has an incredible heritage of beautiful, inspiring religious sites.  I absolutely love discovering hidden chapels high on distant mountains and often imagine travelers following these ancient routes, struggling up a difficult valley and offering thanksgiving to the local oratory for a safe journey.  There are also countless places of religious pilgrimage, whether it is visiting well-known Lourdes, walking bits of the “chemin de Saint Jacques de Compostelle” (Way of St. James) through the Pyrenees Mountains or discovering sacred relics in the chapel of some canonized hermit’s cave.  Touring active monasteries is also invigorating as they are frequently located in gorgeous countryside with delicious cheese, wine or other specialties to sample or purchase.  Many also have a public vespers, an early evening mass where the monks frequently will sing or chant.  So don’t be afraid to explore those hidden places on the map and try to keep the faith!

Links

Those Spooky French Churches!

Sainte Geneviève - Although the Da Vinci Code talks about the imposing Saint Sulpice cathedral, one of the strangest, eeriest churches I’ve ever visited in Paris is “Saint Etienne du Mont” (see my photo earlier in this article).  Hidden behind the Pantheon, it is devoted to the patron saint of Paris, Saint Geneviève, who in the year 451  somehow played the central role encouraging the population to defend the city against Attila the Hun (who incidentally decided to head for Orléans at the last minute).  With its strange towers, ancient interior and worn floor you can literally feel the centuries weighing down on you!

Saint Gervais - There are actually still churches in France with an active, dynamic community, and if you want to participate in an inspiring religious experience where some of the faithful literally walk to the alter on their knees, try out high Sunday mass at St. Gervais in the Marais.  From the outside, this cathedral is dingy and almost unremarkable (in Paris there are cathedrals all over the place) but during the Sunday services the first few rows are full of the singing nuns and chanting priests of the “Fraternité de Jerusalem” (Communities of Jerusalem) - nothing but believers here!

Abbé Pierre -  Beloved by his countrymen and extremely popular (consistently higher than any French president), in 1949 this dynamic abbot started Emmaus, a foundation devoted to helping the poor and homeless.  Always outspoken and a supporter of government initiatives to help fight poverty, Abbé Pierre was also a controversial figure within the Catholic church, openly supporting the ordination of women, married priests and the use of contraceptives against AIDS.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04204a.htm - Here is the official take on the “Concordat of 1801″ from the online Catholic encyclopedia.  To summarize, Napoleon held all the cards - basically if the Church wanted its property back, they had to sign on the dotted line!

http://www.chemindecompostelle.com/ - This site has a lot of useful information about the St. James Way.  I plan on writing more details about this pilgrimage in a future post.

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1. some estimates place this number even lower! [↩]
2. ”la dîme” was a tax requiring 10% of the peasant’s agricultural earnings to be given to the Church [↩]
3. the traditional Sunday ”day of rest” was replaced by “Décaidi”, the tenth day [↩]
4. at this time France was “governed” by Napoleon [↩]

May 19th, 2009 | Tags: Abbé Pierre, Concordat of 1801, Da Vinci Code, décaidi, Emmaus, france blog, Fraternité de Jerusalem, french blog, French Catholic Church, French Catholic traditions, French Chapels, French hermits, French oratories, French religious pilgrimages, french revolution, French saints, headscarf in France, la dîme, lourdes, Napoleon, Pope Pius VII, Saint Etienne du Mont, Saint Gervais, Sainte Geneviève, temples de la raison, têtes de Notre Dame, Way of St. James | Category: Administration and State, Civil Society, Education, Facts and Figures, History, La France, Money and Taxes, Politics, Religion, Traditions | Leave a comment

Colorful Housing

Every time I visit a French city center, I’m always surprised to discover how planners seem to harmoniously integrate such a varied mixture of village houses, cathedrals, ancient walls, history and culture into such a modern, innovative urban landscape.  Despite narrow, twisting roads and lines of centuries old buildings, delivery trucks still somehow drop off their wares in the morning, traffic manages to flow, cars find parking spaces¹ and pedestrians can safely navigate through the different streets and neighborhoods.

Culturally Aware

Through the Artist's Eyes

Une Histoire de Paris

Streets and schools are also named after famous philosophers, artists, writers or other historically influential figures, forcing anyone walking through the city center to endure a subconscious whirlwind of culture.  It makes sense that students would be more intellectually inspired attending “Lycée Charlemagne” instead of “Public School #276″!  And you’ll almost never see streets named after ascending letters or numbers, such as “East 7th Street” - the road layout in France is so twisted with age² that it’s very difficult to impose an uninspiring, American grid street system (thankfully!).  You’ll also notice that many of the main city squares and boulevards are named after “Charles de Gaulle”, who was France’s first president under the current constitution³ and is considered by many to be the founding father of modern France.

Urban Innovations

Don't Forget to Feed the Meter?

The French like to pride themselves on their cartesian sense of logical efficiency and managing cities is no exception.  Take parking meters⁴ as an example.  Imagine how expensive it is to place a single parking meter next to every parking space as in the US!  In France, when you park your car in a designated pay zone, there is a single parking meter that services all of the nearby parking places.  You insert some euro coins⁵ for a few hours of parking and press a green button that prints out a piece of paper with the ending time.  Then you place this receipt in your car windshield for any ticketing policeman to see; be sure to move your car before the ending time or risk getting a ticket! 

GPS Not Required...

Individual parallel parking places are also not marked - it’s just one long dotted line on the left border of the parking spaces.  Cars simply line up behind each other as they can fit, leaving much less empty space in front of and behind each bumper.  Not only is this a more efficient use of the available space, but if the city ever decides to change the road configuration or rearrange the parking area, they can just redraw new lines without having to dig up any meters!

Another example is the logical flow of street signs.  I learned how to drive in Boston, a city that is full of insane intersections and where literally no street is marked until it’s too late!  It was a great pleasure to discover that despite the winding streets and multiple rotaries⁶, navigating in France is very easy.  The street signs point first to major cities, then to towns and finally to specific places or villages.  So to find your way in France, you just need a vague idea of the cities along the way to your destination and if you’re ever lost, simply follow the sign that says “toutes directions” (all directions) which will eventually put you back on the right track again.  No more trying to figure out if you’re heading North or East on some randomly numbered road, as I’ve frequently experienced when driving in the US.

That Green Feeling

Vélib' - The People's Bikes!

Check Out the Stylin' Tramway!

The Breakdown Lane's True Destiny

Despite all of these methods to encourage people to leave the car at home, it can still be very dangerous being a pedestrian.  One lesson that I learned on my first day living in Paris after coming within 5 inches of a speeding bus was 1) if you value your life, don’t jaywalk - wait for the “green” walk signal and 2) always assume that the car or bus doesn’t know you exist (or doesn’t care), even if you’re in the crosswalk!

All I Want to Do is Have a Little Fun…

Below are a few links to some of the more creative diversions found in some French cities:

La Fête de la Musique - Started in 1982 by the “Le ministère de la culture” (culture secretary) Jacques Lang, each year around mid-June France’s cities are filled with professional/amateur bands and musical street performers on every corner and café.  It’s an exhilarating experience to walk through cities during all the partying and there is music for all tastes!!

Paris Plage  - The current socialist mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, started the tradition of “Paris Plage” (Paris Beach) in 2002.  During July and August tons of sand, palm trees, fitness areas and lounge chairs are placed along the banks of the Seine River for all of the Parisians that couldn’t get away during the summer months.  Sun tans and sand castles for all!!

Paris Roller - Every Friday night it’s roller blade mayhem as thousands of roller bladers congregate around a designated starting point (the Bastille, Montparnasse, etc.) to start their non-stop, ~3 hour / ~30km itinerary through the streets of Paris!!  Traffic is stopped, roads are cleared and there’s even a police motorcycle escort in case of any issues.

Vélib FreeStyle!

Ever wonder how rugged Parisian Vélib bicycles are?  Let’s put them to the test!

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1. massive underground parking garages are common in France in densly-packed, ancient city centers [↩]
2. many roads still follow the old Roman routes [↩]
3. De Gaulle was elected first President of the current ”Fifth Republic” in 1959 [↩]
4. ”horodateur” is French for parking meter [↩]
5. having high denomination coins for easy payments is also another example of efficiency - 1 euro = ~$1.30 [↩]
6. rotaries are ”roundabouts” for any British readers [↩]

May 9th, 2009 | Tags: Bastille, Bertrand Delanoë, bike lanes, centre ville, Charles de Gaulle, france blog, french blog, French city paintings, French roundabouts, French street names, French urban planning, horodateur, Jack Lang, La Fête de la Musique, naviguer vieille ville, Palm Trees, Panneau Histoire de Paris, panneaux routiers, Paris Plage, Paris Roller, parking in France, pedestrian, Place de Gaulle, toutes directions, tramway, vélib, véloroute, villes vertes, voies vertes | Category: Administration and State, Civil Society, Innovations, La France, Transportation | Leave a comment

Bienvenue Chez McDo!

France has a dirty little secret.  Despite its role as the defender of healthy eating in the world against “la malbouffe américaine”¹ (American bad eating habits), the country also claims the title as the #1 consumer of McDonald’s products in all of Europe!  In fact, the biggest restaurant chain in France is McDonald’s!  Does this mean that the French are actually all addicted to Big Macs and super-sized fries?  And how do they still stay so thin with all of this grease flowing through their veins?

Drive Thru Service, French Style!

As an American living in France, I must admit that McDonald’s burgers all seem to have a fresher, juicier taste over here.  I personally believe this is because McDonald’s France has always committed itself to acquiring its raw ingredients (buns, meat, produce, etc.) from local French providers as much as possible.  Not only does this cut down on street protests, but the beef, chicken and potatoes also most likely originated in some French farmer’s backyard and are therefore so much tastier.  In France you can also easily order beer at McDo², which certainly helps to enhance any fine dining experience.

 

 

Freedom Fries

Concerning ”French” fries, or “freedom fries” as they were renamed on the menus of US Congress cafeterias to express anti-French sentiment after the UN debates on Iraq, most likely they actually originated in Belgium!  The “French” part only refers to the cooking method of ”French fried potatoes” which was later shortened to just French fries.  Everyone also loves to note that the French dip their “frites” (fries) in mayonnaise, however I will attest that on a number of occasions I have seen my French friends drown them in ketchup.  So don’t be ashamed to ask for “du ketchup” if you get the craving…and feel free to ignore any hypocritical snickering!

Le Best Of … Awful English

Un Menu Best Of, S'il Vous Plaît

McDonald’s France has been somewhat creative with their menu translations.  For example, an “extra value meal” has the stunningly French translation of ”Menu Best Of” (so a “Big Mac Value Meal” is known in France as “un Menu Best of Big Mac”).  This is actually what you need to say to the cashier to order, preferably with a heavy French accent!!  A happy meal is also inspiringly known as ”un happy meal”, and if you want to “super-size” your fries, be sure to tell them you want a “maxi” (no relationship to maxi-pad tampons).  Also if you’re pressed for time and looking for the drive-thru, the correct French term is “le drive” (or McDrive).  Incidentally, McDonald’s arch-nemesis in France is a chain of burger restaurants known as “Quick”, yet another brilliant example of maintaining the French language and culinary traditions…

The Fat of the Land 

Really Better than Fries?

So how do the French each so much McDonald’s food and maintain their weight?  Many of my French friends frequent McDonald’s, but only occasionally every few weeks.  They also live active lives and almost never snack between meals (see my article The Golden Rule of French Eating for more details).  You’ll also rarely see people go up for seconds or order several burgers at once, such as two Big Macs just for themselves.  Thanks to the initiative of Denis Hennequin, the French president of McDonald’s Europe, the chain recently reworked many of its restaurants to correspond more to French tastes and their leisurely eating style.  This included menu changes such as offering cherry tomatoes with happy meals or regional cheeses on special burgers, improved outside terraces, a warmer interior design, more comfortable furniture and free wireless Internet.  I think the real secret, though, is that McDonald’s is non-exclusive and is treated as just another restaurant to sit down and have a quick meal with friends.  And the following day’s lunch might be a baguette sandwich from a boulangerie or perhaps a visit to the local “brasserie”.  Variety is the spice of life and most French don’t want to limit themselves to just one taste for every lunch.  Of course, as in America, if you eat at McDonald’s every day then you will most likely become obese and addicted to fast foods, even if you are French!

McDo Nuggets

Quarter Pounder - In France they use the metric system (no pounds), so a “quarter pounder” is translated as a “Royal Cheese”.  There’s a great scene in the film Pulp Fiction that expounds on this point:

Vincent Vega: You know what the funniest thing about Europe is?
Jules Winnfield: What?
Vincent Vega: It’s the little differences. I mean they got the same sh** over there that they got here, but it’s just, just there it’s a little different.
Jules Winnfield: Example.
Vincent Vega: Alright, well you can walk into a movie theater and buy a beer. And, I don’t mean just like a paper cup, I’m talking about a glass of beer. And, in Paris, you can buy a beer in McDonald’s. You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?
Jules Winnfield: They don’t call it a Quarter Pounder with Cheese?
Vincent Vega: No, man, they got the metric system, they don’t know what the fu** a Quarter Pounder is.
Jules Winnfield: What do they call it?
Vincent Vega: They call it a Royal with Cheese.
Jules Winnfield: Royal with Cheese.
Vincent Vega: That’s right.
Jules Winnfield: What do they call a Big Mac?
Vincent Vega: Big Mac’s a Big Mac, but they call it Le Big Mac.
Jules Winnfield: Le Big Mac. What do they call a Whopper?
Vincent Vega: I don’t know. I didn’t go into Burger King.

Who ate the McNuggets?

Chicken McNuggets - Directly translated in French as “Chicken McNuggets”, they are also referred to as “une boîte de six” (a box of six).  Incidentally, in rough city neighborhoods, “une boîte de six” is also slang for a truck full of policemen (the French sometimes insultingly refer to their police officers as ”les poulets” or “la voilaille” - chickens instead of pigs).

McCafés - McDonald’s response to the coffee house phenomenon, this is the new low-priced ”café” chain that is currently sweeping the country.  They finally figured out that people don’t want to sit on grease coated, yellow chairs and also prefer something different than boring regular coffee in tiny espresso cups.

Supersize Me - This is a disturbing independent film directed by and starring Morgan Spurlock about a man who decides to eat nothing but McDonald’s food for one month.  Unfortunately he was forced to stop the experiment by his doctor who was concerned that his liver would actually cease functioning because of the damage from fast foods.  The worst thing about this film is that even after watching all of the awful health consequences on the Spurlock’s body, you still end up craving McDonald’s food!

Below is an extract from the film.  Try to make it through this video to the interview with Don Gorske who recently finished eating his 23000th Big Mac.  Bon Appétit!

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1. the term “malbouffe” is a combination of “mal” (bad) + “la bouffe”, which is slang for food [↩]
2. ”McDo” is a nickname used by the French for McDonald’s [↩]

April 27th, 2009 | Tags: boîte de six, Denis Hennequin, Don Gorske, france blog, Freedom Fries, french blog, French McDonald's, frites, Le Big Mac, le drive, malbouffe, Maxi, McCafé, McDo, McDo français, McDonalds in France, McDrive, Menu Best Of, Morgan Spurlock, origin of French fries, Pulp Fiction Royal with Cheese, Quick, Royal with Cheese, super-size, Supersize Me, tomates cerises | Category: Le Pot au Feu | Comments (3)

La Vache qui Rit!

Every language has its quirks, and French is no exception.  Who would have expected such a beautiful language to be so obsessed with cows!  Perhaps it’s due to France’s historical attachment to the land and agricultural traditions, but everywhere you look there are so many subtle variations of the word “la vache” (cow) in French, that it’s very useful to have a few expressions handy for the odd occasion…

Vache Vocabulary and Culture

Les Vaches du Cantal - Who You Looking At?

Conversation Starters

La Vache qui Rit - Everyone’s favorite iconic French cow, this is a brand of cheese popular in much of the world.  Individually wrapped, easily spreadable and able to stay unrefrigerated for a long time, “la vache qui rit” is the perfect, bite-size cheese for picnics and on the beach.  It also comes in a multi-flavor cube form knows as “apéricubes”²  with trivia questions inside the wrapper ideal for breaking the ice!

La Clarine - This is the clanking bell around the cow’s neck.  Sometimes high in the alps you can hear the ”clarines des vaches” carried by the wind like a distant spirit.  Enchantingly beautiful…

Ruminer - This is the French verb ”to chew one’s cud”.  It also is used in a metaphorical sense, meaning to think things over.

Transhumance - A special event in mountain villages when the cows are herded from lower altitudes to upper altitudes for their summer grazings (or vice-versa).  This is when the streets are filled not only with cows, but also sheep, goats and other animals who graze in the mountains during the good weather.

Le Pet des Vaches - Cow farts, need I say more?

Links

Vaches Photo Expo - An inspirational slideshow by professional photographer Bruno Compagnon.  Beautiful French cows in all of their glory!!

Vaches de France - A listing of the major breeds of cows found in France.

La Vache qui Rit - The official website of “La Vache qui Rit”.  You can register for your own personal login on the site and even play cow-themed sudoku and memory games online!  This is when you need to ask if modern branding has gone a bit too far.

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1. the French also refer to a person who is easily exploited as “un pigeon” (a pigeon) [↩]
2. ”apéri” cubes refers to the French before dinner drink “l’aperitif” [↩]

April 20th, 2009 | Tags: Bruno Compagnon, clarines, cow photos, france blog, french blog, il peut comme un vache qui pisse, la vache, la vache qui rit, les sept vaches grasses, pets des vaches, photos vaches, ruminer, sacré vache, transhumance, une vache espagnole, vachement, vacherie, vacherie superieure | Category: La Langue Internationale, Le Nouveau Roman, Traditions | Comments (2)