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From Sign on San Diego:
When Patricia Russo takes the helm of newly-merged telecoms gear groups Alcatel SA and Lucent Technologies Inc. on Friday, she will be the only woman and the only American to head a company in France’s CAC-40 index of blue chips.But what is creating more of a stir in some conservative business circles is a statement from the 54-year-old native of New Jersey that she doesn’t plan to learn French…
You may think this is a totally useless list of words to know in French, but I say it could be extremely handy to know. For example, if you knew these words, you’d get the photo above. AND, you’d understand why many French women will not sit on these. How useful is that?! So, without further ado, I give you “penis” in 205 French words. One of my favorites is le doigt qui n’a pas d’ongle / the finger without a nail.
General:
* le pénis
* le phallus
* le sexe
* la verge
* la mentule (francisation littéraire et désuète du latin mentula)
* le vit (littéraire désuet, utilisé dans les chansons paillardes et les contrepèteries)
* Le guillery: (vieux français)
Slang Expressions:
* L’andouillette (région de Troyes)
* L’arrache patate ( seulement au Québec )
* La banane
* le bangala
* Le Bat (prononcer batte) ( seulement au Québec )
* La belette
* Le Bazar ( Belgique )
* le bazouka
* le bâton de berger
* le bâton de manioc
* le barreau de chaise
* le beignet (Catalogne, rapport au beignet catalan)
* la between
* la bichouette
* la biloute (Nord-Pas de Calais)
* la biroute (Nord-Pas de Calais)
* la bistouquette
* la bite ou bitte
* la bitoune
* la bizoune
* la boutifarre (seulement en Catalogne, désigne le boudin Catalan)
* le bras de Vénus (rapport au gâteau du même nom faisant référence à la Vénus de Milo)
* le braque
* le braquemard ou braquemart
* le bras de vitesse ( seulement au Québec )
* le cabot
* le calibre 12
* le chauve à col roulé
* le chibre
* le chichi (entre autres dans la région du tonnerois)
* la chienne ( seulement au Québec )
* le chinois
* la chose
* le cigare
* le colosse
* la Crochue
* le dard
* le démonte-pneus
* didine
* la douille ( seulement au Québec )
* le doigt qui n’a pas d’ongle
* l’engin
* la flamberge
* la flûte
* le fourniment
* la frétille
* la frétillette
* la graine ( seulement au Québec )
* le grand chauve à col roulé
* le grand chauve poilu
* le gourdin
* la guiche
* la guitare
* l’instrument
* la juste sèche ( rapport à la marque de saucisson éponyme )
* le jésus
* le kiki ou quiqui
* le levier
* la machine
* la mailloche ( seulement au Québec )
* le manche
* le manche à couilles
* le mandrin
* la manguise
* le mât
* la matraque
* le méné ( seulement au Québec et pour désigner la verge d’un enfant )
* le membre
* mérinos
* le moineau
* le moine ( seulement au Québec )
* Le Mono-Couille
* M. l’aspergeur
* Nadon
* le nem
* le nœud (désigne surtout le gland)
* la nouille
* le paf
* le pen ( seulement au Québec )
* le pelo
* le pénible
* le p’tit gaston
* le perchoir à condor
* le petit oiseau
* le pieu
* la pine
* la poilue
* le poisson
* polduk
* la pompe à plaisir
* popaul ou popol
* la poutre
* la quéquette
* la queue
* la rabistouquette (en Bretagne)
* Le ramoneur
* Le robinet d’amour
* la rousquille (Catalogne, rapport au biscuit local du même nom)
* La saucisse
* Le saucisson
* sarse
* sbab
* sboub
* le shaft ( seulement au Québec )
* Le Schafft ( seulement à Lutry )
* Le spaghetti
* tebine
* la teub (verlan de bite)
* La trique
* la trompe
* le tiche ( en belgique )
* le tube
* le vié ( déformation de “vit”)
* la virgule
* le vermiceau
* la vermicelle
* la Wanoune ( seulement à Saint-Monique (Québec))
* le Wipi (nievre)
* le z’boub
* le zeb
* la zézette
* le z’guègue
* le zigomar
* la zigounette
* la zize
* le zizi
* la zizouille
* le zizou
* le zob
* le zobi (pluriel : zèbi)
* Le foufonau
Vulgar expressions:
* avoir l’andouillette qui bave (région de Troyes) (vulgaire)
* le bazooka
* l’asperge : sucer une asperge = faire une fellation
* la baguette magique
* la balayette : “dans le cul la balayette” (vulgaire)
* Dresser les couleurs = être en érection
* Emmener Popaul au cirque = avoir une relation sexuelle
* étrangler le borgne = se masturber
* (se) battre les couilles en neige = se masturber (Région de Liège)
* Charles-le-Chauve
* le (grand) chauve à col roulé
* le cigare à moustache
* le chêne : rapport au sirop d’érable (sperme) et au gland
* le triple décimètre ou le double décimètre
* s’astiquer le chinois = se masturber
* la colonne : se taper (sur) la colonne = se masturber
* le colosse : je vais aller faire pleurer le colosse = je vais uriner
* le cyclope : moucher le cyclope = se masturber
* l’élastique : tirer sur l’élastique = se masturber
* faire « pleurer » (ou « baver ») Georges = uriner
* jack n’a qu’un œil
* le jambon : avoir le jambon qui transpire dans le torchon (le slip)
* junior+
* la flûte : jouer de la flûte = fellation
* la gaule (avoir la.)=être en érection
* la lance d’amour
* le manche : s’astiquer le manche = se masturber
* le manche à couilles
* le membre viril
* le membre turgescent
* le missile : s’astiquer le missile = se masturber
* le monstre : faire pleurer le monstre = uriner
* la nouille : égoutter la nouille = aller uriner
* tremper sa nouille : avoir une relation sexuelle
* tremper son biscuit(-sa biscotte)= avoir une relation sexuelle
* le petit Jésus : mettre le petit Jésus dans la crêche = avoir une relation sexuelle
* le petit oiseau
* le petit soldat
* aller changer l’eau des oliviers = uriner
* le paquet : avoir les bonbons qui collent au paquet
* le pingouin : cirer le pingouin = se masturber
* le poireau : se palucher le poireau = se masturber ; faire dégorger le poireau = éjaculer ; se secouer le poireau = se masturber ; glouglouter le poireau = faire une fellation ; s’astiquer le poireau = se masturber ; se faire tutoyer le poireau = se faire faire une fellation ; se faire taquiner le poireau = se faire faire une fellation
* le pompier
* pomper (ou se faire.)= faire une fellation
* Le piquet : dresser le piquet de tente = être en érection
* le robinet
* le saxophone à moustache
* le service trois pièces
* le soldat : le soldat est au garde à vous = en érection
* le sucre d’orge
* le tube à jus d’homme
* Le trois-pièces cuisine
* faire un aller-retour sur la veine bleue = faire une fellation
* Mini-me
* se faire faire un changement d’huile ( seulement au Québec )
* Se graisser le salami = se masturber
* la coquette
* se faire beurrer la tartine = se faire faire une fellation
* Se faire pogner la poche (seulement par un Paré)
* Changer son poisson d’eau = aller uriner
* Se poignarder comme un chien = se masturber
* Sous le plus grand chapiteau du monde = être en érection dans son lit (rapport à l’émission éponyme)
* Avoir le dur
* La veuve poignet = se masturber
* Tremper le biscuit = avoir une relation sexuelle
* Tremper le croissant = avoir une relation sexuelle
* Polir le mât = se masturber
* se saucer le pinceau
Elisabeth from As My World Turns once blogged about the cultural differences between the U.S. and France and invited outside comments to add to her lists of likes and dislikes. I think I’d mentioned that I hated that the personal bubble space in France is WAY TOO SMALL compared to the U.S. and so I often feel like my space is being invaded when standing in line and people are literally just a few inches away. I swear I can sometimes feel their body heat. This is particularly annoying if the invader has b.o.
Another peeve is the staring games. One is the “once over” look when someone gives you a disapproving long glance appraisal from top to bottom, then back to top, THEN a slow blink. I don’t think it’s necessarily disapproving; it just looks like they’re disgusted. (Ok, perhaps they did find me disgusting, I have no idea.) In any case, I don’t really care if they are repulsed but it does get on my nerves when they do that. Anyway, this is something I get mostly in Paris compared to other parts of France. The other staring game is when people are relatively unashamed to stare. I sometimes would watch my French inlaws stare at people.
In the U.S. people will look at you but if there’s eye contact, both parties look away. That is the unspoken rule. In France, if eye contact happens, I’ve found that then it launches a real staring contest. I lose the contest, usually, and feel uncomfortable about the whole thing.
I just got back from the U.S. and I guess I’ve transformed entirely because two things happened while there:
1) I was standing in line at the supermarket Pavillions, and while I was waiting, the person in front of me kept turning around to look at me. Several times. I thought maybe she might have recognized me from somewhere like high school or somewhere. Then I realized that she was doing that because I was standing too close to her. She didn’t like it. OMG, I’m a space invader. (not the fun kind)
At least I don’t have b.o. (Or do I? You know, maybe people with b.o. do not know they have b.o. much like most insane people don’t know they’re insane?)
2) Another waiting in line situation except this time I was in a bank taking advantage of the weak dollar to exchange some euros. The line was long and wound back and forth disney ride style. I spaced out and was just standing, not really thinking about anything in particular when I hear a hostile, “What are you looking at?!!” Back to earth, I see a a belligerent bank client shooting me with angry eyes. Honestly, I had no idea I was staring. I’m like, “What?”
I have that staring disease I hate!
While it is another village amongst the most beautiful in France, one of our favorite things about it, is how it looks from afar, majestically perched nearly a kilometer above sea level. It’s not too shabby close up either, though.Also called, “The Eagle’s Nest,” Gourdon solidly sits atop a granite mountain with a bird’s eye view of the world, seemingly. Visit this quiet restored medieval village and get an unforgettable regal view of practically all of the Riviera. On a clear day, you’ll be able to see Cap Ferrat, Nice, Cagnes sur-mer (the Hippodrome is easy to spot), Antibes, Juan les Pins, the Lérins Islands, Cannes, Mandelieu-La Napoule, St Tropez, les Maures and l’Estérel.
Only 12 kilometers/about 7 miles (northesast) of Grasse, try to make a day trip from one of the bigger towns nearby where you might be based. It’s a perfect place to pack a picnic and enjoy it near the gardens designed by the renowned Andre le Notre, which are around the Chateau de Gourdon. There’s a Medieval Museum at the Chateau as well as a Museum of Decorative Arts and you can also take a guided tour of the castle.
Gourdon doesn’t disappoint the happy tourist with lots of euros in-hand looking for souvenirs. They’ll be able to find lots of: regional candies and sweets, baked goods, glass and earthenware pottery/ceramics, provençal fabrics, perfume, products with typical Provence designs, scented water, soaps, dolls, paintings, regional foods.
From NPR:
There are now so many people applying to be garbage collectors in Paris that the city council has instituted a written exam for applicants. The position offers a secure, relatively well-paid government job with full benefits and a pension at a time of high unemployment in France.NPR’s Eleanor Beardsley reports from Paris on the surprisingly coveted job of garbage collector in the City of Light.
Time to take a short break and have a little game fun. The same game developers from France that brought you the parallel parking game, has another entertaining game:
From Pepere.org:
The story: Archoon is a strange and boring world where only archers and balloons live. Archers are shooting all day long at the balloons, while the latest try to reach the sky. Warning, this game may contain scenes showing massively dying balloons.
The controls: Hold the mouse to draw the string back, release the mouse button to shoot. Don’t let a balloon reach the sky. Click on highscores to view a demo of the best players.
The comments: Did you realize this is a … java game? I was experimenting processing and build this little stupid game to see how far we can go with it. Processing is powerful but it lacks the powerful layers and objects management of Flash. Moreover, the size of the java applet is big compared to the same game made with Flash. Nevertheless, this game wouldn’t have been as fast with Flash.
Play now (scroll to the bottom half of the page to play)
I get tripped up when I hear French expressions. Ok, I actually get tripped up with French in general, but the expressions pose the most problems for me. It is weirdly the same for me in English. My brain doesn’t like to hang on to expressions, so I use them rarely. I wish I could retain the French ones in my mind because I find them really expressive and colorful, and like the site says, “these expressions make the French language beautiful.”
Here’s an example in Franglais! I know, I’m not very helpful.
This site lists a bunch of French Expressions to help your learning and comprehension. Move your cursor over the expression and there’s a description of the meaning (in French). I suppose it would be a good list to make flashcards to help you learn them too, right? 
Just saying…
The more I look at this picture, the better tofurkey sounds.
Here’s the Thanksgiving quote I like the most:
“I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land.” –Jon Stewart, The Jon Stewart Show
Be safe and have a great Thanksgiving, everyone.
While recovering from jet lag a few weeks ago (in California), I plopped myself in front of the TV and vegged out and watched all kinds of stuff. After having been away from the U.S. for a while, something really stood out immediately, reminding me that no matter how far away from the U.S. I live, not only am I a germaphobe myself but I’m from a psychotically germophobic society. I admit it, I am a product of my own culture and this visit loudly confirmed it. It is why many French people I know, find me abnormally paranoid and maniacal (ok, insane) about germs, illness and general cleanliness – which might be true but whatever. I suppose the reasons are clearly linked to marketing in America; over decades upon decades they instilled such an alarming sense of fear in us, that germophobia has become a permanent fixture in American society. It is so different in France. Some would say it is the opposite.
Anyway, Here are some things I’ve seen.
1. A kitchen counter with a substance built directly into it to kill germs. Microban (I thought that was pretty wild.)
2. On a news segment: Samples were taken inside a car and sent to a lab. The findings were gross!
3. There’s a show called Kitchen Crimes that takes germ samples in kitchens and discusses the results with the home owners, sets up cameras in the kitchen to see their habits,; they also offer tips and help renovate the kitchen at the same time. It amazed me that they’d find fecal matter on samples found on the CLEAN glasses. eiuweeee!
4. It’s flu season and nobody likes getting ill. Why not take something called Airborne. It doesn’t kill germs but sort of implies it (there are cartoonish germs on the packaging). Marketed as “the original immune boosting tablet” and packed with herbal extracts, vitamins, electrolytes and antioxidants, I actually think it helped me when I took it after I feeling a sore throat and slight flu symptoms. I felt better the next day.
5. The Monk, a television show about a like-able detective with OCD.
6. Anti-viral Kleenex!
You might find yourself passing by Terrasson in Dordogne saying, “Wow, what a pretty town,” then driving right through it without stopping, but don’t do that. If you can stop and visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Jardins de l’Imaginaire / Gardens of the Imagination, you will not regret it.
About the Jardins de l’Imaginaire in Terrasson
Created in 1996 by landscape gardeners Katryn Gustafson and Philippe Marchand, the “jardins de l’Imaginaire” at Terrasson-la-Villedieu, a little town in the Dordogne, cover nearly six hectares of hillside. Powerful and simple at the same time, the garden invites you on a sensual tour in which the perspective, the plants and the ubiquitous presence of water highlight the site’s natural qualities. Finally, we might mention the town park of Issoudun (Indre), created by Michel Desvignes and Christine Dalnoky, and, above all, Erik Borja’s extraordinary Zen garden at Beaumont-Monteux, in the Drôme. This poet-gardener has punctuated a sea of swaying boxtrees with basalt columns which lead in successive waves down to a lake surrounded by Mediterranean species. An absolute marvel. [source: Ministere des affaires etrangeres]
The Gardens of the Imagination overlook the Vézère valley. It is a modern interpretation of a classic form, the terrace garden, but with sculptured curves. Symbollically, there are ‘fragments of the stories of gardens’: a Sacred Wood (sacro bosco), a Vegetable Tunnel , A Garden of Elements, a Theatre of Greenery, an Axis of the Winds, a Water Garden and a Rose Garden. The Axis of Winds has 12 metre masts with wind vanes. The Rose garden is a 1000 m2 suspended steel structure (and 2,000 roses). The Water Gardens form a coss with jets of water fed by a cascade. The Sacred Wood has 50 bells suspended from oak trees. The greenhouse was designed by the British architect Ian Ritchie and won the Stephen Lawrence prize in 1999. [source: Terrasson]
Les Jardins de l’Imaginaire
Place du Foirail
24120, Terrasson Lavilledieu France
Visitor Information
April-October – 9:50am to 11:20am, 1:50pm to 5:20pm
May-June-September – 9:50am to 11:50am, 1:50pm to 5:20pm
Closed on Tuesdays
July and August 9:50am to 11:50am, 12:50pm, 1:50pm to 6:10pm
Note: Guided visits only, buy tickets at least 10 minutes before the next guided tour; ticket office: Place du Foirail. Tours start there.
For more information – Jardins de l’Imaginaire
Rue Jean Rouby, Place du Foirail
24120 Terrasson-Lavilledieu France
Phone 05.53.50.37.56 et 05.53.50.86.82
Tél : 05.53.50.86.82
Email : imaginaire@ville-terrasson.com
From Busabout:
Who could fail to be seduced by France? There’s no other place like Paris on Earth with its majestic boulevards, fabulous shops and night-life. Out of the capital, Busabout takes you to a choice of towns including: Tours, Bordeaux, Avignon and Nice. Each town having its own particular brand of French attitude, fantastic food and wine, and a particular “je ne sais quoi!”
Busabout destinations in France
Avignon
In an idyllic location in the south of France, Avignon is nestled on the Rhone River and has spectacular views and stunning palaces.
Bordeaux
Vineyards, wide avenues, public squares, beautiful parks and architecture are just some of the amazing sights you’ll see in Bordeaux.
Nice
The gateway to the Riviera, a fantastic place to relax and explore the Cote d’Azur. Soak up the sun, sea and sand and see how the other half live!
Paris
Stroll across the romantic streets and bridges of Paris and discover its mystique and beauty. Enjoy a picnic of wine and brie on the grass by the Eiffel Tower and watch your troubles melt away…..
Tours
This Loire Valley gem is a stunning castle town, complete with turrets, moats, and drawbridges.
For more information: Busabout
SNCF Travel in France has added a CO2 emissions comparison tool to their booking site. It takes several modes of transports and calculates (and compares) the impact on the environment. [via]
These jigsaw puzzles don’t come out of a box. C’mon, this is the computer generation! Included here are online puzzles of L’Arc de Triomphe, Another L’Arc de Triomphe, Louvre Museum Pyramid, Pont Alexandre Paris, French Flag, Paris at Night, and the Stained Glass Ceiling at Notre Dame.
Another Jigsaw Puzzle
Harbor in Cannes
It’s that time of year again! I wrote about Beaujolais Nouveau last year but I’ve decided to repost just in case you didn’t catch it:
Wine fanatics everywhere are probably already filled with Beaujolais Nouveau right now as I write this post! today is the official release of the Beaujolais region’s (Lyon to the south of Burgundy) special wine (vin de primeur) made from Gamay grapes and released the third Thursday of November every year.How is it different than other wines? the process: Beaujolais Nouveau is produced by carbonic maceration followed by pasteurization (bypassing the malolactic fermentation process in other wines) and therefore takes a mere six weeks to produce after harvest. It is a type of wine that does not last and is best consumed within a few weeks. it is, in other words, INFERIOR WINE made from some of the worst vineyards and crop yields of the year.
Half of the Beaujolais Nouveau is exported. In 2004 Japan was the top importer of Beaujolais Nouveau over the U.S. (about 1 million cases – that’s roughly 50% of the Beaujolais exported from France!) and that nearly killed them in airfreight costs alone.
By far the most popular producer of Beaujolais Nouveau is Georges Duboeuf, the king of Beaujolais, made the king by his own pimped PR machine and the well-known flowery bottle labels. though, there are better Beaujolais to be had.
Mike Steinberger from Slate magazine says it best with some wise advice if you’re looking for a good Beaujolais:
“Should you find yourself succumbing to the hype over the next few days, here’s a suggestion: Skip the Nouveau, bypass the Duboeuf (the king does not need your money), and instead look for a Cru Beaujolais. They generally run between $10 and $20, and the best are brought in by the following importers: Louis/Dressner, Alain Junguenet, and Kermit Lynch. Some wines to look for: Chateau Thivin (from the Côte de Brouilly appellation), Jacky Janodet (Moulin-à-Vent, the most esteemed appellation in Beaujolais), Marcel Lapierre (Morgon), Domaine Diochon (Moulin-à-Vent), Jean-Paul Thevenet(Morgon), and Michel Tete (Juliénas).
Not every good Beaujolais is necessarily a fancy growth, however. A personal favorite is Dupeuble, a wine of low pedigree that is made by a conscientious producer whose ambition is not to suck every bit of life out of his vineyard but to fashion a quality quaffer. That he does: The wine, which retails for around $10, is everything good Beaujolais should be—fruity, sprightly, utterly charming. If I owned a house and had a house wine, Dupeuble would be it.”
[via slate, tizwine, the japan times, wikipedia]
I’ve been in the U.S. for a while now and yesterday I had dinner with my mum and a few of her neighbors. One of these neighbors is a 83 year-old woman. She liked sprinkling the conversation a lot with, “When I was a little girl…” I didn’t mind that at all because what she recounted seemed so wild, interesting and seriously 70-something years back in the day. My mum actually has heard all of these “When I was a little girl…” stories (several times) so she was trying not to appear as bored as she actually was.
Anyway, this little old lady neighbor of my mum had mentioned that when she was a little girl growing up in northern California, she and her family ate margarine but it was white and they had to add yellow coloring to it. The margarine came with a packet they simply mixed in with the white butter substitute to make it a butter color. Eiuw, I thought – it reminded me of the evil Tartrazine. It also reminded me of when we’d go to a midnight movie at a certain movie theater in Germany, they’d give away (for free) bread slices spread with a white substance (resembling Crisco but when I asked Germans what this “spread” was, they said it was lard. Eiuw worse!) – anyway, I digress.
So. Margarine is white. Does that mean all margarine has coloring? Yes.
Back to granny. She then asked, “Do they have margarine in France?”
“Yes,” I said, “in fact, I think it was invented in France.” (remembering something I’d read somewhere.)
“Really??!” She was shocked that something was invented in France.
Some tidbits about Margarine (from Wikipedia):
In 1869 Emperor Louis Napoleon III of France offered a prize to anyone who could make a satisfactory (cheaper) substitute for butter, suitable for use by the armed forces and the lower classes. French chemist Hippolyte Mège-Mouriés invented a substance he called oleomargarine, the name of which became shortened to the trade name “Margarine”. Margarine now refers generically to any of a range of broadly similar edible oils. Some people have also shortened the name oleomargarine to oleo.
Manufacturers produced oleomargarine by taking clarified beef fat, extracting the liquid portion under pressure, and then allowing it to solidify. When combined with butyrin and water, it made a cheap and more-or-less palatable butter-substitute. Sold as Margarine or under any of a host of other trade names, butter-substitutes soon became a substantial market segment — but too late to help Mège-Mouriés: although he expanded his initial manufacturing operation from France to the United States in 1873, he had little commercial success. By the end of the decade both the old world and the new could buy artificial butters.
Some important health issues (from Wikipedia):
1. Harvard University researchers, in a 1994 study, reported that people who consumed hydrogenated oils, which are contained in many brands of margarine, had nearly twice the risk of heart attacks as those who consumed little or no hydrogenated oils. Several large studies, including the Nurses’ Health Study conducted by Harvard School of Public Health has indicated a strong link between earlier death and consumption of high amounts of trans-fat.
2. Many brands label their products legally now as “zero grams” trans-fat, which in fact means less than 500 mg trans-fat per serving.
3. Stick margarine contains the most trans fat; tub or liquid margarine has about two-thirds less.
4. Vegetable shortenings do not contain any cholesterol and have only 3g of saturated fat per tablespoon. However, they are high in transfatty acids.
[Source: Wikipedia]
You’ll find stunning black and white photos from this photoblog “nyclondon” by Rob Gardiner. Despite the blog’s name there are photos from all over the world, but what particularly caught my eye, was this series of photographs called “Paris through a Pinhole” where Rob takes photos of Paris landmarks with a pinhole camera.
Paris through a Pinhole is in three parts:
Paris through a Pinhole Part 1
Paris through a Pinhole Part 2
Paris through a Pinhole Part 3
I’m surprised there haven’t been more accidents on the closest autoroute to Carcassonne because it is really distracting while driving on it. From this vantage point, the incredibly beautiful crenellated medieval walled town of Carcassonne is the only thing your eyes want to look at…but keep your eyes on the road!
Carcassonne is separated into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. The folk etymology – involving a châtelaine named Carcas, a ruse ending a siege and the joyous ringing of bells (“Carcas sonne”) – though memorialized in a neo-Gothic sculpture of Mme Carcas on a column near the Narbonne Gate—is of modern invention. The fortress, which was thoroughly restored from 1853 by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997. [from Wikipedia]
Related Extras
1. There’s a board game “Carcassonne” by Rio Grande Games
2. The stamp commemorating the fortress of Carcassonne by the French Postal Service.
From Jay is Games:
Comboling is an original puzzle game that was conceived by Jérôme Lulling in the mid-80’s by examining tiles on the bathroom floor. He eventually teamed up with Dmitry Irsheins to help bring his idea to life, and the result of the collaboration is this remarkable Flash game.The gameplay is quite simple: link each of the marked tiles either vertically, horizontally, or diagonally without reusing a tile or jumping over any other marked tiles.
And while the concept is simple enough to grasp, this Flash implementation of the game is exceptional, thus proving that execution can be as important as the idea itself…
I happily believe there are way more food related events in France than anywhere else in the world. This is no exception. The Salon International du Livre Gourmand combines two of France’s (and my) favorite things: food and books. Granted, I am notorious for never following a recipe from top to bottom (it’s a recipe-related chronic disease I can’t seem to shake off, I swear) mais bon I do love cookbooks, nevertheless.
This international cookbook fair, held in Périgueux (southwest France), while much more than cookbooks, is much less than international. Perhaps this three day event (held every other year) has been more international in the past but this year focuses mainly on France with Portugal as a special guest-country of honor.
If you attend you’ll be rubbing shoulders with 70 French and Portuguese book publishers and about 150 hot chefs and recipe writers from France and Portugal competing for one of three awards: – Les Prix La Mazille, Le Prix La Mazille International, and Le Prix de La Ville de Périgueux. A separate prize will be awarded to an 18-year old (or younger) cookbook author.
The Salon will also be offering a special train (Train des Saveurs) from Paris to Périgueux, and once there, there’ll be special round table discussions, demonstrations, symposiums, dinners, competitions, and tastings. How can you pass up all of that? You’ll get all the latest developments in cuisine, trends, recipes and techniques and meet famous chefs and writers.
And to complete this very fulfilling experience, you absolutely can NOT miss this little kooky part of the Salon. On November 18 at 3:00 pm, you must partake in La Dictée Gourmande; it’s the very French wretched activity: dictation!! You heard right. It’s a dictation. When I saw the description, I thought, “this is so weird YET so French.” Just like during my French classes where we were to transcribe what was being dictated (that I would completely fail), the same applies here: you get to do the same but I guess the subject of the dictation is related to food. The dictation will take place at the amphithéâtre Jean Moulin de la Bibliothèque municipale. Am I the only one that finds this event strange? (Maybe not strange but definitely not fun.) Anyway, you must register if you’d like to participate in the dictation. Send an email to: bm-perigueux@wanadoo.fr
Back to the Salon. Make sure to check out the program for all three days. There are so many excellent topics and events to choose from, it will be hard to decide what to do. Some things I’d consider interesting: A roundtable discussion titled, « Le chocolat »with Yves Thuriès, Pierre Hermé, Christophe Felder, Thierry Barot, Florence Hernandez Grande salle du théâtre (Nov. 18, 5:30 pm); A Bread Demonstration, « Le Pain » with Richard Bertinet et Apollonia Poilâne (Nov. 18, Noon)…there’s so much – anyway, all the demos seem worth attending as well as discussions, and of course the tastings!
The winning writers are announced on the last day of the Salon.
Salon International du Livre Gourmand / International Cook Book Fair
November 17-19, 2006 (held every other year)
Nouveau Théâtre d’Aquitaine (The theatre has one auditorium and spaces for other cultural projects)
Avenue d’Aquitaine, Périgueux, Dordogne, Aquitaine 24000, France
Tel 33) 05 53 53 18 71
Website: Salon International du Livre Gourmand
I could’ve sworn that I saw two unicorns while driving by this forest. I mean, look at the fairytale-esque setting with the light perfectly shining through the trees from above. (No, I don’t do drugs and I don’t drink much.) So we stopped and I jumped out of the car to see, trusty camera in-hand.
I know unicorns don’t exist. Really. Still. I had to verify.
Anyway, aren’t they gorgeous with their strawberry blond tails? I love love love horses and one of these days, I hope to have a couple of horses and enough land and space for them to frolick.
I’ve seen this cartoon character, Bécassine, on products all over France and just assumed it was from a cartoon made by the same artist (Hergé), who created TinTin. Bécassine was launched as a comic strip in 1905 as part of La Semaine de Suzette, a magazine for little girls. I believe TinTin appeared 20 or so years later. Isn’t this a clear example of RIP OFF? Or doesn’t Bécassine look EXACTLY like Tin Tin in a dress? I guess no one cared back then.
I actually don’t know that much about Bécassine except that she was from Bretagne (thus the outfit), so for those interested, here is some information about her: Bande Dessinée Bécassine (in French).
Masterminded by France (Nantes)-based illustrator/designer, Gérald Guerlais and White Plains (NY)-based Japanese painter, Daisuke Tsutsumi, Sketchtravel involves more than 50 artists worldwide who will one-by-one, during the period of one year, share the possession of a sketchbook. This sketchbook will travel the globe into the hands of each artist so they can add a creative work to one page of the sketchbook. The book cannot be mailed. It must be handed off in-person from artist to artist.
The sketchbook is meant to inspire each artist as it is received, which could add to the continuity of the work as a whole. In any case, it should be a wonderful final art piece incorporating the ideas of creativity, artistic skills/abilities and friendship.
When the sketchbook is completed, it will be exhibited at the Arludik Gallery in Paris, then eventually sold at auction for charity selected by the artists.
There’s a map online where you can track where the sketchbook is located here: Where’s the sketchbook now?
More about it here: SketchTravel
Yesterday 141 sealed containers filled with toxic waste arrived in France to be “disposed of” in a town south east of Lyon. It will be incinerated, so try not to breath if you live around there.
Where did this waste come from? In August, you might remember in the news, people in the Ivory Coast died because hazardous waste material was illegally dumped in and around the town of Abidjan. Many were subjected to an incredible stench, some died and some were hospitalized.
The poisonous stench came from a mix of petrochemical waste transported by a Panamanian-registered tanker chartered by the Dutch firm Trafigura. The pitch-black sludge found its way from Amsterdam — via Estonia and Nigeria — to Ivory Coast aboard the Korean-built and Greek-managed Probo Koala.
And it was later illegally dumped, in the dead of night, by a local company called Tommy at open-air sites all over Abidjan — right in the yards of residents… (from NPR)
Cutting to the chase here, this is a scandal trying to be covered up, and although the toxic sludge sounds like it originated from Holland, it has ended up in France. Why didn’t it go back to Holland, and disposed of there? How safe from toxicity are the residents of France?
The Dutch company insists it did tests on the material in Holland and that it wasn’t toxic. The company lied, obviously.
Back to France. I have to interject here that whenever we’re on the highway in the south of France, particularly in Provence, we inevitably see trucks and trucks transporting toxic waste. You can tell because of the stickers indicating toxic material on the truck and also the cargo is usually farther distanced from the driver. I wonder how safe are other drivers near this toxic cargo on the highways.
Why is there seemingly tons of toxic and nuclear waste firstly going to Africa, and if found, then moving to the south of France? I really worry about this and wonder how much toxic waste from other countries are ending up in Africa and France.
[Ivory Coast Tragedy Exposes Toxic Flow to Poor, Ivory Coast Toxic Waste Arrives in France for Incineration]
