Sorry to remind you but Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, so instead of the usual box of chocolates, bouquet of roses and homemade dinner by candlelight, why not try something different this year? Ok, this doesn’t have to be for Valentine’s Day. I just thought I’d remind you about it. Oh, I’m not knocking the above gifts. I love all those things; this is more about offering different gifts.

The French company, Wonderbox, offers unforgettable experiences in a gift box. Buy an adventure or package and have it sent in a gift box to the recipient. Examples: The Turbo box, choose from several different adventures in speed. Race a Lamborghini, Ferrari or Do some loops in an airplane; The Adrenaline box: white-water rafting, bunging jumping etc.; Calmer activities in a box include wellness retreats, gastronomic evenings, hot air ballooning, champagne tasting and more.

I like the idea that you can buy someone a box of one free fall from an airplane in France (you have a long list of locations to choose from). Though none of the package experiences are really novel, they do seem fun in any case, plus the idea of having one place to find a whole variety of adventures is fairly convenient and nifty, I think. Lastly, the “unforgettable experience in a box” idea is a cool marketing twist that basically “repackages” what they are selling, both literally and figuratively.

The only thing I find missing is the transportation to and from, but perhaps that is in the works. Like, for example, there’s a box you can buy that is an evening out to have a bottle of champagne with friends at a palace or luxury location. Wouldn’t it be even more perfect to add the limousine ride that picks you up from home, then takes you to your destination and back home?

Wonderbox

Tags: france, french, wonderbox, gifts, unusual+gifts, valentines+day, skydiving, hotairballoning

him: I brought you something from the bakery!

me: ooooh! What?!? A pastry? Chocolate?

him: No, it’s this; chew on it.

me: That branch?! You can buy branches at the bakery? CHEW on it?

him: It’s not a branch, it’s a root. Anyway, it’s really good for you.

me: Ok, I’ll try that stick, but it doesn’t really look that appetizing.

him: It’s a root, and it’s good. It’s licorice. The real deal. Not any of your American plasticky artificial flavored stuff.

me: I love that plasticky artificially flavored stuff.

Strange that it’s in a bakery of all places, though, right? I mean, it’s a perfect setting for the sadistic parent that goes into the bakery with their child and buys pastries for himself, then buys a stick as a treat for his child. The kid, in no way, would ever mistake this for candy. or a treat. Ho hum. A better place for it is the pharmacy me thinks. Nope, I’m not a fan, but after a bit a research, it is really an amazing and beneficial medicinal plant. By the way, here at the bakery, one licorice root costs 20 cents of a euro, which is roughly 26 cents of a dollar.
So this root that looks just like a branch is true licorice. I always assumed licorice was a flavor made from anise seeds, which I really like. At least I now know you can buy real licorice in the bakery. Not for me because it turns out that I really do not like real licorice (though I do like anise flavored things), but I can get them for my sweetie, who likes the nasty things. For me, the stick tastes a lot like saccharin, the artificial sweetner. It is not that great. And you have to chew through the stick and spit it out sort of like chewing tobacco, which is icky. I think my tastebuds are all messed up from years of abuse from junkfood and the like back home in the old etats-unis.

The thing I didn’t know about licorice is that it is sort of like a super hero natural medicine in the world of plants; it’s considered a powerful medicine. Here are some conditions licorice is known to combat: gastric and mouth ulcers, tonsilitits, arthritis and rheumatic pain, allergies, pms, jaundice, eczema, herpes, psoriasis and respiratory problems. Also, American researchers concluded that extracted liquorice would quickly stop the growth of cancer of the prostate.

If chewing on a stick is not your thing and you’d like to consume licorice simply for your health or just because you like it, you can opt to buy these pastilles de pure réglisse. These are tiny pellets that are pure licorice extracted from the roots and are very concentrated. They taste better than the stick and the flavor is stronger. They also just melt evenutally, so you don’t have to spit out any shredded fibers. The licorice plants used for these pastilles were grown in Calabre, Italy, where a huge portion of licorice is from. While licorice is good for you, in excess, it can damage your liver. (Of course, you really need to consume more than 50 grams, which is an enormous amount, to overdose on licorice) Just be aware of its adverse effects, precautions and interactions with other substances.

For Mac: This handy new widget accesses news from 6 major French newspapers:

- Le Monde
- Le Figaro
- Le Parisien
- 20 minutes
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- Le Nouvel Observateur

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More information

Tags: france, french, news, newspapers, mac, macintosh, widgets, le+monde, le+figaro, le+parisien, 20+minutes, l'equipe, le+nouvel+observateur

The Tourism Office for Ile-de-France is sponsoring a fun contest, “Cop The Parisian Attitude.” No matter how ridiculous you feel, do your very best to imitate the Bof / the Gallic Shrug; Camembert! / Shut up!; La Moue / The Pout; Ras le bol! / I’ve had it up to here!; On s’appelle / Call me; On se tire! / Let’s go! and more. Take a photo of your gesture and upload them to the site or send them in. You could win a trip to Paris.

These gestures aren’t really specific to Paris; I’ve seen them all over France but the one that cracks me up the most is the silly Gallic Shrug. It is straight from the Asterix comics, and is funny and so cute, in an ugly way. Maybe it just has grown on me. There are some missing here too, like the one that indicates drunkenness with the gesture of unscrewing your nose (the gesture must be done counterclockwise only). Any others?

I also love the French sounds. We say stuff like “Oh!” and “Ah!” The French do too but in their own Frenchy cute sort of way. The sound for “I see” or “I understand” without using words is a short rollercoaster ride that starts with a high intonation that rolls downward then halfway up again. (Does that make sense?) Anyway, their “Ho, non!” drawn out and lingering is so funny. Back to this contest. You have until January 10 to enter, I think, but double check their guidelines. Enter the contest here: Cop the Parisian Attitude

Tags: ile+de+france, attitude+game, imitiate+french+gestures, bof, la, moue, asterix, win+trip+to+paris, ras+le+bol, contest