A Village in France Still Accepts Francs From the iht:
“COLLOBRIÈRES, France: Christine Amrane says it is mostly about profit, not just protest and nostalgia. This isolated village has decided to accept the French franc in everyday commerce, along with the euro, and the colorful old bills adorned with French heroes and writers have got people thinking.
Not too radically, of course. Collobrières, after all, is deep in Provence, a picturesque little place of 1,600 people, with a perfect, tiled village square, commanded by city hall and a café with a table of old men playing cards and drinking pastis, all shaded by huge plane trees from the hot southern sun.
“We lost something with the franc,” said Amrane, the mayor since 2001. “We lost an identity. We moved very quickly into Europe, maybe too quickly.”
Along with mostly visa-free travel, the introduction of the euro in 2002 was heralded as a great step in the building of a united Europe. But printed with images of imaginary bridges and buildings, and with no portraits of anyone, living or dead, euro bills are as faceless as the Eurocrats who run the institutions of the new Europe.
While Europeans value the ease of travel that the euro has encouraged, they also think that the new currency created inflation by allowing merchants to round up costs. And of course the European Central Bank means that countries can no longer adjust their interest rates and exchange rates to suit their particular economic circumstances.
Nathalie Lepeltier, a 39-year-old baker who launched the idea of accepting the old franc, says that “the euro has made life more expensive – prices are much higher.” Whether the euro is at fault or not, people certainly believe that it is.
“People have lost the concept of the value of money with the euro, because of the euro,” Lepeltier said. People remember the price in francs, and they’re shocked now when they use francs at how much more everything costs.”
Amrane’s husband retired and started getting his pension in 2001, before the euro. “He was paid in francs and now in euros, and it’s not at all the same,” she said. “There’s a general malaise.”
The autumn chestnut festival is on the minds of the people here more than political protest. Paris is 860 kilometers, or 535 miles, away, and Brussels even farther.
But the European Union is a source of confusion and annoyance, both abstract and distant. The French were not allowed to vote in a referendum on the complicated Lisbon Treaty to reorganize the workings of the enlarged union of 27 nations. France, like most countries, thought it safer to ratify the treaty in Parliament, where the government holds a majority.
But the Irish voted, and voted no. And there’s a lot of sympathy for them here.
France is thought to be the beating heart of the European vision, but the last time the French voted on an earlier version of Lisbon, in 2005, they voted no – and polls say they would reject it in its current form….
Full article
Dimanche Dialogue Entre Daniel Balavoine et Francois Mitterrand 
As a chronic conspiracy theorist and as a person who strongly believes that no politician is good, this imagined dialogue spawned from my various psycho suspicions. It’s a conversation between Late French Singer/Activist Daniel Balavoine and Late President of the French Republic Francois Mitterrand – based on a very well-known confrontation between the two on a talk show in 1980. (Here’s a transcription in French.) Perhaps more “Dialogues Entre Quelqu’un et Quelqu’un d’autre” in France will surface here if I remember to post some. Something for Sundays.
Anyway, back to the dialogue between two dead people.
During the fateful day on live French TV, it appeared that Francois Mitterrand, then running for French President, attempted to lure the youth vote by having the popular singer invited as a “trophy” guest on the live talk show. It was obvious that they had no intention of letting Balavoine say anything. So, Balavoine exploded in anger. He insisted on having air-time for what he had to say, and, in a nutshell, he was trying to represent young adults expressing that they shared a sense of hopelessness because of many unanswered questions and ignored problems. They no longer believed in French politics and policies and felt desperate. He wanted to warn world leaders, which seemed like a direct criticism to Mitterand, that if the situation did not improve, this desperation would surely result in devastating consequences.
I don’t believe Mitterrand was very pleased. That being said, I’m positive the communist party wasn’t very happy, either, with what Balavoine said about them. (He’d questioned what they REALLY did with the money they received.) Wait. Balavoine also criticized Gaston Deferre, who was mayor of Marseille at the time, remarking that he and his administration were not the best societal role models…
Daniel Balavoine was killed in 1986 in a SO-CALLED, “accident.” YES. I don’t really think it was an accident.
It could have been Deferre! Hold on. He also mentioned that M. Soisson, the Ministre de la jeunesse / the Youth Minister, is OLD! And how could a Youth Minister truly act on behalf young adults if he, himself, is old. It might have been Soisson!
tags: france daniel balavoine confrontation francois mitterrand not an accident who killed daniel balavoine?
French Space Agency CNES Puts Secret UFO Archive Online From iht:
France’s space agency, CNES put its entire UFO sightings archive on the web.
“The saucer-shaped object is said to have touched down in the south of France and then zoomed off. It left behind scorch marks and that haunting age-old question: Are we alone in this big universe of ours?
This is just one of the cases from France’s secret “X-Files” — some 100,000 documents on supposed UFOs and sightings of other unexplained phenomena that the French space agency is publishing on the Internet.
France is the first country to put its entire weird sightings archive online, said Jacques Patenet, who heads the space agency’s UFO cell — the Group for Study and Information on Nonidentified Aerospace Phenomena.
Their oldest recorded sighting dates from 1937, Patenet told The Associated Press in an interview Friday. The first batch of archives went up on the agency’s Web site this week, drawing a server-busting wave of traffic.
“The Web site exploded in two hours. We suspected that there was a certain amount of interest, but not to this extent,” Patenet said.
The archive includes police and expert reports, witness sketches (some are childlike doodlings), maps, photos and video and audio recordings. In all, the archive has some 1,650 cases on record and some 6,000 witness accounts.
The space agency, known by its French initials CNES, said it is making them public to draw the scientific community’s attention to unexplained cases and because their secrecy generated suspicions that officials were hiding something.
“There’s always this impression of plots, of secrets, of wanting to hide things,” Patenet said. “The great danger would be to…” (more…)
The Hidden Gardens of Paris From the nyt:
“Next to the Palais de la Découverte, just off the Champs-Élysées, is a flight-of-fancy sculpture of the 19th-century poet Alfred de Musset daydreaming about his former lovers. As art goes, the expanse of white marble is pretty mediocre, and its sculptor, Alphonse de Moncel, little-remembered. For me, however, it is a crucial marker. To its right is a path with broken stone steps that lead down into one of my favorite places in Paris, a tiny stage-set called Jardin de la Vallée Suisse.
Part of the Champs-Élysées’ gardens, this “Swiss Valley” was built from scratch in the late 19th century by the park designer Jean-Charles Adolphe Alphand. It is a lovely illusion, where nothing is quite what it appears at first sight. The rocks that form the pond and waterfall are sculptured from cement; so is the “wooden” footbridge. But the space — 1.7 acres of semitamed wilderness in one of the most urban swaths of Paris — has lured me, over and over again. My only companions are the occasional dog walker and the police woman making her rounds.
On a park bench there, I am enveloped by evergreens, maples, bamboo, lilacs and ivy. There are lemon trees; a Mexican orange; a bush called a wavyleaf silktassel, with drooping flowers, that belongs in an Art Nouveau painting; and another whose leaves smell of caramel in the fall. A 100-year-old weeping beech shades a pond whose waterfall pushes away the noise of the streets above. The pond, fed by the Seine, can turn murky, but the slow-moving carp don’t seem to mind, nor does the otter that surfaces from time to time.
The Swiss Valley is one of the most unusual of Paris’s more than 400 gardens and parks, woods and squares. Much grander showcases include wooded spaces like the Bois de Vincennes on the east of the city and the Bois de Boulogne on the west, and celebrations of symmetry in the heart of Paris like the Tuileries and the Luxembourg.
But I prefer the squares and parks in quiet corners and out-of-the-way neighborhoods. Many are the legacy of former President Jacques Chirac. In the 18 years he served as mayor of Paris, he put his personal stamp on his city by painting its hidden corners green.
“He took some of the pathetic, shabby squares and gardens and transformed and adorned them,” said Claude Bureau, one of the city’s great garden historians who was chief gardener of the Jardin des Plantes for more than two decades. “He appreciated….”
Read the full article
tags: france travel hidden gardens in paris
Friday France Photos: Physialis 
Dad-in-law showed me this pretty flowery tomato thing growing in their garden in the north of France but I kept forgetting what it was called so I repeatedly asked him about it. “Just think of the sexually transmitted disease, Syphilis, because that rhymes with Physialis, sort of.”
Rather an unpleasant association, but I guess it works. In the English speaking world, this delicate and beautiful plant is known as Physalis, Chinese Lantern, Strawberry Tomato, Winter Cherry, Bladder Cherry or Cape Gooseberry, and is a relative of the tomatillo in the Solanaceae family.
They are so delicate with a paper-like shell that really does resemble a Japanese or Chinese lantern. Add them to flower arrangements as well as desserts and meals for an artistic and exotic visual impact.
They have a unique flavor. Maybe it’s because I expect them to taste like tomatoes, I’m not sure, but they are a teeny tiny bit like cherry tomatoes and plums with a hint of pineapple and a strange unidentifiable aftertaste.
Note: The unripe Physialis is poisonous, so please avoid those. However, the ripe fruit can sometimes cause intestinal distress so please consume in small quantities…like one or two in a sitting.
tags: france physialis edible flowers potager chinese lantern
Prices for New iPhones in France From appleinsider:
“France Telecom’s Orange said Thursday it will launch Apple’s much anticipated iPhone 3G in France on July 17th with prices starting at 149 euro ($233) for the 8GB model.
Handset prices and plans
The exclusive French carrier of the touch-screen handset said the 16GB model will fetch 199 euro. Both subsidized prices require that customers also purchase a subscription to one of its existing “Orange for iPhone” plans (below), or its Origami Star (from 3 hours), First or Jet plans.
With other plans (except time-cutoff and pay-as-you-go), the 8Gb iPhone will sell from 199 euro and the 16Gb model from 249 euro, Orange said. For instance, customers can get the 8GB model for 199 euro with a one-hour Origami Star plan that costs 32 euro and offers up to 500MB of monthly internet access.
Meanwhile, “Orange for iPhone” plans (below) start at 49 euro per month for a plan that includes 2 hours of normal talk time, 2 hours of late evening and weekend minutes, and 50 SMS text messages. The most expensive plan is priced at 149 euro and includes 12 hours of normal talk time, 12 hours of nights and weekends, and 1000 SMS messages. All “Orange for iPhone” plans include Visual Voicemail and up to 500MB of monthly data usage. ”
Orange will also offer the 8Gb 3G iPhone from 199 euro and the 16Gb version from 249 euro with a 24-month contract under its loyalty upgrade program.
Preferential upgrade offer
As part of the carrier’s “Change your mobile” promotion, Orange customers who purchased an iPhone before 12 June 2008 and are using it with an Orange plan (except time-cutoff, Initial and Mobicarte) will be able to buy the 3G iPhone for 99 euro through a 100 euro refund valid until 31 October 2008. The offer requires a 24-month contract.
iPhone 3G for business
The 3G iPhone will also launch for Orange Business Services clients on July 17th. Business clients will also be eligible for the “Change your mobile” offer.
Orange said its 3G network currently covers over 66 percent of the French population.
tags: france iphone orange
La Défense Jazz Festival 2008 – It’s Free 
Check out the anuual Jazz Festival taking place at the La Défense Esplanade this weekend. La Défense can be a bit of a schlep from the center of Paris (unless you take a taxi) but if I think it will be worth it, especially to see Herbie Hancock (6pm on Sunday) who is a LEGEND. I Love him.
Bring along some friends, wine, glasses, a picnic and blanket or camping chairs to spend a perfect Parisian summer evening surrounded by music.
La Défense Jazz Festival – June 27 – 29, 2008
Esplanade – Place de La Défense
Friday, June 27 – Noon: Caravan Palace; 6pm National Jazz Competition
Saturday, June 28 – 1pm 6pm National Jazz Competition; 8:30pm Don Cavalli; 9:30pm Solomon Burke
Sunday, June 29 – 1pm National Jazz Competition; 6pm Herbie Hancock and Pura Fe
Website or Myspace
For more information: Call +33 (0)1 47 29 30 48 or Email: LADEFENSEJAZZ@CG92.FR
Transportation
Metro: Station Grande Arche de La Défense Line 1 RER A, T2 and Bus
By Car: Boulevard Circulaire, Exit: La Défense 4, Follow signs for “Parking Centre”
tags: france travel La Défense Jazz Festival free concerts in paris herbie hancock paris
Sarkozy Irritates Female MPs EVEN MORE with Gift From bbcnews:
“The French president has irritated female members of parliament by sending them what they say is an ill-judged gift to mark France’s EU presidency.
Nicolas Sarkozy’s office sent a sleek black case to all MPs, male and female, including a pale grey tie.
Socialist MP Aurelie Filippetti proclaimed it “yet more proof of male chauvinism in the political class”.
Others took it more lightly, gamely adding the ties to their outfits or even wearing them as headbands.
Junior minister Nadine Morano – one of Mr Sarkozy’s most loyal staffers – defended her boss’s blunder by saying that “even for a woman, wearing a tie can be nice,” the Guardian reports.
Some 18% of deputies in the National Assembly – a total of 107 – are women.
Mr Sarkozy chose many women for cabinet-level posts, including Justice Minister Rachida Dati and Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie.
Women also hold the finance, higher education, culture and agriculture ministries and the health, youth and sports portfolio in Mr Sarkozy’s cabinet.”
Les 5 Sens Restaurant in Avignon After getting a taste of a couple of French MOFs’ (Meilleur Ouvrier de France) awarding winning desserts and meals (Le Daniel and Paul Bocuse), we’ve since been on a mission to seek out and try out more and more (and more!) of them. Perhaps I’ll be shopping for new clothes here soon.
Les 5 Sens (The 5 Senses), a 2-year old modern and reasonably priced gastronomic restaurant in Avignon, is owned by Chef Thierry Baucher, an MOF. We were in the neighborhood last week, so we headed out with Jacques, Chloe and Noa (from Apres la sieste), in search of a yummy meal. Yes. We found what we were looking for and more. The meal was positively and incredibly memorable.
Chef Thierry Baucher working in the kitchen
Note: You will notice that I forgot BOTH my cameras (I know. I’m a fired blogger!) so some of the photos were taken with the phone camera in very low light, and many of them just didn’t come out. I had to shrink the remaining of them. (The top photo is a scan from their business card.)
We sat outside in the courtyard on a beautiful, warm evening. The night kicked off literally with a bang starting with the amuse bouche, traditionally served before the first course. A small glass filled with a mixture of cucumber and tiny pieces of raw salmon.
Suddenly, my sweetie let out a little scream. Then Jacques blurts a little “woah!” Next, Chloe and I followed. The chef had sprinkled Pop Rocks (candy) into the amuse bouche. Pop Rocks, remember those fizzy exploding candy things?! (also known as Action Candy, and in France it was called, “Frizzy Pazzy”) A memorable amuse bouche (with mouths snapping, crackling and popping) if ever I knew one.
Everything that followed was excellent, so much so that everyone was fully concentrated on their meal for a while, oohing and ahhing in between.
Each dish and the dessert was truly unique and absolutely wonderful, and there were always unexpected twists in dishes. There’s not much to say, really, except that you must try Les 5 Sens if you’re ever in Avignon.
I had to sample the cheeses by Josiane Deal, another MOF! They were superb, and the sorbet made with roquette, lime and mint, perfectly accompanied the cheeses, as well as being really refreshing and singularly different.
So the chef heard that the blogger from Why Travel to France was eating in the courtyard, so he came out to chat with us. Kidding. I’m not sure why he came out to talk with us, but it was very sweet of him, anyway. Give that man a raise!
A last note.
The bathrooms are impeccably clean, which means only one thing: the kitchen is very clean. You know, that cleanliness advice from Anthony Bourdain in Kitchen Confidential?
A clean kitchen is a must.
Another last note: The bathroom has black toilet paper, which my sweetie thought was blog worthy. I agree.
Les 5 Sens
Place Plaisance (the restaurant is not visible from the street so you must enter the courtyard)
18, Rue Joseph Vernet
84000 Avignon, France
+33 (0) 4 90 85 26 51 (reservations recommended)
Hours: 11:30am to 2:30pm and 7:30pm to 11pm
Closed Sunday and Monday except in July
tags: france travel les 5 sens meilleur ouvrier de france avignon restaurants
Les Halles de Lyon 
You will go deliriously insane (in a good way) at the indoor food market of Les Halles (also called “La Halle”) in Lyon, particularly if quality Lyonnais cuisine does something to you. You simply cannot go wrong here with the 59 knowledgeable food traders and craftsmen, and anyone you’ve ever met from Lyon or anyone who has been here, will always recommend it to you. Sausages is the local specialty, but everything is good here. It’s the best of the best, apparently and many of the best chefs in the Lyon area shop here. So instead of going on and on about how great it is, which it IS, just enjoy the photos below, and make sure you get a chance to visit as soon as possible. For travelers, I’d recommend shopping here and have a royal picnic. It will be one the best picnics you will ever have…
Here’s a little sampler but there’s much, much more (breads, desserts, wines, chocolates, fresh vegetables and fruit, oysters and other shellfish, specialty restaurants…)
The famous La Fromagerie La Mère Richard, known for his yum Saint Marcellin cheese is here so make sure you experience France with the real deal.
Although escargots (snails) are a regional specialty of my part of France, Bourgogne (Burgundy), I bet these will satisfy anyone in need of their quota of calcium, magnesium and vitamin C.
Make sure to stuff your shopping basket with these bright and unsual macarons.
DON’T leave Les Halles without a sausage or 10. We bought 3 but now I wished we grabbed more. Like a dozen more…
Les Halles de Lyon
102 Cours Lafayette
Lyon (Rhône) France
Opening Hours: Every day (except Mondays & Bank Holidays) from 7am-7pm (closed between 12-3pm)
Website (to see all the vendors and for more info)
tags: france travel lyon les halles de lyon indoor food market french wine lyonnais cuisine
Monet’s Le Bassin aux Nymphéas Sells for $80.4 Million 
Arts & Management International, bidding on behalf of an unknown (to us) client, received the winning bid for Monet’s Le Bassin aux Nymphéas for $80.4 million. Bargain!
“Le Bassin aux Nymphéas,” from 1919, a large horizontal work measuring more than 3 feet by 6 feet, is from a series of four that Monet signed and dated and that experts consider to be among the most important paintings from his late period. Unlike most of his late works, which remained unfinished at the time of his death in 1926, this series was sold by him. One is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art; another was cut in two; and a third is in a private collection, having been sold at Christie’s in New York in 1992 for $12.1 million, a stellar price at the time…
Read the full article at nyt
Parisians Wouldn’t Bike to Radiohead For FREE Frontrow Seats! Monday June 23rd 2008, 1:28 pm
Filed under:
art/culture/design,
cars/bikes/etc,
celebs,
cultural differences,
environment,
events,
funny,
music,
news,
paris,
people,
weirdFrom aol:
Where is the love, Parisians?
“… Radiohead were left with a row of empty seats at a recent French concert after a ticket giveaway backfired. The eco-friendly group announced 50 passes were available for their show at Paris’ Bercy Arena but fans could only get by cycling to their record label’s offices in the French city.
However, Parisians were not prepared to get on their bikes so 35 tickets went unclaimed. A source said: “Radiohead are using their current world tour to highlight their commitment to green issues. They advise all concertgoers to use public transport and are doing all they can to make their carbon footprint as small as possible. Unfortunately the French didn’t appear to share their noble intentions and roundly ignored the free ticket tactic.”
tags: france radiohead velib lazy environment unfriendly parisians
La Bambouseraie, Bamboo Garden in Générargues 
While strolling through the largest garden of more varieties of bamboo than you ever knew existed (about 40), you would imagine that you’ve found yourself in a far eastern land, a place surrounded by exotic flowers and plants (impossible to pronounce), hearing only the waft of a gentle breeze combing through the long stalks in a bamboo forest.
The zen-like ambiance of this unexpected garden has actually placed you in the Mediterranean climate of the south of France, not far from the town of Alès and two kilometers (just over one mile) north of Anduze. There are 34 hectares devoted to the cultivation of bamboo and other exotic plants from the Asia.
We’ve been wanting to see La Bambouseraie for long time now, so while we were south we decided to take a drive (about an hour) from our temporary home base in Saint Laurent des Arbres.
To satisfy the thirsty bamboo, more than five kilometers (3 miles) of irrigation canals are discretely blended into the landscape. With the sunny climate, ideal soil and a dependable supply of water, the bamboo can grow more than a meter (3 feet) a day.
La Bambouseraie de Prafrance was founded in 1855, and is the very first giant bamboo forest in Europe. Eugène Mazel, a native of the Cévennes who made his fortune by importing spices, began his bamboo collection while traveling through the French colonies of the Far East. After purchasing the domaine of Prafrance from its owner, Anne de Galière, he began to build his dream bamboo garden on the property. It now features water gardens, sequoia trees from California, traditional projects (Japanese garden, Laotian village), a garden labyrinth, a greenhouse and a nursery.
Oh! and some dwarf Vietnamese pigs. They look pretty humungous to me, though.
The Japanese Zen garden is relatively new to the park (2001) designed very true to Japanese style. The sculpting of the landscape took inspiration from the year it was founded, which was the Year of the Dragon. The Japanese garden’s form is dependent on the body of water it surrounds, so you’ll see the water wind through the garden like a dragon, both existing in harmony with each other. Note that “dragon” is an anagram of Gardon, the nearest river…
Dragon in the Zen Garden
For the rest of the post and to see a lot more photos after the fold click: (more…)
Louis Vuitton Hates Dave Navarro’s LV Guitar Strap Monday June 23rd 2008, 7:05 am
Filed under:
advertising & marketing,
art/culture/design,
celebs,
fashion,
funny,
music,
news,
people,
shopping,
stories,
weird
French company Louis Vuitton is up to its old misguided antics getting all litigious on guitarist, Dave Navarro (Jane’s Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Panic Channel). They’ve got their knickers in a twist over the fact that Navarro has been using a LV strap for his guitar. Um. I’d call that free advertising for LV! But nooooo. Louis Vuitton legal cronies sent the guitarist an ugly threatening letter expressing, “We have no doubt that this copying has been willful and is intended to trade upon the fame and cachet of the LV Trademarks to elevate the status of the infringing Guitar Strap, and of Jane’s Addiction.” Basically, they’re going to sue his ass if he doesn’t cease and desist his LV guitar strap use. Pffff.
Read about it on Dave Navarro’s blog, 6767
Related: Louis Vuitton is Suing a Darfur Fundraiser,
Getting Caught with Designer Rip-offs (Fakes) in France and Italy, iPod Cases from M. Louis Vuitton, Kawaii Contrefaçon
tags: france louis vuitton guitar strap dave navarro
[via]
The Carla Effect From Maureen Dowd:
“The French are different from you and me.
Yes, they have Sarkozy.
And they have Carla.
And they have “the Carla effect,” as it’s known in Paris.
If an American first lady, or would-be first lady, described herself as a “tamer of men” and had a “man-eating” past filled with naked pictures, Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton, sultry prone CD covers, breaking up marriages, bragging that she believes in polygamy and polyandry rather than monogamy, and having a son with a married philosopher whose father she had had an affair with, it would take more than an appearance on “The View” to sweeten her image.
It’s hard to imagine the decibel level on Fox News if Michelle Obama put out a CD this summer, as Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is, with songs featuring lyrics like “I am a child/despite my 40 years/despite my 30 lovers/a child”; and this song, “Ma came”: “You are my junk/more deadly than Afghan heroin/more dangerous than Colombian white. …/My guy, I roll him up and smoke him.”
Or if Michelle gave an interview, as Carla did in a new book, “La Véritable Histoire de Carla et Nicolas,” revealing that she fell in love with her husband for his many fertile brains.
“I didn’t expect someone so funny and so alive,” she said, recalling their blind date at a dinner party.
“I was seduced by his…”
Read the full article
Bigger Sizes Now in France 
Remember recently how the media was reporting that France was heading for U.S. obesity levels? Well. It has arrived. I saw this store for large sizes 44 to 52, which is alarmingly huge. We’re used to seeing these stores in the U.S. where obesity is commonplace and has been for decades, but in France, it’s fairly new. I hope it’s a temporary thing.
I like that the French stores take a more “soft” and kind approach, and never say, “larger,” “bigger” or even “plus” sizes – even if they are for overweight and obese people. Toscan is a spinoff from Armand Thiery, but when we were shopping at H&M in this very same mall (Cap Sud) in Avignon, they had a large size section, which is relatively new.
What does this mean about France?
1. People are FAT! And are getting fatter! 42% of French women are overweight. The rate of adult obesity is 25%. With children, there was an overall overweight and obesity prevalence of 17.8%, with an overweight and obesity prevalence of 25.3% in boys and 16.5% in girls aged 11-14 years and 16.7% for boys and 16.5% for girls in the 15-17 year age group (from a 2007 study).
2. The French can no longer indulge in disdain toward the U.S. when it comes to obesity. Don’t they LOVE to show supersize, bulging, ripply, jiggly Americans on TV!? That’s over, TF1.
3. French people are beginning to eat more processed foods. The weak buying power has forced many people to shop the center of the supermarket – meaning, the cheaper but more caloric items versus the fresh foods, which are found in the periphery of the market that are more expensive, less caloric but more healthful.
4. There is a need to monitor what kinds of foods get imported into France. Example, do they need to bring in GMO cereals ladened with corn syrup, trans fats, and other (as Michael Pollan likes to call them,) “food-like substances”? This is the government’s role: to protect its citizens.
5. Risk Factors associated with obesity – will increase health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure in adults and children. This will also decrease the overall lifespan of the French.
tags: france obesity big sizes fat french
AIDS Prevention Ads From France 
I bet you haven’t seen this many dickheads all in one place, ever! Anyway. These AIDS prevention ads (“Just protect yourself”) recently won a bronze medal at the Cannes Lions 2008, an international advertising festival. The style and quality of the illustrations are wonderful. I wonder if people find these very “French”?
Advertising Agency: TBWA\PARIS
Country: FRANCE
Executive Creative Director: Erik Vervroegen
Creative Director: Erik Vervroegen/Michel De Lauw
Copywriter: Xander Smith
Art Director: Jonathan Santana
Illustrator: James Jean
[via]
Dinner Chez Apres La Sieste We’ve been in the south for a few days now, of course staying at our favorite b&b in provence. Their chef popped in last night to make a yum dinner for a party of 11 people.
Before dinner.
Salmon and sea bass ceviche with a salmon rillette with basil and creme fraiche
Veal in raspberry sauce accompanied by asparagus and snow peas.
Panacotta in a red berry sauce.
tags: france travel apres la sieste provence b&b french cuisine
For Blacks in France, Obama Is Reason to Rejoice and to Hope From the nyt:
“When Youssoupha, a black rapper here, was asked the other day what was on his mind, a grin spread across his face. “Barack Obama,” he said. “Obama tells us everything is possible.”
A new black consciousness is emerging in France, lately hastened by, of all things, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States. An article in Le Monde a few days ago described how Mr. Obama is “stirring up high hopes” among blacks here. Even seeing the word “noir” (“black”) in a French newspaper was an occasion for surprise until recently.
Meanwhile, this past weekend, 60 cars were burned and some 50 young people scuffled with police and firemen, injuring several of them, in a poor minority suburb of Vitry-le-François, in the Marne region of northeast France.
Americans, who have debated race relations since the dawn of the Republic, may find it hard to grasp the degree to which race, like religion, remains a taboo topic in France. While Mr. Obama talks about running a campaign transcending race, an increasing number of French blacks are pushing for, in effect, the reverse.
Having always thought it was more racially enlightened than strife-torn America, France finds itself facing the prospect that it has actually fallen behind on that score. Incidents like the ones over the weekend bring to mind the rioting that exploded across France three years ago. Since it abolished slavery 160 years ago, the country has officially declared itself to be colorblind — but seeing Mr. Obama, a new generation of French blacks is arguing that it’s high time here for precisely the sort of frank discussions that in America have preceded the nomination of a major black candidate.
This black consciousness is reflected not just in daily conversation, but also in a dawning culture of books and music by young French blacks like Youssoupha, a cheerful, toothy 28-year-old, who was sent here from Congo by his parents to get an education at 10, raised by an aunt who worked in a school cafeteria in a poor suburb, and told by guidance counselors that he shouldn’t be too ambitious. Instead, he earned a master’s degree from the Sorbonne.
tags: france obama hope
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Sarkozy Orders an “Air Bling One” From the sunday times:
“His aides have warned him against designer sunglasses and “flashy” behaviour, but President Nicolas Sarkozy could not resist this latest indulgence. The French leader is to have his own version of the American president’s Air Force One aircraft, complete with luxury sleeping quarters, office and conference room.
Whether or not he wants to name the plane Marianne, symbol of the French republic, Sarkozy has his sights set on an Airbus 330-200. It is expected to cost the state about £150m and will be able to fly twice as far without refuelling as the jets that he normally uses.
A fashion designer will be commissioned to redesign the interior while Carla Bruni, the president’s Italian singer wife, is expected to take charge of the project.
Sarkozy, 53, who pledged to modernise France through a series of social and economic reforms, has been planning the purchase for months. He is said to be eager to have his own plane in time for France’s takeover of the European Union’s rotating six-month presidency in July, when he effectively becomes the leader of Europe.
Having his own aircraft will certainly put Sarkozy ahead of the British: the government announced in March that it was dropping plans for a long-haul private plane for use by senior ministers and the royal family, having concluded that it would be too costly.
The hyper-energetic Sarkozy is also expected in China in August for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games and is determined to avoid the indignity of refuelling stops. On his first official trip to China last year, he was obliged to land in Siberia while the press flew nonstop to Beijing in a much larger plane.
His own aircraft would also spare him the embarrassment of having to go cap in hand to his bil-lionaire businessmen friends who have lent him jets in the past.
Yet the plan to splash out on a new plane has raised eyebrows, particularly as the government promotes reforms to reduce public spending. It was announced last week that one in every five French embassies was likely to see its budget cut and the number of countries receiving French development aid would be cut to between 30 and 40 from more than 100.
A designer aircraft seemed to contradict recent efforts by Sarkozy to get away from his image as “President Bling-Bling” – a figure addicted to flashy watches and luxury travel. It had seemed to make a mockery of the acute public anxiety about dwindling purchasing power and had resulted in a catastrophic drop in his approval rating.
Growing public approval for Bruni, 40, who is widely regarded as a steadying influence on the volatile leader, is credited with halting the drop in the opinion polls. As she prepares to bring out her latest album next month, the president’s aides have talked excitedly of the “Carla effect”.
One cartoon last week summed up the widespread sense of how much she has helped him by showing her entering Sarkozy’s office and saying: “I’ve won you five points [in the polls]. Don’t spend them too quickly.”
tags: france travel air bling one sarkozy
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Where to Stay in Bretagne: Le Manoir de Villeneuve, A B&B in Lamballe, France Usually when we get ready for a trip, we do a little research on specific accommodations if we’ve never stayed there before. It helps so much to see web sites that have participant reviews, so you’ll know what to stay away from, what to expect and simply plan from there.
Our recent trip to Bretagne (Brittany) did not involve this process because it was actually hard to find a B&B online with reviews – so we did take a huge risk by choosing a place with no user feedback. We found a lot of promising places on the internet but some only “sounded” great in theory. For example, we saw “Stay in a 17th century castle!” describing luxurious amenities etc. – the only problem was: there were no photos. Um. We need photos, people!
For instance, say we show up at a place that has no photos on their website. What are possible scenarios? A hotel from The Shining? Norman Bate’s House? The Cottage from The Undead? My point: Never stay at a place you haven’t seen!
Back to this post. We fortunately chose a place that did have photos on their website (though we couldn’t find any reviews). It looked promising and was run by a French family, so we thought we’d give it a try and stay there a whole week. It was awesome.
Le Manoir de Villeneuve isn’t just any ole bed and breakfast place. It is far beyond this category of B&B because it’s an elegant, relaxing 18th century estate in a huge French manor (more like a small castle) and it was a wonderful place to call home while traveling around in Bretagne.
The rooms are impeccably clean, comfortable and tastefully decorated. They will also be freshened up each day.
The bath is large and inviting. Each room in the manor has its own private bath.
You’ll wake up to find fresh squeezed orange juice, real raw milk from a farm nearby, luscious coffee or tea, fruit, baked breads and home-made, organic cakes and pastries. Who needs bacon and eggs? Here, no one. This is wonderful, wonderful breakfast, the French way.
The estate stretches across 6 hectares of land, which is enormous, so don’t be surprised if you run into some animals here and there when wandering around the vast “park” and side areas. Note: Donkeys are so soft!
An enormous advantage, and a criterion we require from our accommodations, is that it serve as a convenient base that is accessible to several points of interest. Le Manoir not only meets this criterion, but it also gives you the feeling that you are far from everything yet you are actually very close to Saint Malo, the beach, Ile de Bréhat, Dinard, Paimpol, Fort La Latte and both the cote d’emeraude / Emerald coast as well as the Cote de Granite Rose (Rose granite coast). Also, from here you are just an hour’s drive to Rennes.
For a true, French B&B experience in Bretagne, we highly recommend Le Manoir in Lamballe. It is an ideal location to have as a base to explore many places. Coming back to the manoir and town of Lamballe is comforting and you’ll have a variety of things to do there. The town of Lamballe is beautiful and there are excellent restaurants, cheese shops, wine stores and specialty shops that will keep you well-fed and entertained.
The full time residents of the manor is a French family of five (a couple and three kids) and you might see them around, as well as their friendly Weimaraner, Tom. You’ll be greeted by a very gracious and sweet hostess, Nathalie, a former sign language translator. She will be your contact during your stay at Le Manoir de Villeneuve.
Le Manoir de Villeneuve
Contact: Nathalie Peres (French and English spoken)
3 Rooms, 1 Suite
St-Aaron, 22400 Lamballe France
Telephone: +33) 02 96 50 86 32 or +33) 06 20 81 16 28
Website: Le Manoir de Villeneuve (for more photos and rates)
tags: france travel bretagne bed and breakfast le manoir de villeneuve lamballe brittany
Unappetizing French Jam Flavors: Ass Scratch and Old Boy 
Him: Look what I got at the market for you.
Me: What is it, sweetie?
Him: These jams. I knew you’d want to make fun of them blog about them.
Me: You’re the best. OMG. Gratte-cul (Ass Scratch) jam?! Vieux Garcon (Old Boy) jam?!
Him: (all giggly) You like them, don’t you???
Me: These are priceless. I love them. THANK YOU.
Me: Don’t you think they could’ve come up with a better name than Gratte-cul (Ass Scratch) jam?! and Vieux Garcon (Old Boy) jam?! Even calling something like Booger Jam seems better. The French are so funny.
Note: I’m not too crazy about how Gratte-cul tastes. Psychosomatic? I haven’t yet tried Vieux Garcon yet.
tags: france jams gratte cul vieux garcon ass scratch jam old boy jam franco-american+conversations confiture
Last Chance to See Patti Smith in Paris 
On Saturday, June 21, the day before the Patti Smith exhibition Land 250 closes, the Fondation Cartier is offering a final opportunity for the public to meet the artist, who will also be signing the exhibition catalogues.
This event will take place in the exhibition area, from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Land 250, Patti Smith at the Fondation Cartier
261, Boulevard Raspail
75014 Paris, France
tel (+33) 1 42 18 56 50
March 28 to June 22, 2008
For more information visit the museum’s website: Fondation Cartier
Related: David Lynch’s work at Fondation Cartier,Ron Mueck in Paris
tags: france patti smith fondation cartier
