Elizabeth's Blog

As I mentioned in the last French Affaires posting, the country of France is so diverse and rich in things to do, see and experience. Northwest France is home to la Bretagne (Brittany), a rocky and remote region known for its extensive coastline, Celtic influences, ancient forests and legends, native costumes, music of the biniou (bagpipe) and bombarde (horn), marvelous sea salts including fleur de sel, delicious sweet and savory crêpes, and charming hand painted pottery known as “faïence de Quimper.”

The lovely town of Quimper (pronounced kam-pair) is the capital of the Finistère department, a very traditional area of Brittany. It has been a center of faience (pottery) production for over 300 years as Jean-Baptiste Bousquet, a pottery maker from Provence, moved here in 1690 and began producing utilitarian salt-glazed looking bottles and bowls.

Quimper is located at the convergence of two rivers and near ancient forests so natural materials were readily available for the production of the pottery. One could say that Quimper faience went ‘upscale’ in the late 1600’s. As King Louis XIV’s treasury was running low due to his numerous wars across Europe, he asked the French nobility to donate their gold and silver plates and goblets to fund his military efforts. Consequently, pottery became fashionable to the aristocracy, and faienceries developed across France. The everyday dishwares of the peasants were now being decorated by artists to appeal to the tastes of the upper classes.

The folk aspect of Quimper pottery intensified when regional costumes became popular across Europe in the late 1800’s. In the 1860’s, the familiar figure of the “petit breton” wearing sabots (wooden clogs), embroidered skirts or vests with hats or coifs (a woman’s hat) was first depicted on the pottery’s plates, cups, and bowls, as well as on decorative household items. The Quimper faienceries then expanded production beyond basic wares to include “souvenir” wares as travel became easier for French citizens and for foreigners. Pieces were made in Quimper and sold to shop owners in Brittany’s seaside resorts and other destination villages marked with the name of each particular place. By this time, the faience was known for its five signature colors: blue, green, red, yellow and violet.

Quimper faience became popular in the U.S. between the two World Wars when department stores such as Macy’s, Gumps, Tiffany, Lord & Taylor and Marshall Field’s began selling the colorful French “folk art.” The production was specifically marked with name and or logo of the U.S. retailer, as well as, the mark of the Quimper factory producing the pieces. Stanley Marcus introduced Quimper to Americans during one of the early “Neiman-Marcus Fortnights” of France in Dallas.

Styles of Quimper faience decoration and form have evolved with the influences of other faienceries in France and the movement of artists between these faienceries and from other regions of Europe. Despite of all the differing decors made in Quimper through the centuries, the “petit breton” remains the most recognizable symbol of Quimper ware.

Today, Quimper pottery is made much the same way as it was 300 years ago–by hand. It is possible to buy lovely new pieces of Quimper. And serious Quimper lovers are always on the lookout for beautiful and collectible old pieces. Many of them belong to the Quimper Club International which holds meetings and symposia both in the U.S. and in France on special aspects of the faience and its history.

I love this Quimper piece showing the Breton woman painting the pottery herself!

Other areas of France with important faience tradition include Rouen in Normandy, Nevers in Burgundy, and Marseille and Moustiers in Provence. If you are intrigued by pottery and its history, there are faience museums worth visiting such as the Musée de la faïence de Quimper. There is also the wonderful Musée National de Céramique-Sèvres located in Sèvres just to the west of Paris. One of my favorites, this museum contains excellent collections of earthenware, faïence, pottery and porcelain from around the world, dating from the earliest to the present.

French Take-Out ~ La France à emporter

If this whets your appetite for a bit of Quimper, France, in the U.S., there are two events coming up in Dallas in February…

1) On February 7, the patron members of ”Friends of French Affaires” are invited to:

“The Glories of Quimper:
Private Talk & Viewing of Antique Quimper French Pottery”
Join the “Friends of French Affaires” for this special event featuring the beautiful and unique handmade French pottery from Quimper in Brittany. Dallas resident and president of the Quimper Club International, Susan Cox, will host us for this private viewing of her collection of antique Quimper pieces. She will talk about the history and artisanal nature of Quimper and what makes these objects so valuable and collectible. Our other featured speaker is Anne Marie O’Neill, a leading expert, author and dealer in antique Quimper pottery. Reception following the talk and viewing. Our gathering will be a special visit to Brittany, France!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012
6 to 7:30 pm
Private Collector’s Home
Dallas, Texas
RSVP required

Please note that this complimentary event is by reservation only for registered “Friends of French Affaires.” Attendance is limited at this particular event so please RSVP quickly at info.french@frenchaffaires.com . Directions to the event provided upon RSVP. To join the “Friends of French Affaires,” please click here.

2) If you are interested in collecting some antique Quimper faience of your own, dealer and expert Anne Marie O’Neill will be holding a Quimper pottery sale on Thursday, February 9, in Dallas, Texas:

Quimper Pottery Show
Hosted by Anne Marie O’Neill & Beverly Sherman
Thursday, February 9, 2012
10am to 1pm
6924 Oak Manor Drive, Dallas, Texas 75230
(located in the Lake Forest community; the gate house is just north of Forest on Hillcrest)
RSVP required to Anne Marie O’Neill at info@annmarieoneill.com

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I often get asked about my favorite places to go in France. With the amazing variety of options the country offers, that is indeed a tough question! In fact, it is said that in France the landscape and cultural character of the place changes every 30 kilometers. For a country about the size of Texas, that is quite extraordinary if you think about it.

Given the riches found all over France, I still have landed on my favorite places – places where I have lived. Places where I was a student. Places where I put down my French roots. Places that sustain my creative soul.  Places home to my good French friends. Charming places that I return to again and again. Places so special they have to be shared with other travelers to France.

With that in mind, I am excited to spotlight two of my absolute favorite French locales for our French Affaires’ insider trips this year. Provence, which has been my cultural and creative home for over 25 years, is our first destination. Provence could be described as heaven on earth. It is the land of French sun, fabulous landscapes, marvelous colors, extraordinary food and wine, deep history, and cultural offerings of every kind. And I’d also say that just sitting outdoors and enjoying an aperitif in Provence is a vacation in and of itself. If you have never been to southern France or if you’ve been but wish to experience it in a more meaningful and personal way, you’ll want to make plans to join our small group for this lovely week of “Provence bests” in September.

Our second destination this year is the Loire Valley, also known as the “garden of France.” French kings in the Renaissance made it their favorite destination and built sumptuous châteaux surrounded by exquisite gardens. It has been one of the top travel spots in France ever since. Our trip includes visits of famous châteaux such as Chenonceau, Villandry and Rivau and also includes wonderful lesser known manor houses and gardens for a very intimate feel. We’ll also enjoy a couple of days in Paris to experience gardens there as well as a visit to Monet’s  Giverny just outside the capital. Late September, early October is one of the best times to visit France with fewer tourists, delightful weather and another garden viewing season. Joining us for this trip will be Jane Holahan, a Loire Valley gardens specialist and former resident of the Loire Valley.

French Affaires’ trips to France are small, personal and full of magical experiences. Our French friends and colleagues pull out all the stops to show us what is special about their part of France. Just as important, our trips include just about everything for your stay. So you feel like you are visiting friends or family in France rather than running around as a paying tourist!

Below are overviews of both France excursions with links to the full trip descriptions. And with the euro currency at historic lows right now, we are able to offer a discount of $200 off each trip price for those signing up by February 3, 2012. See the full trip description for pricing and details.

“The Best of Provence with French Affaires” September 21 to 28, 2012 – Join Dr. Elizabeth New Seitz of French Affaires for a once-in-a-lifetime insider excursion to southern France. Possibly the most beautiful and rewarding region in all of France, Provence is known for its picturesque villages, stunning countryside, flavorful cuisine, wonderful wines, colorful and fragrant gardens, superb fountains, and relaxed culture. On our itinerary: the delightful towns of  St. Rémy, Les-Baux-de-Provence, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence; gourmet Provençal meals; wine tastings; private cooking class; shopping open-air markets; art tour with Provence artist Jill Steenhuis; the gardens of Château Val Joanis, and of course, enjoying the spectacular landscape and ambiance of Provence. Our hotel, the Château des Alpilles, is located just outside the charming town of St. Rémy for that winning ‘stay-in-the-French-countryside-with-the-town-nearby’ experience. Our group size is limited to 12 for a very special and intimate travel experience. An unforgettable personal and special immersion into the best of southern France. Please click here for the full itinerary description.

“Great Gardens & Châteaux of the Loire Valley” plus Monet’s Giverny & Paris Gardens September 30 to October 6, 2012 – Join us for this spectacular trip to France featuring great châteaux and gardens of the Loire Valley. We’ll take in the beautiful architecture of châteaux such as Chenonceau known for its soaring arches over the Indre River. We also will be treated to guided visits of well-known gardens such as Villandry—notably the most magnificent and inventive garden in all of France—and lesser known private gardens not usually accessible to the public. Our stay in the Loire Valley will be made all the more special by our lovely accommodations in château hotels in the region. Other trip highlights include two days based in Paris. From there, we’ll enjoy guided visits to Monet’s gardens and manor house at Giverny in Normandy—if you’ve never seen them in the fall, they are a must at this time of year! We’ll also have a walking tour of Paris’s amazing Luxembourg Gardens in the heart of the Left Bank. Not to miss as well are Paris’s finest garden stores and garden bookstores. Our group size is limited to 12 for a very special and intimate travel experience. Don’t miss this insiders’ trip to the Loire Valley and Paris seen through fabulous French gardens, châteaux and manor houses! Please click here for the full itinerary description.

For questions about either trip or to be sent the full itinerary and registration form, please email us at info.french@frenchaffaires.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

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With all the wonderful things France offers adults, it’s easy to overlook the kid component of French society. But there are some charming aspects to the life of les enfants (children) in France that make it worth a closer look.

First, some cultural background. France takes great pride in taking care of and educating its children. The French government provides subsidized childcare for infants on up and free public school from kindergarten through high school. In addition, French children often have strict parents – sévère mothers in particular – who instill in them a sense of good manners and behavior. It is fascinating to watch French children out to dinner with adults. They eat the same gourmet food as the adults do, and more interestingly, they are taught to be fairly quiet and completely respect the adults’ dinner conversation.

But of course, there are some French parents who let their kids run amok. Last summer, I was waiting at Air France’s terminal 2F at Charles de Gaulle airport for a flight from Paris to Bordeaux. It was July 14, better known as Bastille Day, and the start of vacation for not a few families. (Note to self – stay away from CDG on July 14!) One poor French dad was traveling with his three kids under the age of eight and watched as two of them terrorized travelers waiting near them. Instead of reining them in, he actually seemed to enjoy the effects of their antics, much to the chagrin of everyone around. But thankfully, I find that kind of situation in France is the exception.

So what else would I mention on the kid front in France? Here’s a quick look at clothes, cultural activities (great for visiting kids too!) and ketchup, oui, le ketchup.

Clothes:

The French have a penchant for the classic in clothes and nowhere is this more true than in children’s fashion. Tailored coats straight out of storybooks, beautifully made Mary Jane shoes and wonderful fabrics in plaids, corduroys, wools and velvets are the rule in French boutiques such as Bonpoint, Petit Bateau and Jacadi.

Bonpoint’s Fall 2011 collection

I like Jacadi in particular as it stands for “Jacques a dit,” the French equivalent of our children’s game “Simon Says.” Here are a few recent kid fashion looks Jacadi was offering in their shop windows.

Children’s clothing stores often like to come up with themes for the season. This one decided to bring pets into play.

Culture:

After day care or school, French kids are dying for a goûter, or snack. Top choices would be a pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant) or chausson aux pommes (apple turnover) from a nearby bakery.

To run off their energy, French children then have some playtime in a park. These kids at the Parc Monceau in Paris have turned this statue into their private playground.

On the weekends in Paris, a smorgasboard of kid activities await…the marionnette puppet shows and pony rides in the Luxembourg Gardens…

…the zoo at the Jardin des Plantes in the 5 th arrondissement, the Paris Aquarium in the 16 th arrondissement, riding the manège (merry-go-round) in the Tuileries gardens or other parks followed by some barbe à Papa (cotton candy)…

…special activities at museums and local libraries, not to mention visits to magasins de jouets (toy shops) or children’s bookshops. And if kids need a pick me up from all this activity, an ice cream cone from Bac à glaces in the Rue du Bac is a great option or even a cup of the legendary hot chocolate from Angelina in the Rue de Rivoli.

Ketchup:

But speaking of sweets, the French are starting to worry about childhood obesity. The French media reported in October significant changes in French school cafeterias, or cantines. Since French children are thought to be losing good eating habits and getting heavier as a result, the French government decreed that more healthy menus would be required in schools. In addition, condiments like salt, ketchup and mayonnaise would no longer be freely available. If French children do have a hankering for ketchup outside of school, however, they can still have it at home or at McDo (pronounced mac-doh in French) which is their short way of saying “McDonald’s.”

Of course, the American media recently picked up this story and have taken the French school ‘ketchup ban’ to be anti-American. You can view the ABC Nightline news clip called “Au Revoir, Ketchup” by clicking here (note there is a short advertisement before the video begins). At least the French did not try to fool themselves on the childhood health issue by calling ketchup a ‘vegetable’ as has happened in the U.S.!

In any case the next time you are in France, take a moment to appreciate the cultural charm of the kid contingent in France—their cute clothes, their good manners, their lovely French accents. Or take your children to France and indulge in some French cultural activities for young people. It’s a wonderful way to see French culture afresh.

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In France, the holidays, or la période des fêtes, are about family, friends and especially feasting. This applies to le Reveillon (New Year’s Eve) in particular. It is common to spend several hours enjoying un dîner de reveillon (New Year’s Eve dinner) complete with oysters, smoked salmon, chestnuts, truffles, mushrooms,foie gras, duck, and all manner of other French delicacies. (Click here for a previous posting on French holiday tastes.)  

A beautiful French table set for “le dîner de reveillon”

Our recent French Cookbook Club gathering got a wonderful preview of French holiday dishes as we celebrated Paula Wolfert’s The Cooking of Southwest France: Recipes from France’s Magnificent Rustic Cuisine. If you haven’t spent time with southwestern French cooking, it’s all about the foods that appear en masse on the French holiday dining table—seafood, foie gras, mushrooms, game birds, beef and more. While our entire multi-course meal was worth making again, a real holiday stand-out was the “Chestnut and Mushroom Soup with Walnuts” – merci, Betty! You’ll want to make it just as the recipe says with French cêpes / Italian porcini mushrooms all the way to the finishing of a touch of a bit of walnut oil and a splash of lemon juice. This dish transports you to France—immediately!

Of course, no dîner de reveillon would be complete without toasts and good wishes for le Nouvel An (the New Year). The most basic is “Bonne année!” (pronounced buh nah-nay), i.e. “Happy New Year!” Or one can get more elaborate with the following: “Que cette nouvelle année vous apporte bonheur, santé et réussite,” meaning “May this new year bring you happiness, health and success.” Quite nice, don’t you think?

If you were in Paris for New Year’s, you could follow your dinner and toasts by going out on the town. You could join the crowds thronging the Champs-Elysées. Or you could head to the Eiffel Tower to watch the fireworks going off at midnight. Or you could watch the French President Nicolas Sarkozy on television sending his meilleurs voeux 2012 (best wishes for 2012) to the citizens of France.

On the subject of French New Year’s wishes, it is interesting to note that the French typically send New Year’s cards rather than Christmas cards to their loved ones. Greetings for the New Year in this format are often a little more formal. Here are a few examples as only the French can do them:

Meilleurs voeux pour 2012! (Best wishes for 2012!)

Nous vous souhaitons une très bonne année 2012! (We wish you a very happy 2012!)

Paix, amour, joie, prospérité, santé, bonheur… Que cette nouvelle année soit exceptionnelle! (Peace, love, joy, prosperity, health, happiness…May this New Year be exceptional!)

And then there is this lovely New Year’s wish I received from a good French friend last year:

Que cette nouvelle année déborde de bonheur, de paix et de prosperité. (May this New Year overflow with happiness, peace and prosperity.)

On that note, I’d like to wish you a wonderful 2012 full of all good things—and mais oui, full of things French!

Bonne année à toutes et à tous!

(Happy New Year to all!)

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If you love Paris but don’t live there, have you ever just wanted to take it home with you? Bundle the whole thing up, put it in your suitcase and pull it out when you need a ‘Paris fix’? What if you could “buy Paris”?

I like to believe that anything is possible when it comes to France so it got me thinking about various ways to purchase the French capital. Of course, one can always buy an apartment there but that is a WHOLE other project. There are more reasonable items whose style just shouts Paris such as a beautiful scarf from Pétrusse or a gorgeous art book from the Louvre or a luscious box of almond macarons from Ladurée or Pierre Hermé. Then there are small trinkets you can pick up around town that say Paris—literally.

 Les cartes postales (postcards)…

Les caleçons (boxers)…

The Eiffel Tower seems to be the quintessential visual image of Paris and for good reason. So a small version for your desk or even a porte-clés (key ring) might be nice. Then you can drive around with Paris in your car.

You can also buy an artist’s view of the city. This vendor regularly offers her wares along the Rue de Rivoli on the Right Bank. She is on board with the Tour Eiffel motif for sure.

I think chocolate versions of Paris are nice—only they don’t last as long. Miam (yum, in French)! Chapon and Debauve & Gallais on the Left Bank each have their versions. 

Or maybe a bread version of the Eiffel Tower is more your speed.

There is always the light-up version of the Eiffel Tower. Our Paris trip group picked up a few of these last week. Perfect for holiday decorating.

But they have a hard time competing with the real thing at night, n’est-ce pas?

Don’t forget the French folks at the Paris airport duty free venues. They are the ones who have elevated buying Paris to an art form. If you need some cognac in an Eiffel Tower glass bottle, they’ve got it.

Or I like this current holiday offering of chocolates in an glass Eiffel Tower keepsake complete with Santa hat on top. Maybe one year at Christmastime, the City of Paris should put a faux Santa hat on top of the real Eiffel Tower. Can’t you picture that? But I’m thinking that wouldn’t mesh with the ‘sophisticated Paris’ image near and dear to its residents. Tant pis (too bad)!

So with all these ideas in mind–and with a budget of 100 euros (as long as the euro currency lasts!), what would YOU do to “buy Paris”? Send in your thoughts in the comment section of this post. There is no end to creativity when it comes to putting Paris on sale or to buying it.

French Take-Out – La France à emporter

If all this Paris paraphernalia makes you want to rush out and buy something, you can find some kitschy Paris items at Target.com under “Eiffel”. Eiffel Tower centerpieces, posters, wall clocks, pendants—it’s almost like being at a souvenir stand in Paris. Almost.

Just know, though, that if you do a search on their web site for “Paris,” you’ll mostly get items for “Paris Hilton.” Hélas (alas), signs of the times. Bon Paris shopping!

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The first French words I remember learning were la fleur. “The flower.” Our Montessori school teacher held up flashcards with colorful images and instructed us to repeat the French names after her. I was five years old and with those few phrases in our kindergarten curriculum, something French in me must have clicked.

After a sprinkling of Spanish in elementary school, I started taking French in earnest in sixth grade and never stopped. Monsieur Ross taught us the building blocks of the French language in seventh and eighth grades. In high school, Mademoiselle Steensen reinforced grammar with the command, “Scamper to the blackboard, Mademoiselle Nouvelle, and conjugate your French verbs!” (My maiden name was “New” so I earned the name Mademoiselle Nouvelle or Nouveau depending on my teacher’s mood.) She had an eagle eye for mistakes so you definitely had to keep up on les verbes.

We graduated from French verbs to French literature by the end of my high school years. And then I continued my French language adventure in college, really taking the plunge by spending my sophomore spring in Aix-en-Provence. I still remember our vivacious and energetic Provence culture professor who kept us spellbound for hours with tales and legends of southern France–all in French, of course.

By this time, I was hooked on the language and the culture of la belle France, and it was only a matter of time before I ended up in graduate school getting a doctorate in the subject, going to the Sorbonne in Paris and finally becoming a professor of French myself. Even though I now do a variety of ‘French things’ in addition to teaching the language, I still love to work with people to help them learn their “first French words” and more.

A propos, I am often asked what advice I would have for making learning French easier and not so intimidating. Here are a few astuces (tips) for saving time, learning more quickly and sounding more French fast:

• Have a positive attitude. Learning French IS possible.
• Decide why you want to learn the language. Do you want to get around better on an upcoming trip to France? Or do you think French is poetic and you’ve “always wanted to learn it”? Or??? Once you identify your motivation, you can choose a French course or program that really meets your needs.
• Learn the language “in chunks.” In other words, don’t try to overanalyze and figure out what every little word or syllable is doing in the French sentence. That can come later if you spend more time in the language. At the beginning, it’s fatiguing and prevents one from communicating–which is the point of language in the first place.
• Find a part of the language that really motivates you and start from there. If you adore French food and cooking, then build your communication skills and vocabulary around this topic. Maybe your love is gardens, or art, or history, or Paris. Whatever it is, make that your French language learning focus. You’ll be more motivated and much more successful.
• Recognize that the French value good pronunciation more than good grammar or good vocabulary. It pays to make an effort to shed that American accent and “sound more French.” So be sure to take a French course that includes pronunciation as part of its curriculum. Or take a very focused French pronunciation or phonetics class at some point in your language journey.

Speaking of journeys, a final thought is that learning another language and another culture is always a process. It doesn’t happen overnight (too bad!), and I am not sure it’s ever possible to say one has “arrived” as a language is wonderfully rich and the kaleidoscope of a culture is always changing. But with a little focus and effort, anyone can learn some French…and have a wonderful cultural experience along the way.

Paris fleurs…

French Take-Out ~ La France à emporter

The next round of French Affaires’ language classes will begin in January of 2012. If you have been thinking about learning your first French words or want to exercise your French conversation skills, then check out our upcoming offerings. We’ll also have our special “Travel French” class to make your next visit to France easy and rewarding. For more details, click here or click on the course titles below:

- Beginning French

- French Conversation

- Travel French

Courses coming later in Spring 2012 include: “Intro to French Conversation” and “French Pronunciation Clinic.” And there are always our ongoing cultural events designed to bring a bit of France to the U.S.!

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There is plenty to love about ‘expected Paris’ - numerous world-class museums, beautiful squares, exquisite palaces, Notre Dame cathedral, majestic parks and gardens, grand boulevards, boat rides on the Seine, outdoor markets, music, theatre, restaurants of every flavor, the list goes on. Guidebooks are full of what makes the French capital the most visited city in the world.

But what about the Paris that pops up when you least expect it? The things that no guidebook can capture? This is the Paris that merits keeping your eyes open–and expecting the unexpected. Part of the fun is that you never know what you’ll get. For instance, I came upon this top-notch jazz player entertaining the crowds on a weekend walk from the Right Bank to the Left Bank… 

Another weekend, this Parisian massage school was giving away free neck rubs to passersby in the shadow of Notre Dame…

Or what about the sudden dusting of snow that turns into Paris into a winter fairyland?

There is also the unexpected presence of ‘love-locks’ on many bridges across the Seine, fulfilling Paris’s image as the city of love. (If you haven’t come across this phenomenon, amorous couples attach small padlocks to these public edifices as a token of their love. Every so often, the city comes along during the night and clips them off…and then they just start coming back again!)

I think my favorite unexpected Paris moment of recent memory happened during fashion week a couple of years ago. I was crossing the Champs-Elysées  and came upon a big buzz of people intent on something. What I found was that Paris Vogue magazine had mounted a retrospective of 80 of its best covers along the sidewalks of the Champs-Elysées to celebrate its nearly 90 years of French fashion and style.

It was amazing to wander amongst decades of French style moments captured so intensely on these magazine covers. And then to watch people interacting with this sidewalk art was pretty incredible too.

This unexpected Paris experience lasted a month and was the must-see event of the fall. (For more on this open-air fashion extravaganza, click here.) If you missed seeing it in person, check out the gorgeous coffee-table book Paris Vogue Covers: 1920-2009 which came out last year and was inspired by the exhibition.

If you are in Paris this fall and happen to wander by the northeast side of the Luxembourg gardens (i.e. near the Pantheon), then you will be treated to another wonderful ‘unexpected Paris’ moment. The French Senate who govens from the Luxembourg palace in the gardens – what a great work environment, n’est-ce pas? – is sponsoring a fabulous photography exhibition of nature images from France and its overseas territories.

Entitled “Coeurs de Nature en France,” the show consists of 80 extra large images of French natural wonders posted on the iron fences of the gardens. Image exhibitions on the Luxembourg garden fences have been going on for several years now. Organizers discovered that the well-trafficked sidewalks of this Left Bank locale were an art space par excellence. And in-the-know Parisians pride themselves on keeping track of the latest Luxembourg gardens show topic.

This current exhibition is free and runs until January 15, 2012. Be sure to see it if you are in Paris this fall or winter. You can also stop by any Paris newspaper kiosque to pick up the commemorative edition of Terre sauvage magazine featuring the “Coeurs de nature en France” exhibition. 

NOTE:  These outdoor Luxembourg garden exhibitions are separate from the Musée du Luxembourg art exhibitions. The Luxembourg Museum is a small, jewelbox art institution housed in a wing of the Luxembourg palace. The upcoming exhibition “Cézanne et Paris” opens October 12 and runs through February 26, 2012.

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The French do a lot of things well. A few things that immediately come to mind are art, architecture, literature, fashion, the Paris Métro, technology (yes, technology), wine, and of course, food and cuisine. I would also throw in the French art de vivre, in other words, their style of living. In general, they work to live rather than live to work, and they take time for life in the midst of life.

By the same token, there are some things the French don’t do so well. Examples include habitual cutting in line, the notorious less-than-friendly Parisian (thankfully a disappearing breed!), innovation-numbing bureaucracy, terrible hair highlights, and politicians living like monarchs.

But back to French genius. There is an even more mundane item I would add to the French ‘do well’ list: school supplies. You can see the French talent for organization in all its glory during la rentrée (back to school time) in the fall. The same gene that endowed the French with a spectacular eye for symmetry and order in architecture shows up in the tools students use to étudier (study) and apprendre (learn). Enter any papeterie (stationery store) or the school supplies rayon (department or aisle) in Monoprix (the French equivalent of Target) or department store Galeries Lafayette and you will experience un régal (a fabulous treat) of the organizing kind.

Cahiers (notebooks), agendas (calendars), blocs-notes (notepads), chemises (folders), and classeurs (binders) of every size and shape line the shelves. Many notebooks and pads take on a mathematical air as the French prefer graph paper to lined paper. As I wander theFrench notebook aisles, I am on the verge of dreaming up projects to organize just so I have a reason to stock up on the French paper goodies.

And then I spy the signature sturdy orange covers of the Rhodia brand of pads. The high-quality paper goods have been a French icon for more than 75 years. In fact, Rhodia’s motto is “Orange & black since 1934″. And true to France’s mania for ‘designer collections’ in all things–clothes, shoes, pastries, chocolates, macarons–Rhodia offers its collection of fabulous paper products and more.

Every time I am in France, I stock up on the simple yet oh-so-useful Rhodia pads. I like the small ones that fit in the palm of my hand for grocery and to-do lists. The medium-sized ones are handy to keep in my purse for meeting notes or the spur-of-the-moment brainstorming ideas. And I adore the large ones (close to our 8 ½” by 11″ size) for major projects. Did I mention they are made of graph paper?

I made a major find in the Rhodia section of Galeries Lafayette in Nice in 2008. Not only did they have a smorgasbord of pads, they also carried bound notebooks with elastic closures. And they even came in black. My favorite travel journals are of medium size to fit in my purse, black so they look new despite the wear and tear of travel, and thick enough to handle my musings on the highlights and lowlights of multiple days on the road. But at 14 euros apiece (nearly $25 each), only two of the fantastic Rhodia black journals went home with me on that shopping excursion. 

Next time you are in France, be sure to pick up some Rhodia products–the selection there is quite extensive. But note that French people love Rhodia too so there’s often a run on the classic ‘orange et noir’ around back-to-school time in September.

French Take-Out ~ La France à emporter

Fortunately for Americans, Rhodia now distributes its products in a variety of stores across the U.S. You can visit the web site for a list of retailers who carry Rhodia paper items. Click here to visit the official Rhodia U.S. web site.

Main article originally published October 15, 2008 at www.frenchaffaires.com.

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Shopping in France has its obvious pleasures. Creative window displays are a perpetual source of eye candy. Beautiful goods tempt in small boutiques and in les grands magasins (department stores). And when a French shopkeeper learns you truly appreciate his wares, he will bend over backwards to be helpful and informative whether or not you purchase a thing.

But there is an additional aspect to shopping in la belle France that is often overlooked–the gift wrap. The French can work a special magic with wonderful papers, ribbons, boxes and bags. I am so enamored of this part of life in France that I often request un paquet cadeau (a gift wrap) for my own purchases just for the pure bliss of opening the packaged “works of art” later.

Les pâtisseries et les chocolateries (pastry and chocolate shops) in particular devote considerable artistic talent to their gift wrap offerings and even to their regular packaging. One of my favorites is Ladurée, the legendary pastry shop that has been in business since 1862. Their ribbons and boxes are a sort of ‘pastel heaven’ of sherbet-esque pinks and greens. After polishing off a small coffret of their famous macarons (almond macaroons) or a ballotin of chocolats, I use the delightful boxes to sort things on my desk or in drawers, making the packaging pleasure last that much longer.

How does the French gift wrap process work? In my experience, gift wrapping in France is always free for both expensive and inexpensive items. And even if there is a line of ten customers in a shop, the salesperson will not consider your sale complete until all your gifts are wrapped. But here’s the catch: You do have to ask for it–the salesperson cannot read your mind.

There are two common ways to ask for a gift wrap. You can say: “C’est pour offrir” (say poohr oh-freer) meaning ‘It’s to give as a gift.’

Or you can say in the super-polite French way: “Pourriez-vous me faire un paquet cadeau, s’il vous plaît?” (pooh-ree-ay voo meh fair uhn pah-kay kah-doh, see voo play?) which translates as ‘Would you gift wrap this for me please?’

If remembering this much French poses a challenge, you could communicate your desire for a French gift package simply by saying “paquet cadeau” (pah-kay kah-doh).

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but in France, I would say you can do pretty well with exteriors of the gift package kind. So keep the gift vocab handy, and try it next time you’re there. Bon shopping et bon gifting! 

French Take-Out ~ La France à emporter™

Ladurée has a great web site where you can check out virtually their shops, pastries, chocolates, books, home and beauty accessories, and more. There is even a page dedicated for ordering gifts and gift cards, which are known as “les bons cadeaux.”

You can also send a Ladurée-inspired postcard to your Francophile friends. Click here for an array of choices.

So far, Ladurée has shops in France, Switzerland, Monaco, London, Japan and several other countries. And the bonnes nouvelles for the U.S. is that a Ladurée boutique is opening THIS MONTH in New York City. Mark your calendar for August 27 at 1pm when the French macaron headquarters opens its first American doors at 864 Madison Avenue.

Main article originally published September 2, 2009 on www.frenchaffaires.com.

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I am motivated to write this week’s post for a couple of reasons. First, this week’s New York Times Magazine ran a short article on “Where to Get the World’s Best Service” which recapped the results of an informal survey on tipping practices related to quality of service. It turns out that veteran international travelers ranked service very highly in countries where tipping is not customary such as Japan and Thailand and also in countries where substantial tips are the norm such as in the U.S. and Canada.

Unsurprisingly, countries that fall in between on the tipping spectrum such as France, Italy and Spain, rated fairly low on service satisfaction. (For what it’s worth, Russia came in dead last on service.) I think confusion on French tipping customs likely contributes to this dissatisfaction in France, as do lingering stereotypes–and some real examples–of rude French waiters, but that’s another story.

In addition, it is prime travel season at the moment, and I have received a lot of good questions recently on how and when to tip in France. So, here are some suggestions for handling tips in a variety of situations on your next French trip:

Meals: In French cafés and restaurants, a 15% tip is already included by law. Menus will indicate this by saying “Service compris” somewhere on them. As such, you are not required to leave anything more. However, you can leave a little extra change as a gesture of good will for good service, particularly for a waiter who has gone out of his way to make your meal memorable.

So how much is a “little extra”? For a cup of coffee at a café for 3.5 euros, then you can leave 20 to 30 centimes on the table. For a 75 euro restaurant meal, I would leave 3 to 4 euros for the waiter. The rule of thumb is to leave between 5 and 10% in cash (there’s not usually a place on the credit card receipt for tips) if service has been good. For bad service, one doesn’t need to leave anything at all—period.

And then you might get a waiter to tries to get another 15 to 20% tip out of you. Not long ago, I took a group to a well-known Paris restaurant for lunch and as I paid the bill, the waiter tried to indicate that tips weren’t included  in the addition (bill). I challenged him on this—in French—and he backed down somewhat. Of course, we did not leave anything extra since his behavior was in such bad taste. When I later told this story to some French friends, they were appalled and agreed this was pas normal (not normal). So it definitely helps to know the tipping rules in France!

Taxis: No need to overtip on taxi rides in France. An extra 1 to 2 euros on your fare whether large or small is fine. If you are going to or from the airport, tipping 5% or so is a good gesture. If you have luggage, be sure to tip an additional euro per suitcase.

Hotel Porters: If your hotel has porters to carry your luggage to your room, 1 euro per bag is customary. If you have especially large or bulky luggage, then 2 euros per bulky bag would be well received. For bringing a lovely tray with your morning petit déjeuner (breakfast) to your room, then 1 to 2 euros is nice, especially if they remember to bring along your prefrred morning newspaper as well.

Hotel Housekeeping: You can leave 1 to 2 euros per day for your housekeeper. I tend to leave the amount appropriate for my length of stay with the front desk and let them distribute it to right personnel. You never know if you leave 20 euros on the last day of your stay whether the housekeeper that day has taken care of your room during your entire visit or not.

Hotel Concierge: For a couple of basic restaurant reservations, your hotel concierge should help you without expecting anything in return. However, if your concierge has obtained hard-to-get restaurant reservations, opera tickets, or the like, then a tip of 10 to 20 euros depending on the effort would be appropriate. I have a friend who stays in high end hotels in Paris and gives the concierge 100 euros on the first day of his stay. Accordingly, the concierge helps take care of whatever my friend needs during his week in Paris!

Coat Check: You can tip 1 euro per coat in upscale restaurants that have a person dedicated to checking coats. In more casual establishments where the waiter or owner hangs up your coat, no need to give out a separate tip.

Tour Guides: If you go on a public walking tour in Paris, you can tip your guide 1 to 2 euros for a job well done. For private guided tours, my recommendation is to tip up to 5% on top of the tour fee as I find that private tour prices are already pretty well padded before tips.

While tipping protocols are always subjective, the basic guidelines above should give you a good feel for how tips happen in France for both natives and visitors alike. And it helps to remember that you will come across all types on your French travels so be sure to evaluate each situation on its own. Bon voyage!

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