The customer is not always right...

Bonjour tout le monde,
I read an article the other day in which the writer is having a heated conversation about a type of cheese that he wants to use in his fondue.  The cheese monger is telling him that he can't sell the writer the cheese that he wants because it is just too good to use in the fondue.  He will sell it only when the writer signs a document saying that he will not use the cheese in the fondue.
Most of us will probably think that is really crazy.  Why does the cheese guy even care about how the cheese that he is selling is used?  He's not going to be there..
But the French seem to really care about things like that.  They will tell you that they can't sell you this cheese because it's too good for the fondue, or perhaps they will not let you order two scoops of vanilla ice cream on a hot day.  Why not?  " There are other flavors, why not try one of those with your vanilla scoop?"  If you don't already know, the vanilla girl was me in 2006 at the Café of Le Grand Intercontinental Hotel at the Opéra.  His passionate argument caught me off guard, because who really tells you what kind of ice cream you can have?  The nerve!
But, I thought about it for a second, and ordered a scoop of strawberry to go with my glace à la vanille; I have to admit, it was a great combination.
Waiters seem to love lecturing me, probably because I speck French so well.  Michael and I were in Rouen with my student group.  Normally on those trips there isn't a whole lot of time for lunch and we were in a pretty nice place.  I had the best lamb tangine; Michael some sort of fish.  But time was of the essence, so when the waiter came over to ask if we wanted coffee, I said that we were under a time constraint, so could we just have the check.  He brought it, but as he put it on the table, our waiter said "Voilà, mais la prochaine fois, il faut avoir assez de temps pour un déjeuner comme il faut. (here's your check, but the next time you must have enough time for a proper lunch).

The fondue story can be found here:  https://www.thelocal.fr/20171220/fonduegate-why-the-customer-is-never-right-in-france

How about you?  Have you ever found out that the customer is not always right? What are your stories with French servers, shop assistants, or store keepers? 
Answer in the comments below - please limit them to your experience in a francophone country...

My scoops of vanilla and strawberry - very fancy!

a waiter in the traditional uniform of vest, white shirt, and white apron

The true Thanksgiving story (according to Art Buchwald)

Bonjout tout le monde,
Thanksgiving is this Thursday, and there is a lot for me to be thankful for.  I'm excited and thankful that there will be four generations around the table, and that I have wonderful friends, family and friends who are also family.
However, if you were wondering about the first Thanksgiving, my favorite explanation was given by the late Art Buchwald, first printed in 2005.  Reading it always makes me laugh out loud, so I am sharing it with you.  I hope that you find it amusing and informational, too. 

Le Grande Thanksgiving
By Art Buchwald
Thursday, November 24, 2005 

This confidential column was leaked to me by a high government official in the Plymouth colony on the condition that I not reveal his name.
One of our most important holidays is Thanksgiving Day, known in France as le Jour de Merci Donnant .
Le Jour de Merci Donnant was first started by a group of Pilgrims ( Pelerins ) who fled from l'Angleterre before the McCarran Act to found a colony in the New World ( le Nouveau Monde ) where they could shoot Indians ( les Peaux-Rouges ) and eat turkey ( dinde ) to their hearts' content.
They landed at a place called Plymouth (now a famous voiture Americaine ) in a wooden sailing ship called the Mayflower (or Fleur de Mai ) in 1620. But while the Pelerins were killing the dindes, the Peaux-Rouges were killing the Pelerins, and there were several hard winters ahead for both of them. The only way the Peaux-Rouges helped the Pelerins was when they taught them to grow corn ( mais ). The reason they did this was because they liked corn with their Pelerins.
In 1623, after another harsh year, the Pelerins' crops were so good that they decided to have a celebration and give thanks because more mais was raised by the Pelerins than Pelerins were killed by Peaux-Rouges.
Every year on the Jour de Merci Donnant, parents tell their children an amusing story about the first celebration.
It concerns a brave capitaine named Miles Standish (known in France as Kilometres Deboutish) and a young, shy lieutenant named Jean Alden. Both of them were in love with a flower of Plymouth called Priscilla Mullens (no translation). The vieux capitaine said to the jeune lieutenant :
"Go to the damsel Priscilla ( allez tres vite chez Priscilla), the loveliest maiden of Plymouth ( la plus jolie demoiselle de Plymouth). Say that a blunt old captain, a man not of words but of action ( un vieux Fanfan la Tulipe ), offers his hand and his heart, the hand and heart of a soldier. Not in these words, you know, but this, in short, is my meaning.
"I am a maker of war ( je suis un fabricant de la guerre ) and not a maker of phrases. You, bred as a scholar ( vous, qui tes pain comme un tudiant ), can say it in elegant language, such as you read in your books of the pleadings and wooings of lovers, such as you think best adapted to win the heart of the maiden."
Although Jean was fit to be tied ( convenable tre emballe ), friendship prevailed over love and he went to his duty. But instead of using elegant language, he blurted out his mission. Priscilla was muted with amazement and sorrow ( rendue muette par l'tonnement et las tristesse ).
At length she exclaimed, interrupting the ominous silence: "If the great captain of Plymouth is so very eager to wed me, why does he not come himself and take the trouble to woo me?" ( Ou est-il, le vieuxKilometres? Pourquoi ne vient-il pas aupres de moi pour tenter sa chance ?)
Jean said that Kilometres Deboutish was very busy and didn't have time for those things. He staggered on, telling what a wonderful husband Kilometres would make. Finally Priscilla arched her eyebrows and said in a tremulous voice, "Why don't you speak for yourself, Jean?" ( Chacun a son gout. )
And so, on the fourth Thursday in November, American families sit down at a large table brimming with tasty dishes and, for the only time during the year, eat better than the French do.
No one can deny that le Jour de Merci Donnant is a grande fte and no matter how well fed American families are, they never forget to give thanks to Kilometres Deboutish, who made this great day possible.
2005Tribune Media Services

African Americans in Paris

Bonjour tout le monde
While at the Père Lachaise cemetery with my daughter in 1995, we stumbled across the ashes of Richard Wright, who died while living in Paris.  As an African-American French teacher, I knew and had studied about some of the African-Americans who sought a better life outside the United States. I have even written a blog post about Josephine Baker, who left the States and its Jim Crow laws to live more freely in France.
These days, African-Americans and those who are interested in Blacks who lived as ex-pats in France can take the Walking the Spirit, Black ParisTours offered by Ricki Stevenson.  The tour visits places in Paris that were and are important to African-Americans then and now.  Although I have not yet taken a tour, many of my friends and travel clients have - they are most enthusiastic about their experiences.
A documentary was created in 2016 which talks about the experiences of many famous African-Americans who lived in Paris; many for a long time, others for just a little while.  Paris Noir: African Americans in the City of Light directed by Joanne Burke, was shown recently at the National Museum of Women in the Arts as part of the March on Washington Film Festival.  It is all explained in a great article highligted on  theundefeated.com, which is better known for its sports commentary.  It is a great article that I recommend to everyone.  Next time you go to Paris, take the tour, I know that I will!

to read the article in its entirety https://theundefeated.com/features/paris-noir-african-americans-in-the-city-of-light-documentary-march-on-washington-film-festival/

for more information on Walking the Spirit tours: http://www.walkthespirit.com/

the March on Washington film festival: http://marchonwashingtonfilmfestival.org

Les habits culturelles françaises - French cultural habits

Bonjour tout le monde,
It has been awhile since I have posted, and for that I apologize.  I have all sorts of excuses, but none are really good; although this isn't a job, I do need to write more!
A friend of mine sent me a link to a little article asking the question "What is a cultural habit in France that took you a long time to get used to?"  Many of the responses had to do with getting used to French kisses.  You know -  in the US you see folks doing the "mwah, mwah" and kissing the air near the cheek of the other person.
In France, that would be sort of insulting...you must make cheek contact.  It is not something that took me a long time to get used to; my family is huggy, so contact is not unwanted.  The main thing is knowing how many kisses to give - 2, 3, 4?  I usually give the two, then hang out a couple of milliseconds to see if the other person is coming back for kiss #3.  (Oh, and in France, one usually goes to the right first, but in Italy, you go to the left.) When you are at a party, you have to say goodbye to everyone, which means that you often have to start your goodbyes well before actually walking out the door.  And for me, in the evening, men have that late afternoon stubble, so my cheeks get a scrub, too!
The biggest conundrum for me is whether to kiss or to shake hands.  Then I went to a birthday party for someone who was a friend of my friend; I didn't know anyone, but they knew my friend; that made us friends.  I stuck out my hand as I said "Bonjour"; and they just leaned in for the kisses.  After two attempts of shaking hands, it was kisses all around.
The second main thing that folks took time to get used to was saying "Bonjour" when greeting everyone, including shopkeepers.  I needed some time to realize that Bonjour is said all the time, even when entering elevators! No other conversation is really needed then, but it is essential to recognize others.
Here is the link to the actual article, with many thanks to Kathy Christie.
https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-cultural-habit-in-France-that-took-you-a-long-time-to-get-used-to
What cultural habit took you a while to get used to?  Respond in the comments.

Veuve Clicquot - audacious and intelligent!

Bonjour tout le monde
I love champagne.  I love the teeny tiny bubbles that flow up from the bottom of the flute, which is the signal that I am drinking the good stuff.  Big "bulle de crapaud" bubbles often signal that the wine is more cheaply created.
Good champagne is made using secondary fermentation in the bottle.  That secondary fermentation happens when yeast is introduced to the bottle, the reaction of it to the still wine, besides creating the bubbles, leaves a sediment behind.  This used to stick to the sides of the bottle, making the champagne cloudy.
But the champagne that we buy is not cloudy; thanks to a woman from the 18th century, Madame Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Clicquot.  She is also known as Veuve Clicquot, which should sound quite familiar to champagne enthusiasts.  She was a woman who was definitely ahead of her time and who invented the process of riddling, which concentrates the sediment left behind during bottle fermentation in the neck of the bottle so that it can be expelled, leaving behind beautiful, bubbly and clear champagne.

Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin literally married the boy next door.  Her father was a very successful textile industrialist, which afforded Barbe-Nicole a nice, comfortable bourgeois childhood.  At this time, the Clicquot family also dealt mainly in textiles and what wine they made was an afterthought. The fathers decided to marry their children to each other to consolidate their fortunes.  The marriage lasted six years, until François died suddenly. 4
During their short marriage, Barbe-Nicole had become interested in the wine making part of the Clicquot industry.  After the death of François, la Veuve Clicquot was given permission by her father in law to continue this venture.
About this time, Barbe-Nicole was determined to improve the cloudy look of the champagne that they were selling.  She cut holes in her kitchen table to accommodate bottles, which were placed in the holes by the neck; that allowed all the sediment to settle behind the stopper.  After some improvements, the riddling process was born.  It is still used to this day, either manually or currently by machine.

Riddling in action

la Veuve Clicquot was also a master in marketing, selling champagne to the Russians - where it became the official champagne of Tsar Alexander I and its royal court.  By the time of her death in 1866, champagne of the Maison Clicquot was known and popular throughout the world.
Madame Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin Cliquot, la Veuve Clicquot, was an amazing woman.  In her day, women went from their family home to their husband's home; they had children, took care of the family, and didn't have many rights.  It is rumored that la Veuve Clicquot had many lovers after the death of her husband she never remarried; doing that would have handed the reins of her empire over to her new husband.  In a letter to one of her grandchildren, Barbe-Nicole wrote, “The world is in perpetual motion, and we must invent the things of tomorrow. One must go before others, be determined and exacting, and let your intelligence direct your life. Act with audacity.”  Yes, we should. After that next glass of Veuve Clicquot.

Madame Barbe-Nicole  Ponsardin Clicquot and granddaughter

To read more about this audacious woman:

http://www.winepros.org/wine101/vincyc-riddling.htm
https://www.veuveclicquot.com/en-us/our-house/madame-clicquot
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-widow-who-created-the-champagne-industry-180947570/

Celebrating Women's History Month - Josephine Baker

Bonjour tout le monde!
It is Women's History Month, so let's celebrate women in French history who also affected those outside of France.
"I wasn't really naked.  I simply didn't have any clothes on."
Josephine Baker, is an African-American woman from St. Louis, MO, who went on to become an international star and a French spy.
Freda Josephine McDonald was born in St. Louis, MO. on 3 June, 1906.  In those days, black babies were born at home with midwives in attendance; Josephine was born in a hospital that serviced the white population, which has led to some speculation as to who her biological father was.  However, Josephines' mother, Carrie Mc Donald claims that Josephine's father was Eddie Carson, a vaudeville drummer.

Josephine grew up working cleaning the houses and babysitting for white families in St Louis.  Her first marriage came when she was 13 and lasted less than a year.  Josephine's second marriage was to Willie Baker when she was just 15. Her vaudeville career was just taking off, and although she divorced Willie in 1925, Josephine kept that name and used it throughout her career.
When she got to Paris, Josephine opened in La Revue Negre at the tender age of 19 years.  Here she developed her infamous "danse sauvage" in which she appeared in a skirt made of artificial bananas (and not much else) and became an instant success.
Josephine soon became the most successful American entertainer working in France.  She traveled with exotic animals, and was popular wherever she went.
Except the United States.  Still in the grip of racism and Jim Crow, Josephine's performances were panned because they couldn't grasp the idea of a Negro woman with class and sophistication.  When she returned to France, Josephine married Jean Lion, became a French citizen, renouncing her American citizenship.

When World War II broke out, Josephine Baker was recruited by the French Resistance as an honorable correspondent.  She used her position as a famous entertainer to attend parties and collect information and other vital data about German and Italian troop positions.  When she traveled to North Africa, ostensibly for her health, Josephine took important information over borders hidden in her sheet music and often pinned in her underwear. After the war, Josephine was honored by the French government, receiving the Croix de Guerre, and the Rosette de Resistance. Charles de Gaulle made her Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur because of her work for the free French.

Josephine was never able to have children of her own, having suffered several miscarriages.  All told, she adopted 12 children from all over the world, calling them her "Rainbow Tribe".  At this time, Josephine was living at her chateau Milandes in the Dordogne region.



Later in her life, Josephine was active in the American Civil Rights movement and spoke at the March on Washington in 1963 with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Often beset with financial troubles, Josephine Baker lost her chateau, She continued to perform on stage at the Olympia in Paris, Carnegie Hall in New York, and the Palladium in London.  She died on April 12, 1975 from a cerebral hemorrhage, and is buried in the Cimitiere de Monaco, in Monaco.

In a world where women of color were relegated to being housekeepers and babysitters; when entertainers of color had to enter through the back door and refused service in the venues where they performed, Josephine Baker blazed a path that took her from the streets of St. Louis to the heights of popularity.

For more information about this legend:
http://www.cmgww.com/stars/baker/about/biography.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Baker
http://www.milandes.com/gb/

It's Mardi Gras , Part Deux

Bonjour tout le monde!
The first  part of this post is from 2013, with an update from today.

I know, I know...we are now into Lent, and I am just talking about Mardi Gras.  I have sort of an excuse this year because Mardi Gras and my husband's birthday were on the same day this year.  Do you know about Mardi Gras?  It is the last day before Ash Wednesday, which starts the 40 days of Lent and what most people think of as the Easter season.  It was early this year, because Easter will fall on Sunday, March 31. (if you are interested in why Easter is never on the same date, see here)  There are many celebrations of Mardi Gras, or Shrove Tuesday, but the main reason is that Lent is starting the next day, and historically, this was the time to get rid of the eggs, milk, flour and fat that one gives up for Lent.  So, pancakes are popular, as well as meat (hence Fat Tuesday) and generally all the good stuff.  Besides New Orleans and Mobile, AL, there are famous Mardi Gras celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Nice, France; and Venice, Italy.  At many parties, there is a cake that has a token inside.  This token can be a bean (fève) or even a small plastic baby.  When I had parties at school, the plastic baby Jesus was very popular.  I ended up with several, however I only used one at a time in a cake!
So, I hope that you had a great Mardi Gras, wearing green, gold and purple beads and having a wonderful time.
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Update:
Mardi Gras 2017 is tomorrow.  The party has been going on in New Orleans, also fueled by the NBA All-Star weekend just a couple of weeks ago.
Although New Orleans has the most well known Mardi Gras celebration in the US, Mobile, Alabama also lays claim to having the first celebration of Mardi Gras in the Americas. But historians often point to March 3, 1699, when French explorers Iberville and Bieville landed at a point near the future site of New Orleans, dubbed it Point du Mardi Gras, and promptly had a party.
Mardi Gras celebrations include parades, balls, socials, and eating.  As previously stated, the day before Ash Wednesday is the one in which folks partied like crazy and ate lots of fatty things to get rid of the eggs, millk, yeast before the stark days of Lent.
There will be no King's cake for us this year, mostly because I was distracted and couldn't remember the exact date of Mardi Gras.  But you can be sure that we will "laissez les bons temps rouler" here at chez Jones.
How are you celebrating Mardi Gras?  Let us know!

To find out more about King's Cakes, click here (remember to smash your piece before consuming, just in case you're the winner of the plastic baby Jesus!)

Mardi Gras in Mobile, AL