For « la Chandeleur » (Candlemas), many French homes are making crepes. Learn about the origins of this tradition. How many of these 16 facts about "la Chandeleur" / Crepes Day did you know? Test your knowledge and learn a bit of French along the way! I’ll also share with you my grandmother’s recipe for sweet crêpes – they are delicious! Vocabulary and Spelling of the French Words mentioned in this episode une crêpière = a special shallow pan to make crepes une crêperie = a restaurant where you eat crepes un ours = a bear Février = February Une chandelle, une bougie = a candle « À la … Read More →
Tu or vous ?
“When can we switch from using vous to using tu with a French person ?” is a very interesting question that I have just recently been asked twice…on the same day! So, I figured that you may also need some light on the matter. ;-) Let’s first recap in which situations people use tu or vous in the French spoken in France (other French-speaking countries/areas can have different rules and use the tu form more easily). 1. Tu or Vous : When to use them in French (France) To help you decide between tu or vous, you can check out a very informative flowchart designed by William Alexander and … Read More →
How to Play Petanque (Rules of Petanque)
Pétanque (French boules) is the 10th most popular sport in France and is also played by millions of French people for pleasure, especially during summer holidays where tournaments organised in the camping / holiday resorts are very common (I remember enrolling in some “tournois de pétanque” myself as a teenager). Last July, my husband and I spent a few weeks in France and playing pétanque again revived fond childhood memories. I eventually had a set delivered to Australia - the “boules” are so heavy it would have been a shame to take them back in our luggage as we would have lost some … Read More →
FV 010 : Pop-Up Crepes – A Delicious Growing Adventure
This episode is about authentic French crepes, made by an authentic French man, in Melbourne! I met Cedric, the owner, during the last Melbourne Paris to Provence French festival, where I got to eat a few of his truly delicious crepes. We’ll be discussing crepes making and flavours, but also languages and the issues that we sometimes face as expats, forgetting our native language sometimes! Episode Timeline [04 min 23 sec] How Cédric arrived in Melbourne [06 min 02 sec] The birth of Pop-Up Crepes [07 min 30 sec] Why pop-up? [08 min 44 sec] From a part-time to a full-time venture ? [09 … Read More →
Who wants to play French charades?
French charades: fun plays on words I would love to share some fun around French language with you, and introduce you to the game of French charades as I played it in my childhood. :-) This game is more suitable for intermediate and advanced students of French. As you know, I love words. I love languages, reading, writing, puzzles and crosswords. I love good plays on words / puns like in the Astérix album series or Raymond Devos’s sketches (read “A plus d'un Titre” – for advanced level). And charades are a form of play on words as they work with sound/phonetic associations. I run free live … Read More →
How many of these 16 facts about “la Chandeleur” / Crepes Day do you know ?
Test your knowledge and learn a bit of French along the way! AND download my free French crêpes recipe! I've got it from my grandma's! Now you have the perfect excuse to make crepes tonight :-) 1. Nowadays, « la Chandeleur » is mostly known for being Crepes Day ! 2. Because they are round and golden, crepes symbolise the sun. Around “la chandeleur” time, days are getting longer and warmer (in the Northern hemisphere!). 3. Traditionally, we try to flip the crepes in the pan by throwing them in the air, holding the pan in the right hand and a coin (a gold coin if possible) in the left … Read More →
FV 007 : Comme une Française: Fun Videos to Understand French Culture
Geraldine, founder of Comme une Francaise, releases weekly videos which are free, fun and packed with information to help you understand popular French culture and avoid embarrassing mistakes. This interview will take you through the making of Comme une Francaise’s episodes and will tell you more about this very interesting concept. Episode Timeline [04 min 07 sec] Comme Une Française, a success story [04 min 45 sec] What is Comme Une Française and who is it for ? [05 min 28 sec] How the idea came [06 min 25 sec] An example of cultural difference : bise vs hug [07 min 57 sec] The making … Read More →
French Traditions : New Year, Galette des Rois
French New Year Greetings Wishing you all an amazing year ahead!! Or, how to say it in proper French ? “Bonne année, bonne santé” (“Good year, good health”, because health really matters), or “Bonne et heureuse année" ( = “a good and joyful year”. A bit redundant in my opinion, but you never know ; it’s better to say it twice than none!). Traditionally, French people don’t say “Bonne année” before January 1st (superstition wise, it’s bad), but we have all of January –i.e until January 31st - to give our wishes/greetings, so there’s no rush. You can just say it to your friends the … Read More →
FV 005 : Choukette – A Traditional French Patisserie in Melbourne
This is a mouth-watering interview with Nans, a young and talented chef patissier in Melbourne, Australia. His pastries are very traditional: they are exactly the same ones, the same flavours and the same taste as the pastries you would find in any city or village in France… I love them! For Christmas, Nans is also making the “bûche de Noël”, THE traditional French Christmas dessert. Episode Timeline [04 min 22 sec] Nans’s experience and background [06 min 45 sec] About Choukette’s staff [07 min 15 sec] A French library in Choukette! [08 min 00 sec] Choukette’s specialties [08 min 56 … Read More →
A Year in the Merde
Don't get me wrong: the year that's almost over has been a great year! I had two weddings, went on two honeymoons, enjoyed seeing my family and friends from Europe, learnt a lot, read a lot, cooked new dishes, met and worked with great people! But if you’re looking for a Christmas gift idea for a friend who loves French culture (or for yourself!), I can only recommend Stephen’s Clark “A Year in the Merde”. The novel is in English (with some French words), so it’s above all for entertainment, and it IS doing the job very well! When I read it, I burst out laugh many times – which is probably … Read More →