They will have dusted off their languishing literary aspirations and gone to « La Comedie » in Montpellier. This literary gathering may even create a perceptible lull in the day time trade of some of the local Anglophone pubs.

Let’s face it, most Anglophones came in Montpellier to escape real work and then either to own a vineyard or write a book.  Ok, that is exaggeration but I venture that if you grill a resident Anglophone for long enough, many will admit to having had at least some vague dreams of writing a best-seller between naps in the South of France.

The highest hopes an Anglophone writer had of having an impact before this event was having a school or library in a down market part of the city named for them many years after their death. Yes, Montpellier city planners figured Virginia Woolf or James Joyce schools and the Shakespeare library in Petit Bard and Mosson would make relevant role models for the area youths who might aspire to one day become great English writers from another century.

According to its site, the « Comedie du livre » is the 2^nd biggest literary salon in France.  It is at upper end of what is going on in the world of book promotion at the moment.  You may not be aware but there is a widespread current trend for authors to promote their works through their own web sites, blogs and book trailers on the internet.  Some are funny and clever but many more are quite trashy but then again so are just as many books and writers.

The « Comedie du livre » aims at the high brow approach to book promotion because the focus is on  discourse and interaction with established authors, critics and professors as opposed to some of the more gimmicky sales that may be found on the internet and elsewhere which many start up and would be writers are coerced into.  The writers involved in this year’s edition include David Lodge, Jon McGregor and Tim Parks.  All the events are free.  You can get the details on the following site:  www.comediedulivre.montpellier.fr, www.coeurdelivres.fr; www.us.montpellier.fr

Once you have the details you can plan your coup, be it a flash mob to promote your soon to be written masterpiece or imploring your favourite authors with the ever original “please read my manuscript”.

Just remember this quote from my favourite site: www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.com  and I think you can replace “mid twenties” with any age.

“Sadly, more books about mid-twenties white people travelling have been written than have been read.”-stuffwhitepeoplelike.com

Beer

 If beer is your preferred poison and it takes more than the mere Heineken or standard Kronenburg to satisfy your thirst then you should be delighted that there are a greater number of establishments offering a more varied selection. Until very recently there have been very few places offering more than the standard selection of industrial beers.  Even the ‘Anglo’ bars employed zero imagination when sourcing.  The only really exotic things about their drinks were the prices and having an Anglophone serve it to you in a pint glass.  Nothing wrong with liking a Guinness but there is more to a drinking life.

Now a lot of the Anglo pubs in town offer an interesting mix off bottled brews including ales, ciders and bitters.  The ‘bee hive’ and ‘The Egg’ at place (St. Roche) and the ‘Robin Hood’ (near the car park/parking lot Laissac) jump to mind as good examples.  Within the French/Belgian offer it is good to see more and more local cafés and bars diversifying their menus with things like Trappist Belgian beers and local micro brews like the Brasserie d’Oc from Mèze.  The ultimate rendez vous for beer lovers has to be ‘Les Couleurs de Bières’ opposite the entrance to ‘Stade Philippidès’.  Francis, the owner, has over 500 different varieties of beer and it is difficult to find anything  common stocked on his shelves.

You can have a beer there or take away as much as you like. Just be careful to put what you buy in a bag or box because under an oppressive new municipal law police are fining people for walking around with bottles of alcoholic drinks even if the bottle is sealed.

Wine:

It is astonishing to think that in 2002 there were no wine bars whatsoever in Montpellier.  I challenge anyone to disagree.  They are now virtually uncountable and this is as it should be in a region which produces such a quantity and variety of wine and in a city with a young sociable population with disposable income.  It is hard to miss with a wine bar here.  There are an incredible number of labels and distinct types of wine that we can call local in the Languedoc.  Heavy reds predominate with the increasingly famous Pic St. Loup and Minervois tending to be on the more suave higher end.

The majority of the Muscat production is also from this region. Rivsaltes and Frontingnan are the most well known but the Muscats of neighbouring Lunel are increasingly present on local menus.  Still in the sweet white ‘aperitif’ department many quite enjoy the lighter and less syrupy Tariquet from the South West. The natural sweet reds like Banyuls and Maurie from the Catalan coastal area around Perpignan deserve to be better known, if for nothing else than, for their wonderful “chemical marriage” with chocolate.  Indeed, any chocoholic that has not tried pairing Banyuls and their favourite dark chocolate has yet to experience the highest plane of their indulgence.  Strangely you don’t see Banyuls on the drinks menu very often but a decent wine bar will usually have some stashed away somewhere if you dare to ask.

The region does not make a lot of white wine apart from Picpoul de Pinet for shell fish (particularly raw oysters from the ‘Etang de Thau’).  That should not stop you from trying some of the regional dry dinner whites that tend to have a mineral taste.  There is a lot of Rosé here too.  They are popular on terraces during the summer heat and come in several hues from light pink to deep ruby.

The highest concentration of wine bars is around place St. Roche.  ‘Times’, ‘Mi Barrio’ and ‘Le comptoire’ have become the references in that area but several new ones have opened including ‘Red Café’ which is Occitan themed and have original, local inspired, gourmet tapas.  There has also been a recent flowering of wine bars in the Marché des flueres area including ‘Baron Rouge’ and ‘Madames et Monsieurs’.  The former of which has wines which start at the pricier end but some of the best charcuterie in town and the latter is very spacious for the city center but incredibly lethargic table service.

Also of note is the buzzing and ever popular ‘l’esprit vin’ at place chabanot and ‘l’atelier’ for the jet set just off Rue Foche.

Other:

If you really want to go native you might try some Pastis to slake your thirst in a PMU after an interminable game of petanque.  Pastis, in case you are new to the region and have not encountered it elsewhere, is a liquorice flavoured drink that one dilutes with water to give a milky white colour.  It is somewhat similar to Grappa or Reki if you might be familiar with those Mediterranean rivals.  I should add that if you order Pastis you will be forced to make a decision which will determine how other pastis users view you for the rest of your life and it is surprisingly not the amount of water you use to dilute your tipple.  ‘51’ or ‘Ricard’? you will be asked, and with that the die is cast.  What to choose I leave to you.  Another popular local tic in the poor man’s cafés is to have your demi of beer spiked with a dash of Picon which is a orange and malt flavoured liqueur made especially for giving beer a little whiff of the devil.

Real whiskey is available in shops here at a significantly reduced price from what you will find in the U.K or North America.  Oddly, the opposite is true for a glass in restaurants in bars.  For drinking out you would be better off having a Cognac or its more local cousin Armagnac. If you drink blended whiskey you probably don’t care but for what its worth I’ll tell you to be aware of ‘Clan Campbell’ which, in spite of its traditional looking label, is not sold except in France and Spain and is manufactured in an industrial outskirt of Glasgow. If you are out with friends its worth knowing a quirk of French whiskey consumption is that it is part of the pre not post dinner ritual.

I hope your thirsty now.  So go out and enjoy some of the towns liquid delights just leave the car at home and enjoy one of the sleek new tramways and try not to fall asleep before your stop.

Cheers.

Alas, my hair plugs began to fall out and my buttocks implants began to sag, so I bid farewell to those heady days and took up my interests puttering around the garden with pots of tea.  Amongst the tea consumption and leaf inspecting I still find the time to type up my idle thoughts on things about Montpellier living, wine, food, travel, language learning and more.

You can follow these ramblings on this site if you have any interest in any of the previously mentioned or check out my blog.

Brad.

Even though each culture around the world is unique, there are a few things I have noticed in my travels that are consistent throughout. First of all being laughter and a sense of humor. It may sound odd, but upon returning to the United States, everyone asked me if the sense of humor was the same in France as it was in USA. And of course it is, everyone loves to laugh. I know its one of my favorite things. I have a tendency to instantaneously cry whenever I laugh really hard.

And it was once in France, that someone once told me that that trait of mine was very endearing, which is something I will never forget. Anyways, laughter is one of those things, along with language, that enhances human connection. Another one of those things is music. Music is filled with emotion, soul, and life — just as humans are. I have a playlist of all the music I listened to and downloaded on my ipod while I was in France.

Music has a tendency to bring back memories, moments, and emotions. When I listen to some of the songs on my “Montpellier” playlist, my stomach and heart do loops. I often just stop in what I am doing when one of those songs comes on, and reflect. Time can even seem to stand still. It is so amazing to me how powerful music really is. Music comes builds motivation and support in certain situations — just as humans do.

Music, no matter when or where, is therapeutic and just feels so good to the heart and soul. Music can connect to people on all levels, especially when the spoken language is not shared throughout. This I know all too welI. I was in Mexico last week and I speak barely any Spanish, but when the music came on, everyone shared the same idea and I was able to dance with people from all over the world.  Music is in fact a language in itself.

My most recent music obsession is a new upcoming couple of young men that I am seeing in concert this Saturday! I want to share them with you because I am sure a lot of you will enjoy their style! They are so talented and their music is addicting, and has been such a hit in the USA lately!

In an attempt to be like an American you should look them up on youtube: Timeflies Tuesday, or just click the link below!

Hope you enjoy!

Xo Maria

The French American Center in partnership with EAF – Etiquette à la Française offers you the opportunity to discover and learn the French etiquette codes. All these little rules, which will help you to feel more on your ease when in restaurants, when invited and when, mixed in French society. The seminars take place in the center of Montpellier. It is offered to closed groups of minimum 6 persons or on demand for “one to one coaching” or in mini groups.

Contact us for more information franceexperience@gmail.com

After living in France and finding my obsession of French culture, I notice every time I do something stereotypical “American.” To name a few: having such an intense work ethic and crazy schedule every day (not as common in the beautiful south of France), enjoying a good long run through beautiful parts of town (the French seem to all be naturally thin, and a casual run is not something I noticed a lot of young French women doing), and third, indulging in my favorite baked goods. Even though the French have some of the most delectable and delicious sweets and chocolate in the world, the United States definitely takes pride in the size and taste of cakes and cookies, and my personal favorite, banana bread.

Banana bread, you ask?! Any time I spoke of banana bread in France, the reaction was all the same…”Le pain à la banane? Ca fait pas du sens!” Mais oui, it sure does. It is more of a cake actually, and it is delicious! The French seemed to agree because everyone who I made it for tried it, loved it and asked for the recipe. So, I figured, why not share it with the rest of you!

The recipe:

 INGREDIENTS

                3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed

                1/3 cup melted butter

                1 cup sugar

                1 egg, beaten

                1 teaspoon vanilla

                1 teaspoon baking soda

                Pinch of salt

                1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

 METHOD

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, and mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

I occasionally add some chocolate chips or nuts to cure my sweet tooth cravings! My all time favorite, however, is spreading butter on a piece of the bread right when it comes out of the oven! Yummmm!

Obviously, measurements are different in France than they are in the US, so they must be converted. My friend Stephanie and I undoubtedly went through the trouble of the conversions to make this for my host family last year on my birthday, which has now become a bizarre tradition of ours….enjoying a French movie together while snacking on banana bread!

Making this bread is one part of the American that will never abandon, even given the Francophile that I now am.

Hope you enjoy,

Maria

Participate in evening events, in daily excursions and in a choice of cultural activities such as wine tasting, museum and gallery visits, architectural tours, cookery classes and French etiquette courses. Great accommodation options available.

Contact us for more information franceexperience@gmail.com

More informations on the program : www.frenchamericancenter.com/english/ExperienceFrance.asp

]]> http://frenchamericancenter.com/blog-english/frenchexperience-montpellier/feed/ 0 http://frenchamericancenter.com/blog-english/interviewer-au-pair-programme/ http://frenchamericancenter.com/blog-english/interviewer-au-pair-programme/#comments Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:36:12 +0000 Michael http://frenchamericancenter.com/blog-english/?p=68 I have been an interviewer for the au pair in America programme since 1991 and I still feel a lot of emotion every time I see one of my new girls has been placed and will soon be leaving for her year’s adventure of a lifetime!

This programme inspires me and keeps me motivated for many reasons. The main one is that I know that my departing au pairs, as they move away from their own families and courageously agree to take on new responsibilities in a foreign country, will be facing a new challenge. I know that this challenge will help them to grow. I know that they will overcome the challenge (in most cases) and therefore become stronger and more confident as a result. I also know that they will live through an amazing human experience, which will influence them for the rest of their lives.

Moving to a new country where everything is different including the language, this is difficult, but having to immediately take responsibility for someone else’s children in this context, that is really ‘le défi’.

What makes it possible is the determination and generosity of our young au pair girls, but also the framework they will find thanks to Au Pair In America’s organization, structure and experience. The well-known warmth and welcoming, American family culture is also a great help to these girls. The shared experiences and moments with family, children and friends will leave them with lasting memories. Today many of my past au pairs have children of their own, and soon some of them will be sending their own daughters to be au pairs.

I hope that they will be in touch!

The chapters move back and forth between the voices of two maids and one white woman who stands out from the rest and is in some way an anti-heroine.  Their voices are so distinct that I found I stopped reading the names written at the beginning of each chapter. Stockett’s ability to create such distinct voices is reminiscent of Barbara Kingsolver’s style in “The poisonwood bible”. You find yourself pondering the lives of each character as if you really knew them.  You can’t help but really hear the voices of these women as she really writes as they speak (grammatical faults and all.)  You almost feel privileged to be privy to the town gossip and these women’s inner lives, worries and thoughts.

It’s a little cliché but it will make you laugh out loud, sob, gasp from sheer hatred for the way your new female ‘friends’ are being treated . These characters will haunt you as you go about your everyday life and realize just how lucky we really are now.  It wasn’t surprising to find out that Stockett was raised by a black maid to whom she was extremely close.  However, I was saddened to find out later that many people were outraged by the ‘unfair’ description of the white women in the story which makes me wonder just how far our society really has come.  She wrote (and we must not forget), a fictional story and not a work of non-fiction.  Although with such good writing, it certainly feels like one.

Highly recommended!

Written by Kathryn from The French American Center

My name is Amanda and I’ve been teaching at the French American Center for about a year now.  I love the dynamic nature of the classes and the multi-cultural events are a lot of fun!  If you’re looking for a French language partner, French courses, or just to have some fun with French people who love your language as much as you love theirs, the French American Center is the place to come!

And if you’re not in France, feel free to post your thoughts on here.  I’ll get us started with a good recipe for Pumpkin Pie (from a real pumpkin since I to my knowledge canned pumpkin don’t exist in France).  I’ve made it for the last three Thanksgivings.  Hope to hear from you soon!  Here’s the recipe!

Pumpkin Pie

1 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
3 cups cooked mashed pumpkin (for the pumpkin, just throw it in the oven cut in slices with the skin on, once a fork goes through it easily it’s ready and the pulp will slide right off the skin
1 1/2 12 ounce cans of evaporated milk (lait concentré in France)
Pie crust (if in France, the pâte brisée works the best)

Mix all the ingredients together, pour in the pie crust, and bake at 210 degrees CELCIUS for 15 minutes then lower the temp to 175 Celsius for 45-60 minutes.  Hope it turns out for you!

Amanda