La Feria Corridas—the bullfighting festival—is so firmly ingrained in the Easter traditions of the Camarague area that, in this south western area of Provence, “Feria,” which means “festival,” seems to be synonymous, this time of year, with both Easter and bullfighting. In the main bullfighting arenas—Arles and Nîmes—as well as in the many small towns that set up temporary arenas, Easter weekend marks the start of bullfighting season. We found ourselves in Aigues-Mortes one Easter weekend several years ago. And there, in one of the small, non-descript arenas temporarily assembled for La Feria, we learned about course camarguaise. Aigues-Mortes, which comes from the Occitan language…

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Do you ever wonder why you are drawn to France? If you are reading this, I suspect that France tugs at your heart strings, as it does mine. Do you know why? I trace my affection for France to my grandfather, Grampi, whose birthday we are celebrating today. Born in 1906 in Uxbridge, Ontario, he would have been 106 years old. He died in 1997 and I miss him terribly. To mark his birthday, we are drinking Old Fashioneds in his honor, followed by a dinner of lamb shanks, pilaf, green beans, and a bottle of French wine. This was one of his favorite dinners.…

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If you have traveled to France, you may believe that there are more cats there than in any other country. And if you have traveled south, you undoubtedly believe that they all reside in Provence. France is ranked 5th in the list of countries with largest number of domestic cats; but, of course, France is much smaller and less populated that the top four countries (United States, China, Russia, and Brazil). The number of domestic cats in France probably hovers right around 10 million (compared to the 76 million or so cats in American homes). However, when it comes to the subject of “expressions with…

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McDonald’s in France Photo: McDonald’s The big news out of France this week is that America’s most famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) fast food joint will start rolling out its burgers on baguettes in France come April. But, hold on to your berets before you roll your eyes and start waxing sentimental and barking sanctimonious: France is McDonald’s second largest market (of course, the U.S. is its number one market) with over 1200 restaurants in the country long recognized as the home of haute cuisine. France is the second largest market for McDonald’s  Photo: McDonald’s Burgers on baguettes—les McBaguettes—is the most…

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Befittingly, perhaps, we arrived in Philadelphia to find frigid temperatures and falling snow, just as van Gogh had found in Arles when he arrived from Paris 124 years ago on February 20th. It took van Gogh only three days before he and his easel were en plein air, painting one of two pieces aptly entitled Landscape with Snow (1888). For us, once inside the stunning exhibition of over 40 of van Gogh’s paintings, most of which were painted in the South of France, our fingers quickly thawed and our hearts were warmed. We reveled in the beauty of Van Gogh Up Close, an impressive collection of…

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 A February 1, 2012 ruling in France has left sensible people scratching their heads: Google has been ordered by a French commercial court to pay over 500,000 euros because it gives away web mapping services. Only in France! The precise ruling, according to The Economic Times, is that the Paris court found “Google guilty of abusing the dominant position of its Google Maps application and ordered it to pay a fine and damages to a French mapping company.” That mapping company, Bottin Cartographes, charges businesses for the same services. Their clients—hotel and restaurant chains, banks, automobile rental companies and retail chains such as Louis Vuitton…

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Today is the third Sunday in January, otherwise known as “The Mass for the Truffles” in Richerenches: the annual blessing, auction, and feast of the black truffle. We’ve been there, huddled among the masses in the tiny church to witness baskets of black diamonds offered up to be blessed, walked with the parade of people to the Hôtel de Ville where our successful bids put several truffles in our pockets, and relished in the glory of a lavish meal devoted to the beloved Tuber melanosporum. I wish I were there now. But, alas, I am content with the memory of that chilly January day several…

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Paris’ famous Cathedral of Notre-Dame is about to celebrate its 850th anniversary. In anticipation of this major event, and amidst some controversy, the four bells located at the top of the North Tower—christened, as is the custom for all sacred objects, Angélique-Françoise, Antoinette-Charlotte, Hyacinthe-Jeanne, and Denise-David—will soon be removed, melted down and replaced. These four bells were cast in 1856, per the request of Napoleon III who wanted them to mark the occasion of his son’s baptism, and have rung every 15 minutes since then. As part of a $3.5 million project (that will also renovate the cathedral’s vast lighting system and famous organ), the…

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As I write this week’s post, 2011 is about to roll into 2012 and I am reflecting on all the wonderful times I have had around the table this year and in years past.   Adam Gopnik’s book does this to you.  I highly recommend “The Table Comes First: Family, France, and the Meaning of Food.” I might add that I “listened” to much of the book, which I particularly enjoyed because Mr. Gopnik narrates the audio book himself.  Until you can get your hands on the book, I leave you with some of my favorite quotes from “The Table Comes First” at the end of…

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By Louis J. Salome Author of “Violence, Veils, and Bloodlines:  Reporting from War Zones.” As Christmas and Hanukah approach, many of us find ourselves madly wrapping packages to be shipped off to family and friends around the globe. Will we entrust our treasures to the oft-maligned but still remarkably reliable U.S. Postal System or to one of its chief competitors, FedEx, DHL, or United Parcel Service? After that decision, the rest is straightforward and familiar. Not so in France. Guest writer Louis J. Salome, author of “Violence, Veils, and Bloodlines: Reporting from War Zones,” describes the elaborate labyrinth he had to navigate when he went…

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