Sacré Blue! Is that ketchup on the moustache of Astérix??

Par Toutatis! McDonalds’ latest publicity campaign - in an aim to signal the chain's eco-friendly attitude, shows Astérix, the world-famous comic-strip star and legendary defender of all things French, eating in a McDonalds restaurant! Ca alors! The presence - and let's be honest, the popularity of McDo in France is already an anathema to me, but Astérix? Is nothing sacred anymore?

We know why the French eat snails -- because they don't like fast food, of course! And having the golden arches scattered all over the beautiful French countryside is an eyesore which makes the blood boil at the best of times. But we also know that times change and eating habits too, and like the frog in the bucket of water with the slowly raising temperature, we are all guilty of calmly conforming and adjusting to those changing times. But --- Astérix? Digging into a Big Mac and fries with his merry band of lovable Gauls and with poor old Assurancetourix - as usual- cruelly gagged and bound to a tree outside -- THAT is no laughing matter!

Apparently the idea was dreamed up by Marketing Consultants BETC EuroRSCG and is part of a publicity campaign which also features ads using scenes featuring Cinderella and the serial killer from Scream. So, the question out there is what next? If this sacred comic strip loved and enjoyed and treasured by children and adults all over the world for the last 50 years,(The series first appeared in French in the magazine Pilote on 29 October 1959 and was written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo. Uderzo also took over the job of writing the series after the death of Goscinny in 1977.)can eat where no puritan gourmet would dare to even look at the menu, then are we also going to see Tintin's Milou doing an ad for dog food, many outraged Blue supporters are asking.

In a word then, could it be that one of the most redoubtable of all French national heroes, the indomitable defender of Gauls, who resists oppression thanks to his magic potions and irresistible humour, has finally dropped his guard and been beaten by a Big Mac and a Coke? Has he abandoned his beer and wild boar? Should this iconic symbol of France be used to commercialize American hamburgers? After valiantly resisting the Romans for so long, have the Americans have overcome his resistance to all things un-Gaulish?

I think not! Did we worry when Astérix went to England and drank tea? Quel horreur! Did we get concerned when Astérix went to Belgium and gorged himself on moules frites? #@!!! No! We did not because we knew this valiant little Gaul will, in the end, conquer all and come out the other side saying something like "Ils sont tous bêtes et je suis leur chef, ha ha ha!"

A few months ago, McDonalds started opening 10 prototype restaurants across America -- whose goals were to be to reduce energy and waste. The plan is apparently to eventually have these practices in all McDonalds restaurants . For instance, the Chicago restaurant is reported to use 25% less energy than your average McDonald's location and their tabletops are made of recycled milk jugs...

KeenforGreen.com reports that in 2005 McDonald's was listed as an approved business at Ceres -- a network that works to promote corporate sustainability. This was based on their energy efficiency, food resource sustainability, and "'greening' its supply chain. In an aim to become more acceptable to the McDo sceptics, McDonalds has worked with the Environmental Defence Fund for almost 20 years now. In the process they claim to have gotten rid of the Styrofoam sandwich containers, switched to unbleached bags, began using recycled materials for items like booster seats in their restaurants, and more. But, in spite of all of this, McDonalds doesn't always have a great past track record when it came to the environment. In 2006, Greenpeace accused McDonalds (and other fast food restaurants) of destroying the rainforest by feeding their chickens soy-based animal feed derived from soybeans grown in the Amazon Basin of Brazil. Since then, McDonalds has worked together with Greenpeace and agreed to stop selling chicken fed on that soy.
However, last year, when they began serving sweet tea, it came in a Styrofoam cup. What's up with that, Mickey D's? You stopped serving the Big Macs in Styrofoam a long time ago!

Even in Europe, McDonalds "golden arches" against a red background are getting a makeover. The first McDonalds to "go green" (green being the colour chosen because it evokes respect..)were the one that are newly built, including a €1.4 million "flagship" restaurant in the Munich airport, and around the corner from Chateau Lalinde, there is a new 'green' McDo next to the new Bergerac Carrefour. The McCafe coffee bars, with their sleek leather-look seating, warm niche lighting and free WiFi, are a modern departure from the restaurant's old Formica tabletops, molded-plastic chairs and fluorescent lights.

There is no doubt that McDonalds has begun to make efforts to go green, but are their intentions truly altruistic or is this just green-washing? There's been a lot of debate over this on the green blogs over the past few years. At most it is to help their negative image, but at the same time, if their locations are really using 25% less energy and they're making tables out of recycled materials, is that anywhere near enough? McDonalds still does have a VERY long way to go before they can be called a truly green company. If more companies made small strides towards eco-friendliness, even if it's just to receive good publicity, it's something that will help the environment in even a small way.

Now the (lack of) nutritional value in their food? That's another story... I think I am with Astérix and Obélix all the way -- I shall be staying with a good hind quarter of a wild boar and some good mead...

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A French Phrase for the Day

I often refer to language on this blog. As a South African expat living abroad, I am probably more conscious of the importance of language than most of my local neighbours.

A while back I commented on the film "Entre les Murs" -- or, as you might know it under its English title "The Class".

In this article, I made this comment: In one scene there is a discussion about the meaning of the word 'honte' -- 'shame'. Each child had a different understanding of the word, depending on his or her background, religion, customs, frame of reference. The teacher -- their language teacher, tried to explain the meaning of the word and soon discovers that the real meaning does not feature in these children's lives -- their individual interpretations have completely changed the word.
This use of words and language and grammar to demonstrate and illustrate one sociological aspect after the other was brilliant. The lack of communication between generations, social strata, backgrounds is illustrated in the subtext, but it illustrates so much more -- not just the lack or difficulty of communication -- also the struggle of a fourteen year old to establish self esteem and self worth and the struggle of a caring teacher to help that process but being confined by a system of norms and mores and customs. The adults who are all well educated teachers do not understand each other but talk past each other -- how would they ever understand the uneducated youngsters who are all from a background completely alien to theirs.

I said 'As a South African' - so why should I be more aware of the importance of language in understanding my neighbours? Well, South Africa is a country where there are eleven official languages (they are Afrikaans, English, IsiNdebele, IsiXhosa, IsiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, SiSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga), and we are very aware of how ones language is your heimat. As JMG LeClezio said: -- la langue francaise est mon seul pays, le seul lieu ou j’habite.’ : the French language is my only country, the only place that I live. To be in foreign country, as any expat will tell you, you will always be a complete outsider -- until you have mastered the language of your adopted country.
But -- it is not enough to master the language. You also have to understand the thinking of your new neighbours. You have to understand where they come from, their culture, their history, their philosophy, and yes, their sense of humour.

Let me use my French Phrase for the Day as an example: When we say "She turned her nose up at the way the French laid their table", you would immediately get the picture, wouldn't you? 'Turning your nose up' to something is just that - putting your nose ever so slightly in the air as a sign of disapproval.

(And by the way -- they do lay their table differently as they put their cutlery 'upside-down' because the family crest or initials on the silverware is always on the 'back' side of the forks and spoon handles. We have ours the other way round because our engraving is always on the 'front' side)

But, the French do not turn up their noses to show disapproval, so, if you want to translate and say Elle lui tourna le nez vers le haut à la manière dont le francais mit la table, it would be wrong and they would probably laugh at your funny way of speaking.

The French, when they show disapproval, faire la fine bouche - they 'make thin lips'-- such a descriptive way of exactly what happens, non?



faire la fine bouche
to turn one's nose up



So, next time you criticise the French, remember: don't pull up your nose at them -- you might just end up making an ass of yourself -- tu te rends ridicule/ tu te conduis comme un idiot ou un imbecile!



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Stories of love in the story of France

Ah! the pleasures (yes! once again!) of living in a country where culture and history and heritage all form part and parcel of the daily life and love of the people!
I had a fascinating discussion with friends this morning about the role of the women behind the men who have governed this country through the ages -- more so here in France than probably anywhere else in the world -- and mention was made of a book that records just this phenomemon, called "Histoires de l'amour de l'histoire de France".

So, when I finally got back to Lalinde, the Thursday market stall holders were all in the process of packing up and leaving, and I quickly went to look for my favourite little book stall just past the boulangerie -- and there he was, the owner of the stall, busy packing books away. "Ah! et c'est lequel livre que tu cherche aujourd'hui, ma chere?" he greeted me with a big smile. (And which book is it that you are looking for today?)

I asked him if, by any any chance, he has the 'History of love in the history of France', knowing that it is an old, old book and no longer in print and the chance of hearing of a book during a conversation and then finding that book in the weekly market of my little village, are very remote - if not impossible.

The book stall owner gave me a quizzical smile, raised one eyebrow in silent respect, put up his finger -- as one does when a light bulb goes on in your head, turned around, scratched through a box at his feet, and "Voila! First Edition, 1956, I have all three volumes for you! -- and by no chance either! " Could this happen anywhere else, I would like to know!

I am now in possession of three beautiful books on yellowing paper, bright yellow covers, black and white copper etching illustrations -- the stories of Mme de Chateaubriant (mistress of Francois I) Mme de Gramont and La Belle Fosseuse - Francoise de Montmorency (two of the mistresses of Henry of Navarre), Queen Margot (she who carried the hearts of all her dead lovers with her),La marquise de Verneuil (another mistress of Henry IV), all four of Charlemagne's concubines, Saint Louis - who went on the Crusade as his honeymoon -- in order to be with the woman he loved without the interference of his mother and others -- and the man who legalised prostitution in Paris, Queen Isabeau who had the Duke of Orleans killed when he lost his prowess as a lover - and who suggested to the Duke of Bedford that he should burn Jean d'Arc at the stake -- and Madame de Maintenon, mistress of Louis XIV, La Marquise de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV, and of course, Diane de Poitiers -- who was the governess of little Henri II as a boy and then became his mistress when he took the throne (and for whom he built the beautiful Chateau de Chenonceaux in the Loire Valley)-- not an easy task when you consider that he was married to Catherine de Medici, ---- and many more fascinating stories of women who had more power behind the bed curtains than one could imagine.

And that is what is so interesting -- to track the women who stood behind the men who ruled this great country and to read about the amazing influence they played on the big and important decisions that shaped the history of France. -- What a pity then that the books stop short of the time of Napoleon Bonaparte, of Mitterand, of Chirac and ..... well, that we do not have a more up to date account of the history of love in the making of the history of France. Perhaps one day soon the fourth and fifth volumes will appear on the book shop shelves. I do hope so -- I would far rather hold another of these beautiful tomes in my hands to read about the juicy bits of history than the messy print and sordid tales of the tabloids!...

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Summer - time for sun and scandal - in the Dordogne

Félibrées, music evenings, summer meals on the Chateau Lalinde terrace, ducklings nestling into their mother's back, Godfrey the Goose adopted by swan parents, book launches, flowers in windows, art exhibitions under the stars, traditional music and dance in the streets, flower markets in the square, heritage and history, sunshine and blue skies ... once again summer in the Dordogne-Perigord is magic.
In France, everyone goes on holiday in July-August. Even the government is in recess. The result is a an abandon of music festivals, flower festivals, cultural festivals, traditional festivals -- and of course, in true French August fashion, a few political 'festivals' to add a little extra spice to events -- and to have something to print in the papers!

This year the scandal of the August Break was the Bettencourt/Woerth scandal: French President Nicolas Sarkozy had his time cut out to defend his beleaguered minister for labour and social affairs - and also the treasurer of Sarkozy's UMP party, who was accused by a former accountant of L'Oreal heiress Liliane Bettencourt of accepting an illegal contribution from Bettencourt of 150,000 euros (189,000 dollars) for Sarkozy's 2007 election campaign. To add insult to injury -- and again almost to be expected from the modern French Court machinations, Woerth was also accused of conflict of interest because his wife, Florence, worked until recently for a company that managed Bettencourt's wealth. I defending Woerth, Sarkozy cited a report by a finance ministry investigating body that cleared Woerth of having intervened in the tax affairs of Europe's richest woman, and he advised Woerth to resign from his position as treasurer of the UMP.

Every Frenchman knew that the whole scandal was stirred up to give them something to read in the papers -- and what better to read than scandals involving beautiful heiresses, butlers' gossip, government ministers, money, sex and unpaid taxes? But, every Frenchman was also aware that the whole scandal was raked up to keep their attention away from the new reforms of the pension system. Sarkozy's government seeks to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62 by 2018 - and the man in the street was not going to be happy about that. At all.
A French prosecutor conducted three separate investigations into various aspects of the scandal, including one focusing on the allegations of illegal party financing and one on tax evasion and money laundering by the Bettencourts or their advisers - while the rest of France bronzed on the beaches or walked in the mountains during the long hot summer days - and debated about the culpability or innocence of their rich and famous and of the efficacy or incompetence of their president during the long, balmy summer's evenings.

Le Chemin de St Jacques (The Camino) in Bordeaux

I have had to spend quite a bit of time in Bordeaux recently going from one appointment to another and whenever there was not a convenient tram, I walked -- ending up walking all over the city from one side to the other, and loving it. So, it was with great excitement that I noticed the bronze Camino shell in the pavements and the shell sign on the street names, and before long I was following the signs and walking the Camino all over again!
It is wonderful to know about something -- because then you recognise it when you see it. ...

- Well, that statement needs editing, doesn't it?

The official term is brand-recognition. For instance, when you have decided to buy a green car - because you know there are very few green cars on the road and want to be able to recognise and find(!) your car quickly in a large parking lot, and you are waiting for your car to arrive from the factory, you suddenly notice that every second car on the road is green! In other words, you may see an object every day but never notice it. Then, one day, someone talks about this object and you become aware of its existence. The very next time you walk past this object, you notice it immediately - as if it is the first time you have ever seen it.

Before I had walked the Camino de Santiago de Compostella and wrote a book about the experience, I had never noticed the many shell signs that are in villages, towns and cities all over Europe. Now that I have walked the 850 kilometres from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago de Compostella and followed those shells laid in pavements and roads, in walls and posts, I suddenly started noticing them everywhere -- on fence posts, on street signs in cities, on signs outside churches and buildings. They were always there, but, probably because I never realised their significance, I never registered their existence!

When next you go out your door, look out for the signs -- and let me know where you noticed them for the first time!




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Look out for the beautiful full moon tonight!

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The Gendarmerie in all shapes and sizes?? NOOOOO!! I want my heroes to be goodlooking, please!!

Height and weight rule axed for French police, was reported in the news last week.
Apparently height and weight requirements for police officers and other uniformed services have been scrapped. Until now officers in France needed to be at least 1.60m tall, not obese and have decent elocution -- and for us, on the other side, it was fabulous -- if you needed help, or needed to be saved, or needed directions, or needed to be protected, it was always going to be by a good looking, tall, strong, fit and well-spoken person -- as well it should be...

Now the new criteria for officers will be based on their skills using firearms, eye sight, their general behaviour and a medical exam. Do I care that the man in whose strong arms I am going to be carried away from the scene of the danger has good eye sight? On the contrary - I prefer that he does not notice the wrinkles! Do I care that the hero on his 1200 BMW motorbike who is coming to my rescue when I am in distress has passed his medical exam or is in need of a new filling or can shoot straight -- or knows how to behave? Of course not! In fact, I would not mind one bit if he misbehaved just a little...

Pics: Swimmers Alain Bernard et Hugues Duboscq are both gendarmes

At the moment, the gendarmerie in France have strict politically incorrect standards in their qualifications required to join the force -- and they make no secret of the fact that they are proud of how good their uniformed officers of the law look -- they are generally what could well be termed une bonheur pour les yeux(also known as eye-candy).

"Someone who can't run 1,300m will not be accepted," says a spokesman for the Ministry of Work and Civil Servants, but the relaxed rules would "open up the administration to all French without exception

.

A sad day indeed when they don't look like this anymore!:
Alain Bernard et Hugues Duboscq, the two swimmers who between them won 5 gold medals in the last Olympics and have just smashed all the records again at the European Swimming championships last week, are gendarmes. Do you agree that they should all like this??

Or these two brothers, Steeve and Christophe Guénot, and then there are many more in good looking young men in the police and security forces -- such as Boris Sanson, gold medallist in fencing (sabre) and Benjamin Darbalet, silver medallist in judo, -- and of course, not to forget the good looking women, such as bronze medallist in archery, Sophie Dodemont -- to name but a few.




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More excellent offers! Learning French the easiest, the most fun, the most efficient -- the best way

Learn French - the easy and fun way!


There is only one way to learn a new language and that is to speak it! There are so many people I know who attend French classes given by people who are either not qualified to give lessons -- and I am not talking about formal teaching qualifications, but meaning that they have no idea how to teach a language. These classes are often the choice of people who wish to learn the language simply because they are free or very cheap. No one wants to go spend a few hundred Euros on language classes when you can go spend an afternoon amongst other Anglophones and have fun and chat English and learn a few now words and bits of grammar.

A second group of French teachers in this region (and probably all over France) are the English-speaking people who feel they know enough French to be able to teach others and who see French lessons as an easy and sociable way to earn a few Euros. Again, it is cheap and easy and non-demanding -- if you are happy to always keep your strong English accent and never progress further than the very basic grammar (the present, the future and the compound past tense) and the very basic conversational French that will see you right in the hardware store but won't take you into any kind of philosophical or cultural discussion -- the kind of which the French cannot live without.

And then there are the seriously good French teachers - who do not charge a measly €10 in return for a measly and worthless lesson, but who charge the going rate for properly qualified language teachers and in return give you true value for money: You learn the language -- the grammar and the idiom and the references and the background, but you also learn about the culture, the thinking, the history, the literature, the philosophy, the passions of the French people.

It is said that to learn a new language is to gain a new soul. For the French, their language is their soul. To fully understand and speak their language is to understand and be able to inter-react with the French people. As Jean Marie Gustav Le Clezio put it so beautifully when he referred to his language as his heimat, his country; ‘…c’etait ma langue, c’est-a-dire la chair et le sang, les nerfs, la lymphe, le desir et la memoire, la colere, l’amour…’ he writes. ‘… ce que j’avias respire…la langue francaise est mon seul pays, le seul lieu ou j’habite.’ : my language is my flesh and my blood, my nerves and my lymphe, desire and momory, anger and love… that which I breathe…the French language is my only country, the only place that I live.

The Aquitaine Langues School of Languages in Bergerac offer excellent, value for money language courses for people at all the levels. I cannot recommend highly enough the intensive courses that you can attend at the school and there is still time to invest some time and money in one of these before the end of the summer -- the very best investment you will have made in this upside down world of ours -- and probably the only wise and profitable investment you will have made this year!

20 Sept - 1 October Beginners and intermediary I Mon-Fri 09h30-12h30 daily
4-15 October Intermediary II and advanced Mon-Fri 09h30-12h30 daily
8-19 November Beginners and intermediary I Mon-Fri 09h30-12h30 daily
22 November-3 December Intermediary II and advanced Mon-Fri 09h30-12h30 daily

Thirty hours of intensive interactive teaching, three hours per day for two weeks at only €378 all inclusive. Definitely not an offer to be sneezed at! Contact Albert Croce NOW to avoid disappointment:
Telephone: 0033 (0) 553 74 17 85
or
Email: admin@aquitainelangues.fr
At the Domaine de La Tour
769, route de Ste Alvère, 24100 Bergerac


And, if you come to the Dordogne to attend a language course at the The Aquitaine Langues School of Languages, the ideal place to stay - and continue to practise your French between classes, is of course at Chateau Lalinde!

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As summer starts drawing to a close, there are still great offers in the Dordogne to be had!

Le Cariol


There is something magical about an ancient chartreuse that has been beautifully restored and brought back to life...

Marthijn de Groot, renowned artist, came to the Dordogne three years ago, saw the old chartreuse, Le Cariol, fell in love with it and bought it. Over the three years, he has lovingly restored a ruin into a work of art -- attention to detail, exquisitely artistic touches and delicious little surprises, perfection and above all beauty -- that is what now awaits you when you arrive at Le Cariol.
But -- with Marthijn there is always more. A visit to Le Cariol now not only includes the pleasure of seeing some of his amazing body of work -- both paintings, ceramics and sculptures, but invariably there will be something else added to the experience -- a jazz evening, braziers with fires shooting fire fairies into the dark Dordogne night, a piano recital in the art studio, a luxurious sauna in the wellness spa down below, an after dinner drink in the pool pavilion under the stars.

Marthijn and his lovely Irene now offer chambres d'hotes (B&B style accommodation -- or rental of the entire house) -- five star luxury in an ancient chartreuse -- as well as tables d'hotes -- a dinner with the two of them and the current residents with the excellent cuisine of Chef Paul, three times a week.
And -- special for the last days of summer, a fabulous offer:
A week of yoga - from 10 to 17 September, under the guidance of visiting instructor, Lilian van Dam. Attendees stay at Le Cariol and the price for the week includes three delicious vegetarian and organic meals per day, refreshments, and of course use of all the wonderful facilities. The group will be a minimum of five and a maximum of 12 -- so be quick to book your place :
Contact Irene at irene@lecariol.com



____________________________________________________________________


Chateau Les Merles



Driving up the gorgeous treed lane to the Chateau les Merles (Remember? merles= blackbirds, merlot = baby blackbird!), is a little like driving into an adventure filled with delectable pleasures and enjoyment. Not only do you know that you will eat like royalty at the table of the excellent chef, Darius -- either in the more formal La Borie Blanche (White Heather) restaurant, or in the more informal bistro, that you will drink the best of the best wines of the estate of Les Merles - or any other top wine domaines in the southwest of France -- that you can indulge in a round of golf on a most beautifully kept course, you can play tennis, enjoy the last of the summer sun around the gorgeous black swimmingpool -- but you can also get all this, if you stay at the Chateau during the months of September, October and November 2010 -- i.e. during the 'Indian Summer' of the Dordogne, at a much reduced cost -- you stay three nights but only pay for two, stay seven nights for the price of five!
What an amazing offer! Make your bookings now -- before the 15th September!

Contact: Jan & José van Grinsven
Judith Wagemakers
Château les Merles
Tuilières
24520 Mouleydier
France
tél.: +33 553 63 13 42
fax: +33 553 63 13 45
E-mail: info@lesmerles.com
www.lesmerles.com


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French Phrase for the day

la boucle est bouclée
=
to come full circle

Ever since I arrived in the Dordogne, I have been telling people that the reason I believe I am so totally bien dans mon peau (feel good in my own skin = at home) here, is because I have fait un cercle plein (completed the circle);

My ancestors, who were French Huguenots, left their home in 1682, boarded a tiny ship in the harbour of La Rochelle, not far from here, and sailed for South Africa. I, last in line of the last male descendant of the youngest of the three brothers de Villiers that left on that fine day in 1682, have now come back chez moi (home).


Only, every time I have made the remark, no one has corrected me and given me the correct French idiomatic expression for faire un cercle plein/complet -- to come the full circle.

Now I know -- la boucle est bouclée -- so, I suppose that means I can say that again -- finally the circle is indeed complete -- la boucle est bouclée!



Speaking of which, peu importe (no matter) the language -- coming the full circle is a law of nature...



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