Photo courtesy of Alexandra Jakstas

Not all Francophiles have to be seasoned with authentic Herbes de Provence and hardened in battle with French grammar. Take our Francophile quiz below and find out if you are enamored with Gallic ways !

Do you avoid fat-free and gluten-free products, but rarely refuse a glass of fine wine? 

When your opinion is challenged in a conversation, do you tend to get argumentative?

Do you lean towards the philosophical teachings of Zadig & Voltaire about as much as those of Voltaire?  

Do you believe that all children should be instructed in the fine art of rhetoric ?  

Do you consider a trip to the supermarket to be a proper occasion for exhibiting your impeccable sense of fashion?

Would you be willing  to sit through a three-hour lunch ?

Are you familiar with one of the following TV shows: French Village   Spirals,  Returned  , Versailles  ,Forgotten Girls , Bureau of Sexist Affairs , Kaboul Kitchen , Resistance ,Spin, Antigone 34 , Elite Squad , Dead Beautiful or Reborn?

If you’ve answered in the affirmative to many of these questions, it’s our pleasure to tell you that you are vraiment Francophile! A great number of readers fell  under the spell of mellifluous language, without ever achieving desired fluency. Some Francophiles were seduced by the promise of artistic fulfillment, without ever setting a foot in Paris. The Library invites all our Francophile patrons to develop a habit of taking home random promising titles from our extensive circulating  collection. In addition to the tiles on French history and culture,  Mid-Manhattan's  World Languages Collection contains a great number of books and films in French. This post will discuss a number of recent titles on the history, culture and cuisine of France. 

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History buffs often suffer from the notion that they missed all the fun in life due to a grave misfortune of being born at the wrong  time and place. Reading  When Paris sizzled: the 1920s Paris of Hemingway , Chanel , Cocteau, Cole Porter , Josephine Baker, and their friends will do little to disabuse any ardent Francophile from a belief that Paris in 1920's was the most exciting place and time be alive. Until time travel is invented, immersing yourself in this book is the next best thing to being alive during those tantalizing and irreverent years. Sizzling with intellectual effervescence, the period between Armistice and Wall Street Crash of 1929  is known as Les Années Folles . By 1923 the Lost Generation of American expatiates residing in Paris amounted to thirty thousand. Josephine Baker,  Earnest Hemingway, Cole Porter and Gertrude Stein were among them. Mary McAuliffe  paints the lives of creative and glamorous visionaries of that era against a broad historical and economic panorama of that decade. Le Corbusier , Kiki, Stravinsky, Diaghilev , Picasso , Ravel and Coco Chanel are among the cult figures that fundamentally redefined art, fashion and architecture. Apart from listing the objective achievements of our cultural icons, this author ensures that everyone's amorous pursuits and amusing exploits are duly preserved for the posterity. Her authority on this historical  period is not limited to the encyclopedic knowledge of the artistic milieu .While Charles De Galle and Georges Clemenceau mingled with creative elites , leaders of automobile industry, Renault and Citroen , were engaged in intense business rivalry. 

Almost a hundred years after Les Années Folles 85 million tourists visit France every year. If you are planning a trip to the most popular destination in the entire world , take along  F is for France : a curious cabinet of French wonders .This pithy little volume will introduce a novice Francophile to French history and culture in alphabetically arranged bits and pieces. After reading an entry on Fashion , some readers might be surprised to find out that the word describing the fabric of our most significant contribution to the world of fashion, a ubiquitous pair of jeans, hails from a beautiful historical town of Nîmes . In addition to amusing historical anecdotes and tales of peculiar customs , this book contains a good number of practical tips. All tourist heading for France anticipate gustatory satisfaction. First-time visitors will benefit from reading  essays dedicated to Salade Nicoise, Snails, Frogs , Cheese, Garlic , Galette De Rois, Oysters, Baguette ,Champaign, Absinthe, Wine and Tart.  Beef familiarizes readers with an endless variety of French beef cuts . A chapter titled Brains explains the appeal of andouillette and fromage de tête , delicacies that many American travelers might consider a bit too bizarre to try. Did you know that 30 percent of English words are derived from French ? A fascinating chapter dedicated to the Language contains a list of French words with no single-word equivalents in English. Equally gripping  is a list of French words and phrases with no  conceptual equivalent in English. You might be able to identify a visceral reaction of L’appel du vide  and intensely guarded mon jardin prive. 

Budding Francophiles are secretly intimidated by a rumor that French are inhospitable to tourists. If you intend on reading  only one book prior to your visit to France, make it a The Bonjour effect : the secret codes of French conversation revealed. With a publication of this volume by Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoît Nadeau  combat against cultural myopia is as informative ,as it is entertaining. 

French-speaking couple from Canada, Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoît Nadeau, experienced perplexing French cultural codes while residing in Paris. Julie quickly understood that if you don't greet , you don't exist. Rules of proper conduct indicate that prior to addressing a bus operators, supermarket employee, sales representative ,neighbors, parents on the public playground ,or anyone else you wish to converse with , you must acknowledge their presence. Fail to utter that Bonjour , and you will be immediately perceived as mal élevé , a French equivalent of someone who was raised in a barn.  

Authors of this book offer readers a number of astute observations on the key concepts that shape French national psyche. Their discussion of widespread cultural phobia of faute is particularly insightful. Faute is roughly equivalent to a combination of "responsibility", "wrongdoing "and "blameworthiness".  French faute of any sort, including that of now knowing an answer to a question at work, is commonly associated with oversight and irresponsibility. Even a hint of accusation implies personal responsibility and a threat of humiliation, ridicule and loss of current position in a social hierarchy. Authors of Bonjour Effect believe that such widespread aversion to faute naturally results in commonly observed French unwillingness to admit responsibility for any errors or misjudgments. 

Explanations of possible root causes of such obligatory perfectionism are scattered throughout several chapters of this excellent book. An chapter titled Know-It-Alls  reveals French educational system's focus on history, literature and art. Upon enrolling their daughters into a public school in Paris, authors learned that all young children are graded on eloquence and cohesiveness of their public speeches. School's emphasis on rhetoric and philosophy results in a widespread habit of discussing complex issues in an intelligent manner. As a consequence of such comprehensive and competitive educational system many conversations in France resemble a formal debate. During a dinner party in Paris authors witnessed a number of conversations between couples. While discussing  the latest film or current election, both spouses openly debated fine points till the conclusion of an evening. American couples that publicly disagree on issues would be advised to visit a marriage counselor. French couples public arguments display their undying commitment to each other's intellectual development and personal growth. Hopeless romantics should take notice and adjust their expectations accordingly. 

In a chapter titled Finding the Yes in Non Julie Barlow and Jean-Benoît Nadeau highlights additional cultural differences in communication styles. An initial denial of a request ,or a refusal to agree with your point of view , might simply mean that a person is wishing to engage you in a conversation. Authors seem to emphasize the fact that all communication in France presupposes willing to participate in a prolonged verbal combat . A clear winner in an ensuing  battle of the wits must display impressive breath of general knowledge ,superior mastery of language  and esprit. Esprit  is form of high-spirited wit , commonly reserved for public sphere. To better understand the concept of esprit , readers can watch  Ridicule , Molière, or any other French comedy available at Mid-Manhattan library.

After reading about the rigors of French educational system in The Bonjour effect: the secret codes of French conversation revealed Franchophiles might feel an urgent need to refresh their knowledge of modern French History.  France : a modern history from the Revolution to the war with terror by Jonathan Fenby is a perfect volume for the task. A recent Gallup Poll found French to be amount the most depressed people on earth. As a foreign correspondent, Jonathan Fenby is particularly sensitive to a country's current political mood. His latest book on France traces historical roots of current national crisis of security and confidence to the country's unresolved conflict between it's progressive image and a conservative reality behind many of it's institutions and policies. According to Jonathan Fenby France has been an "unfinished republic" since the days of French Revolution .Despite the facts that Bastille Day is the nation's most popular holiday and  La Marseillaise is the country's  national anthem , not all of it's citizens condone revolutionary spirit of rebellion. While discussing  French Revolution of 1789 , author states that "Modern totalitarian terrorist state had been born in a terrible perversion of the ideal of perfectibility of mankind ".  A number of eminent thinkers find the very notion  of "perfectibility of humankind" to be utterly incoherent. As described in this book and countless other volumes , French Revolution is an  example  of practical consequences that always  follow grandiose utopian experiments. Jonathan Fenby's is willing  to confront unpleasant historical facts . In a time when "impresonal" style of narrative and popular history is becoming  increasingly fashionable , this author's ability to pass a  stern and sober judgment on the key political figures is very refreshing. This is what he has to say about an infamous French leader "Impassive and mediocre , prejudiced and without ideas of his own, subject to influence of the last person he had spoken to ."

 

To denote the significance of French food in the history of human achievement, UNESCO , an organization with headquarters in Paris, placed French Gastronomic Meal on the List of  Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity . Readers that dream of achieving culinary perfection and impeccable presentation befitting a proper gastronomic meal, must reach for Escoffier Ritz, Paris : 100 step-by-step recipes from the Ritz Paris Culinary School. August Escoffier , known as the "king of chefs and chef of kings'', loaned  his name to the famed Parisian culinary institution of Ecole Ritz Escolfier . Every single page of this exquisitely designed cookbook oozes polished sophistication and savoir-faire. Readers with a  friend that frequents Ritz and graciously invites them to share a gourmet meal at her tastefully decorated brownstone, should consider this volume to be a perfect gift. Just don't judge this book by it's cover, as it contains clear instructions , complete list of ingredients in both metric systems , and pictures  of every single dish.  

 French Comfort Food contains a great number of bucolic landscapes, but fails to provide a picture for most of it's dishes. It's redeemed by very comforting regional recipes . Elegant  Knitting Needle Spirals with Pistou, Apple Brandy Cream Sauce with Normandy Pork Chop and Rillettes De Saumon are easy to prepare Roasted Chicken with Orange and Black Olives is bursting with regional flavors of Provence .Penultimate French comfort food, Onion Soup, is correctly prepared with Gruyere . Anyone with a French press  and an appreciation of rich and complex flavor of Calvados  will find an excellent recipe for an apre-dinner drink. 

 

Franchophiles that wish to indulge in rich and satysfying meals and fit into that  bon chic bon genre  outfit from Galerie Lafayette , should pay attention to  a cookbook written by Dr. Jean-Michelle Cohen .The publication of  Light French recipes : a Parisian diet cookbook / Dr. Jean-Michel Cohen, France's foremost nutrition expert ; photography by Bernard Radvaner ; photo styling by Géraldine Sauvage  might solve a major dilemma for those Francophiles that are torn between their ardent  passion for French cuisine and their enthusiastic admiration of French fashion. Along with a recipe for low- fat rillettes and a sensible recommendation to simply limit yourself to a small portion of this delicacy, this book contains numerous light versions of traditional French dishes . A recipe for Coq Au Vin  appears rather parched and fails to specify how exactly a chicken should be browned. Still, any health-conscious cookbook that recommends Breton pastry , potato and ham salad from Piedmont, cassoulet and foie gras, should get an instant stamp of approval from a health-conscious Francophile. 

 

A lifelong Francophile, David McAnich finally lived his dream of settling in France for an extended holiday. Recently published  Duck season : eating , drinking and other misadventures in Gascony-France's last best place  contains an account of his delicious months in Gers, a region of France where ducks outnumber people by the ratio of twenty to one. Inhabitants of Gascogne  are deeply attached to a habit of having long and relaxing meals. A typical meal in Gers will include duck rillettes, duck sausage , duck skin cracklings, Armagnac-flambeed duck tenderloins, skewed duck hearts with chanterelles , duck carpaccio, duck-confit Shepard's pie and foie gras.The most essential and indispensable ingredient from that region is known as the "balm for the wounds of the soul". The  use of that magic ingredient ,duck fat, is becoming increasingly common in this country. In addition to consuming every part of the duck, Gascons drink wine, Armagnac , eat cheese, and rarely skip desert. Despite such lack of dietary restrictions, Gers has twice the national average of residents over the age of ninety. Author's passion for cooking regional specialties led him to a peculiar and very exclusive cooking club . After amusing misadventures and number of gargantuan meals David McAnnich achieved a noticeable  improvement in cooking techniques.  While browsing  through his list of  mouthwatering  recipes and learning about warm welcome the author and his family received from eccentric inhabitants of Gers , it is very tempting to  place a trip Gascogne on a personal  bucket list. 

Readers that wonder how French women stay slim among the  constant temptation of rillettes and baguettes , will not find an answers to that question in How to be Parisian wherever you are : love, style, and bad habits / Anne Berest, Audrey Diwan, Sophie Mas, Caroline De Maigret .Written by a model , film producer and two writers, this volume is saturated with famed Parisian savoir-faire. Far from perfect , Parisienne is a perfect example of someone who is "bien dans sa peau ", confident and at ease with herself. The overall advice of this book is focused on carefully cultivated unpredictability, self-assertive mischief in dating, well-groomed au naturel look  and tireless dedication to a luxurious simplify of style.  Readers can decide if authors preemptive admission of snobbery invalidates possible charges of smug affectation, excessive artifice and lack of sincerity in personal relations.  

Other recent titles that should be on your Francophile's Reading List: