Navigating the French

“Simple” might be the last word you’d think of to describe French cakes, and yet in contrast to all of those ornate patisseries, French home bakes are indeed surprisingly plain, frugal, and, yes, simple. Here to explore how and why is Aleksandra Crapanzano, a James Beard Award–winning writer and dessert columnist for The Wall Street Journal for over a decade. She’s also the author of a book that g...

If the self-help section of Barnes and Noble is to be believed, French women parent better, dress better, have sex better, cook better, lose weight better… and all with no effort at all! It's a mindset that has given Anglo-American readers almost impossible ideals to live up to, but it also has negative repercussions on teen girls growing up in an environment where it’s not cool to try… or even to...

When people call Paris the City of Light, it evokes images of a rose-tinted city illuminated by beautiful street lamps. But this "Light" is actually of a philosophical nature, as researcher Knox Peden is here to explain. In our conversation on lumière, he delves into the tenets of this philosophy and how it still resonates in French culture centuries later. The cultural history of ideas omnibus (H...

Faire son cinéma is to live in a dream world; arrête ton cinéma means stop being a drama queen. Manon Kerjean is the co-founder of Lost in Frenchlation, a program that screens French films with English subtitles in arthouse cinemas in Paris. She’s here not only to share these idioms with Emily, but also to discuss how essential cinéma is to French culture – and to foreign perceptions of France. Jo...

The word retraite has two apt translations: retirement and retreat. And while the French predilection for both is portrayed in somewhat outsized fashion in the international news media, it’s an apt word to discuss these days, in the wake of retirement reforms pushed through by a largely absent chief executive, President Macron. Here to get to the bottom of this issue is Chris O’Brien, the American...

French idioms often use body parts to evoke emotion. Feeling things dans les tripes means feeling them at your core; having le spleen is a way of evoking malaise. A crise de foie – a liver crisis – is another term for indigestion, and having mal aux reins or “painful kidneys” means you have backache. That the French are so familiar with their bodies may be one reason that they’re also so comfortab...

France is far more than just Paris; indeed, 45 percent of the country is still agricultural. And the French countryside, despite our provincial fantasies, is not trapped in the past. To debunk the clichés and stereotypes – and shed light on the reality – Emily is joined by Forest Collins, the cocktail expert behind 52 Martinis and a part-time resident of the countryside le Perche, to delve into a...

One pervasive stereotype positions the French as having many lovers, but this is far from the whole story. To explore the complex relationship between French culture and sex, Emily is joined by Edith de Belleville, a lawyer turned tour guide who is delving deep into the 17th and 18th century and the origins of this week's word: libertine. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1667831984/ref=tmm_pap_swatc...

If you believe the news, you may think that the French are constantly on strike. But the reality is a lot more nuanced, as Emma Pearson, editor of the Local, is here to explain the significance of the word grève as it pertains to the French character and the very fabric of social life here. That this episode’s recording was pushed back twice due to strikes is… well, probably par for the course. ht...

Molly Wilkinson is an American expat who’s living the dream teaching folks how to perfect the art of French desserts. It’s no surprise, then, that she’s here to chat with Emily about everything from cooking school to bakeries to the patron saint of pastry on this episode delving into the word pâtisserie. https://www.mollyjwilk.com/bienvenue-im-molly/ https://www.instagram.com/mollyjwilk/?hl=en Joi...

Many French language learners first encounter the false friend étranger by way of Albert Camus' seminal work, but its translation is rife with complexity. Is étranger best translated as "stranger?" "Outsider?" "Foreigner?" The answer is murky – but Dr. Antonia Wimbush, a researcher working on a project delving into French Caribbean migration in literature, is joining Emily to try to get to the roo...

The English words warranty and guarantee both come from the French garantie, but French has a word English doesn't: garant. To explore what this word means, Emily is joined by fellow PUR host Gail Boisclair. Her work as a property manager in Paris will help us shine a light on how the necessity of a garant reflects an innate French trust in people over data... and a bit of a tendency to resist cha...

Nature can mean natural, or one's nature, or even "plain," but when it comes to wine, it means way more. Here to explore the ins and outs of natural wine, including its reception among older French people and why it's never marketed as a healthier option in France is Aaron Ayscough, author of "The World of Natural Wine." https://www.instagram.com/aaronayscough/?hl=en https://www.amazon.fr/dp/15796...

In 2010, the French gastronomic meal was protected as a part of UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage – and the food was only part of the package. To discuss some of the other elements so entwined in this bastion of Frenchness is Camille Drozdz, the product designer and ceramicist behind Ici l'Atelier and a co-host of TERRE/MER terroir-based retreats in the South of France. She’s here to discuss a...

The French Resistance holds a very solid spot in the romanticized view of French history, whether you're in the U.S. or, indeed, in France. But this period of time is far from anchored wholly in the past. To unpack the history of the Résistance – the way the story is told and the way it's used to mobilize modern politics – Emily is joined by historian and journalist Diane de Vignemont. https://twi...

Bouchon means cork but also traffic jam, in French. But neither is the meaning that Emily is discussing on this episode with Lucy Vanel, a culinary instructor based in Lyon. She's opening our eyes to a unique restaurant local to Lyon known for a specific set of dishes – and emblematic of a very Lyonnais humor. https://www.plumlyon.com/ https://www.instagram.com/lucy_vanel/?hl=en Join us on Patreon...

If the word souvenir evokes a plastic Eiffel Tower trinket, this episode is about to blow your mind. In French, souvenir is not just a noun but a verb, evoking the very act of memory. Emily is welcoming author Ellen Hampton back to the podcast to discuss the differences between personal and collective memory – specifically in the context of World War II – and exploring how the Resistance gained tr...

Some cognates have wholly different meanings in French and in English, but others differ merely in their connotation. To explore one flagrant difference is Kathryn English, a researcher and linguist at Université de Paris II, Panthéon-Assas. She's here to discuss a word that has strikingly positive connotations in English... and strikingly negative ones in French: individualisme. http://web.mit.ed...

Make 'em laugh? Not necessarily! In France, comédie retains some of its Ancient Greek meaning – and doesn't necessarily include any jokes. To explore why this is – as well as how that infamous French bureaucracy protects actors – we're welcoming Paris Underground Radio producer and founder Jennifer Geraghty. https://www.parisundergroundradio.com/jenniferfoxgeraghty https://www.jennyphoria.com http...

Head to a French school and suggest a game of chess, and you may have a bunch of nervous kids before you! Echecs is indeed the word used for chess, but it's also a word linked to failure – and one that's bandied about far more in the French school system than elsewhere. Here to discuss the dogmatic rigidity of the system that has unfortunately led to widespread failure among French students is Pet...

In France, non doesn't necessarily mean no. BBC journalist Sylvia Sabes joins Emily this week to explore the ways in which the French use non, not as outright refusal, but as a bargaining tool, means of analysis, and even flirtation ritual. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20190804-why-the-french-love-to-say-no Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/parisundergroundradio Find Us Online Website: https:/...

The media talk far too much about how the French manage to eat rich food without gaining weight or incurring health woes. The reality is that for the most part, they don't frame their dining around guilt at all! To explore how the French do perceive of their "guilty pleasures" is Alex Partridge, a French instructor and content creator based in Paris. He’s here to discuss a phrase that directly tra...

Outsiders looking in are wont to wax poetic about the French lunch hour as an emblem of the French work ethic, but la pause déj actually got its start for reasons of hygiene. To explore the ins and outs of what makes the French lunch hour so special, Emily is joined by historian Martin Bruegel, author of Food History: A Feast of the Senses in Europe. Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/parisundergroun...

While often translated as "back to school," la rentrée encompasses far more than pens and paper and new outfits. Here to unpack why la rentrée is exciting even to those French in no way connected to the school system is Anna Polonyi, a writer and teacher based in Nantes.  https://annapolonyi.org/ Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/parisundergroundradio Find Us Online Website: https://www.parisundergr...

Students of French are certainly not strangers to faux amis – those false cognates that look like one thing and mean another. This week, Emily is joined by Zeva Bellel, a career and personal leadership coach based in Paris, to explore the ins and outs of one of the most misleading false friends: profiter. This word is linked not to economics, but rather to the intrinsic – and rapidly evolving – re...