I'll never forget being out for dinner with my girlfriend Cécile and, upon ordering a bottle of sparkling water, the waiter asked if we preferred our water très pétillante ou un peu pétillante - meaning very sparkling or a little sparkling? It had never occurred to me to consider the sparkle factor ...
Culture and Tradition
Love, the French Way: A Subtle Approach to Valentine’s Day
When it comes to holidays, the French tend to embrace a certain je ne sais quoi—a balance of elegance and restraint that stands in contrast to the grand, often extravagant celebrations seen in the United States. Valentine’s Day (La Saint-Valentin) is no exception. While Americans might go all out ...
Decoding French Dining: A Guide to Restaurant Classification
If there's one thing I've learned about the French, it's that they have a knack for classifying everything. I vividly remember my college French professor explaining the distinctions between a café, a brasserie, a restaurant, and more. I was about to visit Paris for the first time, and French ...
Heritage Days in France
Can you imagine taking a tour of the Paris Opera costume warehouse? Or, how about a backstage tour of the Comédie-Française theater? Or, maybe you would like to visit Elysée Palace, home to the president of France.
Well, if you're in Paris on the third weekend of September, you're in luck. ...
Fifteen Years of French Style: From Paris Musings to a Thriving Blog
Exciting news! I’m celebrating 15 years of blogging this month. I launched French Style in 2008 as a fun and creative outlet to share musings about my time living in France, travel tips, and the things I love.
At the time, I knew nothing about blogging, the implications of choosing a catchy ...
Is the Croissant French?
January 30 is National Croissant Day in the United States, so I thought I would look into the origins of this tasty treat. Much to my surprise, I discovered the croissant is originally an Austrian specialty bread known as kipferls.
According to legend, the croissant was invented in Vienna when ...
