History
Christiane Taubira, « On n’y échappera pas »
Taubira… Ce nom porte des consonances différentes pour chaque personne vivant en France, mais il est rarement inconnu. Il évoque souvent une loi, celle de 2013, qui a valu à son auteure les insultes les plus féroces d’une grande part de la population et du personnel politique mais aussi le sincère respect d’une autre part de la population, probablement plus nombreuse encore. Mais pourquoi une personnalité aussi importante dans le paysage politique français vient-elle ici, à Chicago, dans un pays dans lequel son nom ne suscite le plus souvent ni la colère ni le respect tant il n’est que rarement prononcé ?
Read more »Un café, s'il vous plaît!
Bonjour tout le monde, Your favorite Alliance intern here. If you are anything like me, you enjoy a good cup of coffee. I know some of you aren’t fans of coffee, and I get that… you’re just wrong. No disrespect, I just needed you to know who you’re talking to: an avid coffee drinker and lover. And as that coffee lover, I have come to encounter many cups and different types of coffee, including the famous French café.
Read more »Indulge in some French comfort food
Comfort food is an almost universally known concept. You have a hard day, you come home and you eat a gallon of mac and cheese and maybe you just feel a little bit better. Or maybe you had something a little more interesting to sate your hunger. If you identify with this, maybe it’s time you learned a little bit more about French comfort food!
Read more »La francophonie behind the scenes
During the entire month of March, we at the Alliance Française de Chicago have hosted a variety of events as part of our Festival de Francophonie. By the end of the month you’ll have had the opportunity to learn about Russian and French cultures influencing each other, hear about books from around the world, eat amazing food, and see films that explore a variety of Francophonie experiences. While we have a lot of fun presenting you with these events and we hope you have fun attending, we thought it would be good to also give you a little bit of background on why exactly we celebrate Francophone cultures and International Francophone day beyond just the fun of experiencing new cultures.
Read more »The romance between French and English
No language is a completely static thing. In a way, a language breathes and grows, similar to a living organism. Over time, words are gained and words are lost. [caption id=“attachment_3328” align=“alignright” width=“339”] A language tree of Proto-Indo-European language relationships. The dotted line shows the influence of French on Middle English.[/caption]
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Events Francophone Fun History
Turning sour grapes into Champagne
If you clicked on this post, you probably have some idea of what champagne is. You might be able to recall the pleasant fizz of the bubbles or a particular sweet, light flavor. But do you know of the rich history and the unique details of production?
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