Parisians – Don’t Scowl at Me! Recently I’ve heard many tourists, mainly Americans, comment on how “nice” the French have become. “I heard they were arrogant and mean but they couldn’t have been kinder,” one remarked. “I was afraid to come to Paris because of the French reputation for being snotty,” remarked another, “but they […]
Parisians-Don’t Scowl at Me! Read More »
STRIKES, SOCCER, STRESS and the SEINE This post started with a phone call from Radio Sputnik in Moscow. In case you didn’t know – I didn’t – Radio Sputnik in 2014 replaced the Voice of Russia. They don’t seem to have a Paris correspondent and, as I’m a former journalist and an author who has
Strikes, Soccer, Stress and the Seine Read More »
Of ice cubes, Cherry Coke and other French things For quite some time I’ve been wanting to write and speak about changes in France and got a great opportunity to do so at the recent International Media Seminar in Paris where I have been invited to speak for the last few years on my favorite
Of ice cubes, Cherry Coke and other French things Read More »
After the tragic events of the past two weeks in Paris, it feels good to lighten up which is what I did this morning when reading an article about a “world’s worst mom” http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/19/advice-from-americas-worst-mom/?_r=0. The mom in question is Lenore Skenazy, a New York mom of two, who earned the title after reporting in a
Vying for title of worst American mom and worst French dad Read More »
It’s been a tough 13 days for France. On Wednesday, January 7, my husband stood transfixed in front of the television, saying something about « some shooting somewhere in Paris ». That soon became more specific : the shooting took place at the headquarters of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in the 11th arrondissement not far from
France’s forgotten youth Read More »
Of all the intonations, expressions and statements flowing from the mouths of politicians and ordinary citizens in the aftermath of the terrorist killings of seventeen people in France last week, the most forthright and sincere one, in my opinion, came from France’s Prime Minister Manuel Valls who proclaimed: “France without Jews is not France.” What
France without Jews is not France Read More »
Today in Paris, the weather – grey skies producing a steady patter of rain – is perfectly attuned to the grim feeling of horror and sadness and outrage that permeates the country after yesterday’s terrorist attack on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Well-known for its iconoclastic, far-out, sometimes totally tasteless and sometimes excruciatingly funny cartoons, the
Bonjour dear reader : Have you ever dreamed of being an expat ? Living in – not visiting – Paris, London, Rio de Janeiro ? Doesn’t it sound exotic, glamorous, fun-filled ? Would you be tempted? Sure you would ! But first, please answer a few questions about matters you may not, but certainly should, know before you consider the
Joie de Vivre? Not for expats! Read More »
This Joie de Vivre blog has been silent for months. Pardonnez-moi! The reason is that in Fall 2013 I embarked on an action-filled book tour in the States for more than a month, traveling from big cities to small (think Chicago, Seattle, then Shenandoah, Iowa, my hometown, Joplin, Mo. and Knoxville, Tennessee to name but
A U.S. trip and a French freak out Read More »
I always thought the French had a genius for wining, dining, romancing, and dressing and a lot of other things I couldn’t fit into the subtitle of Joie de Vivre, and the little black dress has to be at the top of the list. Why? For me, la petite robe noire is quintessentially French: simple
The Little Black Dress Read More »