French Sense

Paris By Pod French Lessons October 20, 2010

http://www.parisbypod.com

I love this site for two reasons.  First of all, the basic concept just plain makes sense.  The idea of walking around with french lessons on m ipod that I can access any time I have an extra 5 minutes.  The other thing I love about this site is that the variety keeps you interested.  Sometimes you are so interested in the subject matter or photos that you forget you are learning.  Overall I rate this site very high when it comes to helping you learn french that you can really use.  That said, this site may not be for everyone, so explore the free lessons thoroughly before deciding whether to sign up for the $40 a year subscription.

http://french.yabla.com

Yabla is another fun subscription-based site for learning french.  Play with the freebies before plunking down your cubits.  One nice feature of the videos is the SLOW button.  I am forever wishing I could slow down real french speakers so I could really parse what they are saying!

Read Along and Learn from languageguide.org October 18, 2010

I open translate.google.com and paste in the text first, so I have an idea of what they are talking about.  Then I read along and listen for a few time.  Then, possibly the most important step, I try to read it out loud myself.  This is really where the learning begins for me.  After I try doing it on my own, I listen to short sections over and over until I really feel I understand the construction and meaning of the sentences.

I find this really helps with my comprehension.  Alas, I fear I will never be able to speak as fast as the french though.  Every sentence is still a slow trudge.

The Perfect Pack for Paris March 19, 2010

I’m heading to France this summer, so it’s time to reactivate this little blog.  Today I found this fabulous post called “The Basic Paris survival kit” on a darling blog called “A Woman’s Paris.”  Philippa and Barbara give a very detailed explanation of what they pack and why.  I was happy to see some similarities in my approach – I also stick to blacks and neutrals and buy colorful scarves in Paris. 

I also got some great new ideas.  I love what Barbara packs in her plane bag.  I was shocked at the number of cooking accessories Philippa takes to Paris.  However, this year, for the first time, we’re renting an apartment rather than staying in hotels, so her list of cooking tools is timely and very useful.

Color me inspired!

Serenity November 10, 2009

One thing you so often notice about French women is that air of serenity they carry about them….When the French sit around in those cafés, they aren’t doing nothing. They are practicing stress therapy. Somewhere I read an estimate that the French per capita consumption of tranquilizers, antidepressants, and antianxiety drugs was only about a third of what it is in the USA. The French prefer cafes to pills.
~ Anne Barone

What’s a Proper Portion? June 30, 2009

I found a helpful little article by Erin Jones on Mireille Guiliano’s site to help visualize a proper portion size.    Here are a few examples of proper serving sizes:

Meat or Poultry (cooked)
Suggested portion: 3 – 4 oz.
Size guide: A deck of playing cards or a computer mouse

Fish (cooked)
3 – 4 oz.
A checkbook, or an eyeglass case (more…)

French Women Don’t Get Fat – The Book That Tells You Why June 28, 2009

I’ve been listening to the audio book “French Women Don’t Get Fat” by Mireille Guiliano and I’m loving it. Many of us have heard of the French paradox – the phenomenon that allows the french to eat rich sauces loaded with butter accompanied by bread and fine wines all the while staying chic and slim.  It looks impossible from the outside. Guiliano shares the secrets of how they do it.

Apparently the answer is to be found in two concepts; pleasure and portion control.  The author shares her tips for how to indulge in your pleasures MINDFULLY.  Why waste calories on a forgettable ice cream in front of the television when you could delight your senses with a fabulous chocolate mouse instead? (more…)

Bonjour! December 15, 2008

The humble purpose of this little blog is to document my exploration of France and a French way of thinking and living.  Obviously I will not get everything right, nor will I cover every element of French life.  But if you have been to France, you know that there is an ineffable something different about the place, and I am curious to know more about what that certain je ne sais quoi is all about.