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 Jeff Steiner's Americans in France.Resource for people that would like to live or travel in France. |
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NewsletterAugust 2014
What's Special about this Street?
It's Rue du Premier Film, where La Sortie des usines Lumière à Lyon was made. Now consider the first motion picture. It was filmed on March 19th, 1895 by Louis Lumière, of the Lumiere Brothers. At 25 rue St. Victor, today Rue du Premier Film in the Montplaisir neighborhood of Lyon. It's difficult to call La Sortie des usines Lumière à Lyon a motion picture by today's standards, its one scene is just 46 seconds long. But as I pointed out in my January 2012 newsletter the Lumiere Brothers' films would be right at home on YouTube today.
La Sortie des usines Lumière à Lyon was filmed at the Lumière factory and shows workers going home. The building is long gone but the doorway was recreated and is now part of the Institut Lumiere. The institute includes a museum and of course, a movie house.
Recently I toured Institut Lumiere during a trip to Lyon. Lyon, France' Food capital, offers two ways to car share and boost its own 'Eiffel Tower'.
Traffic in France
Saturdays in August aren't the best time to drive in France. The French are either coming home or going on vacation. The big day to look out for is August 2nd, known as Samedi noir - Black Saturday. If you want to see other days to look out for, here's a preview of traffic during the month.
Grande Roue de Paris
From 1900 to 1921 Paris had the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. La Grande Roue de Paris was at 74 Avenue Suffren, not far from the Eiffel Tower. La Grande Roue's wagons were so big that some were used as homes during WWI.
Remember
Paris Plage: There's a 'beach' in Paris for a month during the summer. This year Paris Plage runs from July 19th to August 17th.
La Roche Bluegrass: The largest bluegrass festival takes place in La Roche sur Foron from July 30th to August 3rd.
Admission is free and activities for the whole family!
Top 3s
I was recently interviewed on Insiders Abroad. In the interview I mentioned my top 3s for restaurants in France, favorite foods, travel tips and a few more. You can read the interview here.
Homemade
Next time you go to a restaurant in France, you should notice a new logo (variations above) and/or the words 'fait maison' on the menu or someplace easily visible. This is a new label in France that denotes restautant meals made from scratch - 'fait maison' (home made). There are a few exceptions to the rule: bread, cold-cuts and cheese. None of which need to be made on site to be included as 'fait maison'.
'Fait maison' is meant to help diners know the meals they are eating are freshly made at the restaurant and not reheated frozen food. France went through some soul searching last year, when in a survey, a third of restaurants admitted serving reheated factory-frozen products to customers.
This means that dishes in a restaurant made with fresh ingredients should be marked as 'fait maison'. If all dishes are 'fait maison', you see 'fait maison' and/or the 'fait maison' logo displayed openly. If a restaurant offers no 'fait maison' dishes then you see 'Les plats « faits maison » sont élaborés sur place à partir de produits bruts' - 'Dishes 'fait maison' are prepared on site using fresh ingredients'.
The 'fait maison' law went into effect on July 15th but won't be enforced until January 1st 2015. So until the new year you might not see 'fait maison' in all restaurants.
Mail Box
Emergency Call in France: Ever wondered what the French equivalent of 911 is? Find out in this video from Comme une Française TV.
Living and Investing in France Mini-Conference: Nice and the Côte d'Azur Tuesday, September 16, 2014. Sign up now for a special presentation and Q and A with property expert Adrian Leeds. Learn how to own a "pied-à-terre" of your own in Paris or on the Riviera, or a home in the countryside that you can enjoy when you want...or profitably rent when you like...or just make a smart investment by owning property in France...plus ask all the questions you've ever wanted to ask!
Do you Know? I am a British biographer currently researching the life of John Utter, best known as Private Secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, 1958-75, but also an accomplished US diplomat. He lived at Osmoy, Paris, and died in 1980. I wonder if any of your readers might be able to help me make contact with those who knew him? If you have any info contact Christopher Wilson christowilson(at)tiscali(dot)co(dot)uk
US Way Of Life: Specializing in American foods and vintage American decorations. You'll find all classic Brands just like Hershey's chocolate, Betty Crocker cake mix, French's sauces and some local specialties. All 'Under the same roof', so you can choose some vintage decoration too, just like old gas pump reproduction, or a beautiful neon sign. Come on guys, check it out.
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