FRANCE-Dinner is Ready Plus Fun Facts!

We cooked our Feast de Provence last night and it was wonderful!!! The Olive Tapenade over warm baguette was creamy, salty, and delicious! The Sole Meunière was amazing. Melted in my mouth. So lovely in the Lemon Butter Sauce. The Capers were the perfect accompaniment. The star of the show was however the Scallops. Fresh, Sweet, and beautifully enhanced by the wine and herbs. We will definitely cook Provence in this kitchen again soon! 

Here are some Fun Facts we learned this week about France:

Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923), the famous French engineer who build the Eiffel Tower in Paris, also designed the Statue of Liberty which stands in New York's harbor.

France is famous for the beaux-arts, the many great painters, sculptors. Famous French painters are Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Paul Cezanne and Auguste Rodin is certainly one of the most famous French sculptors.

French composers which are very famous are: Maurice Ravel (Bolero) and Georges Bizet (Carmen). Children all around the world love French literature, like the famous “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandre Dumas and “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupery.

French political leader Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) was born on Corsica. He reformed the French laws. He declared himself Emperor of the French in 1904. Napoleon’s army was defeated by the British in the Battle of Waterloo (now in Belgium) in 1815. He was exiled to the island St. Helena in the Mediterranean Sea where he died in 1821.

The Tour de France, which is the world’s most famous cycle race, was started already in 1903. The winning bike rider gets to wear a yellow shirt to show that he is the leader of the race.

About 20% of the Territory of France lies outside Europe.

According to a 2004 IFOP Survey about 44% of French People are Atheist.

French people are the second biggest consumers of alcohol per capita in the Western world, after Luxembourg.

Until 1964 French women were not allowed to open a bank account or get a passport without their husband’s permission.

French was the official language of England for over 300 years. 1066 until early 15^th century. It is still the official language of 30 countries worldwide.

France is the only country in the world where DNA tests or paternity tests of any kind are prohibited by law unless court ordered. They are punishable with heavy fines and prison sentences.

Sources: http://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com/france-facts.html http://www.eupedia.com/france/trivia.shtml