Southern Fried French

Bits of French Wisdom for a Happy New Year

My friend Sandi in Charleston  is a book collector. Her house is full of books, old and new, from floor to ceiling. She's started selling old Charleston and southern themed books on her Etsy site, Charleston Ink and Art, so she is always on the prowl.

So as a gift, she gave me a real find: a little antique tome called "French Wit and Wisdom", stuffed with quotes from famous French authors of another era. The original price is printed on the leaf inside: $1.00 (which speaks to how old it is: 72 years to be exact).

This is perfect since we are in Charleston for Christmas this year, and I won't be able to share the  French quotes from the wrappers of the chocolate papillotes as I usually do (like this former post, and this one).  This little book is actually in English, but as usual I've got some French homework for you--I've posted  the quotes in French,  too, so you can practice. (Exception: no translation for a couple of quotes because I could not locate the original citation in French).

I've picked a sampler for you. Some of the quotes are appropriate and cautionary for our scary world at the moment, and some are just good advice. Inspiration for your new year's resolutions maybe? Joyeux Noel et Bonne anneé to all!

Here are some some wise quotes that seem right on target for our difficult and polarized times: 

Politeness acts as a guard over the rough edges on our character, preventing them from harming others. We should never lay it aside, even in contact with coarse people.—Joubert

La politesse est une sorte d'émoussoir qui enveloppe les aspérités de notre caractère et empêche que les autres n'en soient blessés.

 

In those countries where the morals are the most dissolute, the language is the most severe; as if they would replace on the lips what has deserted the heart—Voltaire

 

A sovereign is called a tyrant who knows no law but his caprice.—Voltaire

On appelle tyrant le souverain qui ne connaît de lois que son caprice.

 

Anyone who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.—Voltaire

Ceux qui peuvent vous faire croire à des absurdités peuvent vous faire commettre des atrocités.

 

Religious zeal is a a pure and enlightened attachment to worship of the Divinity and its maintenance and progress; but when it grows blind and false and takes to persecution, it becomes the greatest scourge of humanity.—Voltaire 

 

Prejudice is the reason of fools.—Voltaire

Le préjugé est une opinion sans jugement.

 

Narcissists, like dwarfs, have the stature of a child with the face of a man.—Joubert

Les orgueilleux me semblent avoir, comme les nains, la taille d'un enfant et la contenance d'un homme. 

 

And some life lessons:

 

Jest with Life; that's all it's good for.—Voltaire

Je joue avec la vie, madame; elle n'est bonne qu'à cela. 

 

The more one judges, the less one loves.—Balzac

Plus on juge, moins on aime. 

 

We should wear our velvet next to the skin--that is we should be the most amiable and agreeable to those of our own family.—Joubert

Il faut porter son velours en dedans, c'est-à-dire, montrer son amabilité de préférence à ceux avec qui l'on vit chez soi. 

 

Had we ourselves no faults we should find less pleasure in discovering them in others.—Rochefoucauld

Si nous n'avions pas tant de défauts, nous ne prendrions pas tant de plaisir à en remarquer chez les autres.

 

We never live; we are always in expectation of living.--Voltaire

Nous ne vivons jamais, nous attendons la vie.

 

The most completely lost of all days is the one on which we have not laughed.—Chamfort

La plus perdue de toutes les journées est celle où l'on n'a pas ri. 

 

Merry Christmas and the happiest new year to all!

A Christmas scene, spotted on a village house in Burgundy

P.S. No new recipe today, but I did stumble across a recipe for my Lucky New Year's Pie, which made an appearance in a guest post for Kristin Espinasse's French-Word-A-Day way back in 2010. Some years back we decided to forget the Hoppin' John and make something with Gran Marnier every New Year's day, for some sweet good luck. And so far it's working! Lately I've been making a Gran Marnier soufflé, but this year I'll go back to this Lucky Gran Marnier pie recipe, loved and lost.

 

Favorite READS: I have one more quote from the book for you, from Joubert: "The one drawback of new books is that they prevent our reading old ones."  Le grand inconvénient des livres nouveaux est de nous empêcher de lire les anciens. In that case, why not revisit the ultimate French classic, Le Petit Prince, as I did recently--I hadn't read it since my high school French class. Better yet, read it to your kids or grandkids. or even more fun, you can find Le Petit Prince on youtube, narrated by Kenneth Branaugh, with the simple illustrations in the book brought to life with animation.

 

 

 

An Overnight Pilgrimage

“The sun was coming up. There was a thick mist hanging over the valley, and I could see the treetops piercing through it here and there. Up above, the village stood, like a pyramid reflecting the light. It was a magnificent sight, and it was full of admiration that I made for the Church of St. Madeleine.”—Prosper Mérimée, 1836

 

If you are a any sort of francophile (or of a religious persuasion), you have no doubt heard of the pilgrimage town of Vézelay, in the northwest corner of Burgundy.

As I’ve said before, one of my favorite things about living in France, and in La Bourgogne in particular, is the ability to go to an exciting new area, or even another country, for a week-end trip. We hadn’t been to Vézelay in a couple of decades, so when our dear friends Carol and Bill came to see us, off we went for a brief séjour, pilgrims for a day.

So what’s so special about Vézelay? A lot.

First of all, it’s not every church that (reportedly) has relics of such a famous saint, or that has been around since the 9th century. Pilgrims have been visiting La Basilique Sainte-Marie-Madeleine for 1000 years. It’s now a Unesco World Heritage site. It’s still a common starting point for the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain (if you’re up for a VERY long walk). The town has a long and rich history, as the originating point of crusades, a medieval mecca, and more.

The Basilica, a 12th century Romanesque masterpiece of a monastic cathedral, sits on top of the “Eternal Hill” that is the town. Most of the small village, which is packed with charm, is set along the one main road that leads from the base of the town, steeply, up to the church.

A visit to the inside of the church will surely fill you with awe, then you can descend to the small chapel below ground where the relics are kept. Behind the church is a jaw-dropping view of the lush rolling hills of the Morvan.

Semur-en-Auxois is on the way, so we did a quick pass through and gazed at the town from its perfect viewpoint. We also wandered through nearby Flavigny-sur-Ozerain, which is where the famous movie Chocolat was filmed (Johnny Depp, Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench. We watched it again, to put us in the mood for our trip).

IF YOU GO: In Vézelay we stayed at the very pleasant Hotel de la Poste et du Lion d'or. It was right at the base of the hill so you will have to walk up to the church. It’s mostly a pedestrian road but when we went to dinner we managed to drive up and park behind the church. In the past we’ve stayed a few miles away at a marvelous château, called Chateau d'Island.

If you pass through Semur, don’t miss lunch at Cuisine de la Fontaignotte, farm-fresh food with  a terrace that has a sweeping view of this exceptionally beautiful town.

In Flavigny, we got a very casual lunch on the Place near the church—picnic tables outside, and self-service—at La Grange, billed as a farm-to-table place, and it was quite a fun  pique-nique in the sunshine.

 

Vézelay:

Here is La Basilique de Sainte-Marie-Madeleine

 

Flavigny-sur-Ozerain:

This is the entry gate to the village

 

Lovely architectural details were everywhere

 

Our friend Bill peeps inside the window that was the chocolate shop in the movie Chocolat

 

This was a photo-op in a little square, and the first and last time you will see my husband in drag

 

Semur-en-Auxois:

One of the most beautiful towns in France, with dramatic views all round. You can read my previous post with more photos of Semur here.

 

 

Favorite READS: Speaking of French travels, who doesn't love Provence? Our book expert extraordinaire Natalia recommends An American in Provence by Jamie Beck. On a road trip recently, Ron and I listened to two Peter Mayle audiobooks, French Lessons and Twenty-five Years in Provence. I recommend the audiobooks because the readers, with their posh English accents, deliver the dry British humor with aplomb.