Posted By Casanova on February 8, 2010

Valentine’s day originated as a pagan celebration in third century Rome. The God Lupercus, protector of the shepherds and their flocks was celebrated every February at a feast called Lupercalia. During Lupercalia, in honor of the goddess Juno Februata, names of young women were put into a box and drawn to match boys who would be their partners for the year.
As Christianity became prevalent, priests took over old heathen practices. Lupercalia, was renamed St. Valentine’s Day. Saint’s names were placed into an urn and young people were supposed to emulate the life of the saint they had drawn. By the fourteenth century they reverted back to girl’s names.
Several men named Valentine were honored with feasts on February 14th.
One of them was a revered priest during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius was having no luck recruiting men for his wars who preferred staying with their wives and sweethearts rather than fight in foreign lands. Claudius, angry, declared that no more marriages could be performed and cancelled all engagements. Valentine secretly married several couples but when Claudius found out, he threw Valentine in prison where he died.
Another version had St. Valentine jailed for helping Christians. While in prison he cured a jailer’s daughter of blindness. Claudius became enraged and had Valentine clubbed and beheaded on February 14, 269 A.D. Yet another story claims that Valentine fell in love with the jailer’s daughter and wrote her letters that were signed “From your Valentine.”
All Valentines eventually evolved into one. In 496 Pope Gelasius declared the day in honor of St. Valentine. Through the centuries the Christian holiday became a time to exchange love messages and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers.
A young Frenchman, Charles, Duke of Orleans, was one of the earliest creators of valentines, called “poetical or amorous addresses.” From his confinement in the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, he sent several love poems or “valentines” to his wife in France.
Europeans also believed that on February 14th the birds began to choose their mates. Doves and pigeons mate for life and therefore were used as a symbol of “fidelity.”
The first commercial valentines appeared around 1800 and were rather simplistic. By the 1830’s and 1840’s Valentines contained delicate and artistic messages. Valentines made of fine papers and decorated with satin, ribbon, or lace pictures of turtledoves, lovers’ knots in gold or silver, bow and arrows, cupids, and bleeding hearts commanded high prices.
In the USA, Valentine’s Day is a major commercial day, second only to Christmas in the number of greeting cards sent, to everyone from neighbors to pets
In Europe, it remains more of a romantic occasion. Valentine’s Day in Paris with someone you love, is the place to be. Lovers flock here on February 14th: What could beat a romantic dinner cruise on the Seine river, or a dinner in a cabaret in the most romantic place in the world looking in your lover’s eyes?

Category: About France, Event, French people, French way of life, Made in France | No Comments »
Tags: French Custom, French humor, French way of life

Posted By Monsieur Frog on January 31, 2010

What an experience!
MAISON & OBJETS is Paris’ most trendy, fashionable, home decoration trade show held twice a year.

We arrived in Paris on Thursday for the show’s opening on Friday January 22nd. The weather was of course cold, but inside we warmed up to exciting new concepts!

The show has 6 theme halls and we spent most of our time in the halls 5A and 6 dedicated to home accessories. We brought back many ideas to complete our existing houseware and giftware product selection. And we also met many new contacts in the children department and explore bathware items for the website. We will bring them online to you soon!

Here are the Froggies at the show:

Category: About France, Arts, Event, French Kitchen products, French people, Made in France | No Comments »
Tags: French accessories, French people, french products, Home accessories

Posted By Casanova on January 17, 2010

The first ceramics were found in central Europe around 24,000BC. Early pottery was made from clay like material, either by itself or mixed with other materials such as ash or crushed bones. Since these ancient times, the technology and applications of ceramics has steadily progressed through the ages. Ceramics now include domestic, industrial applications, building products and art objects.
Their unique properties have played an important role in the progress of most civilizations. Ceramics are very hard although brittle. They resist very extreme temperatures without deformation. They are impervious to most chemicals. They do not conduct electricity, are relatively low weight for their mass, resist scratches, and are very smooth and durable.
For all these reasons, ceramics have been used in various types of industries for many years sometimes unexpectedly: from knife blades to watch cases, military industry (cockpits protection), car industry (ball bearings, ceramic engine which can run at a temperature of over 6000 °F), aerospace (space shuttle covering) and turbine engine construction. More recently, ceramics have been used in medical, (dental implants, orthopedic implant and synthetic bones) and electronic industries (semi-conductors)
In domestic applications, ceramics are a preferred material for cooking and baking. Their resistance to abrasion is a very interesting property shared by very few non synthetic materials. Ceramic diffuses the heat very slowly and in a very homogeneous way. It also retains heat for a long time. Well manufactured bakeware and ceramic casseroles can go directly from freezer or refrigerator to all heat sources without fear of cracking or crazing … They are more lightweight and easier to maintain than cast iron. Their smooth finish is pleasant to the eye and the touch and they can be manufactured and decorated with a multitude of colors and glazes.
From France to China, throughout the world, ceramic is the rare material that has lent itself to ancient art forms as well as cutting edge technology.

Category: French Kitchen products, French Recipe, Made in France | No Comments »
Tags: French gift, French houseware, French Kitchen products, French product in discount, French Product in the US

Posted By Clement on January 11, 2010

Bonjour Frog du Jour,
Here in France we now all drive “rosalies” : it is a four-seats modern green and charming vehicle for the future, isn’t it ? please look at us driving our supercar on the famous Planches de Trouville, in Normandy

kiss

Category: About France, French people, French way of life, Made in France, Tourism in France | No Comments »
Tags: France, French people

Posted By Bixente on January 4, 2010

Hi,
Your blog may not any longer keep silent about the best place in France : le pays basque.
May I suggest frog du jour would become a specialized US market place for basque products ? the good news : I guarantee all basque people living in the US would become your most loyal customers; the bad news : we are two basque people living in the US

viva Biarritz!

Category: French way of life, Tourism in France | No Comments »
Tags: France, French, French people

Posted By Phiphi on December 14, 2009

Hi Frogdujour,
My friend Chris and I had great lobsters last summer somewhere in Corsica. My recipe: cut them in half!!  paint the halves with a nice olive lemon herbs sauce and bake it 10 mn in the oven or on the bbq grill. Cheap and simple : that’s all !!!

Category: French Recipe | No Comments »
Tags: France, French Kitchen products, French people, lobster

Posted By Casanova on December 14, 2009

Answer : women and wine

I confess this is kind of a cliché, but so true )) 

So frog du jour, if you cannot sell women on-line, please advise and sell us on good quality-price affordable bottles of the 3 B’s : Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Bandol ! Thx.

Category: French way of life | No Comments »
Tags: France, French, wine

Posted By Monsieur Frog on December 11, 2009

Laguiole (pronounced lag-YALL) is a small village located in Auvergne, a beautiful hilly area in central France. The authentic Laguiole knives are traditionally made by manufacturers in the region and particularly in the town of Thiers the capital of French cutlery.

Originally, the Laguiole knife was a shepard’s tool and weapon.
Legend has it that Napoleon was camped near the village of Laguiole and the local people stole into the camp and presented him with a Laguiole knife. In the morning he gave the village the right to use the Napoleonic bee, his symbol chosen for its industrious nature. Since that time, Laguiole knives sport the bee on the bolster as the proof that Napoleon approved the product.

Due to this long tradition, their elegant design and their high quality of fabrication, the Laguiole style has gained worldwide reputation for other items such as the famous Laguiole steak knives and corkscrews.

Category: French Kitchen products | 1 Comment »
Tags: Christmas gift, French product, gift, laguiole, steak knives

Posted By Clement on December 3, 2009

I love to be in Paris for Christmas time, it is so romantic!
You don’t need any program, just let you go in the streets of the capital and look around: you’ll be impressed by the lights on the Boulevards, the beautiful displays and windows in the stores and the happyness of french people in the bistrots. You may be lucky and have some snow.

The Christmas lights of the Champs Elysees
The Avenue is lit by Christmas lights on the 2.4 km long, from place the Concorde where the big wheel is, to the Arc de Triomphe. Not less than 450 trees are dressed in bright crystals along the avenue. The lights of the Champs Elysees will be held this year from Nov. 23 to Jan. 10  from 17h to 2h in the morning.
The “Christmas Market” of Champs Elysees stands from 20 Nov. to Dec. 28
The illuminations and windows of Galeries Lafayette – Bd Haussmann, Paris 9 ème
A lace of light of 2123 m² created by the artist Valerio Festi illuminates the front of the famous Paris store on Boulevard Haussmann. This year, the Christmas stores windows of Galeries Lafayette will be illuminated from Sunday, Nov. 5 to Dec.
Metro: Chaussée d’Antin, Opéra, or Trinité

For more information about illuminations in Paris : http://www.parisillumineparis.fr

Category: Tourism in France | 3 Comments »
Tags: christmas, French, illuminations, monument, paris

Posted By Monsieur Frog on November 23, 2009

Hello,
If you were at the Beaujolais Wine Festival last Friday in Dallas, it was a real blast. We shared a glass (or two) of Beaujolais with many of you and had a lot of fun. The elegant classic Laguiole knives were our best sellers, but many of you also loved the beautiful wine and food theme Torchons tea towels as wel as the pepper mills and other French items.

Here are some pics from the Froggies at the festival:

Jeannette Johnsen is the winner of our raffle. She is now the proud owner of a beautiful black resin Laguiole set (value $150).
Jeannette is a tireless volunteer at the French American Chamber of Commerce and we could not have found a more deserving winner.
Bravo Jeannette.

Category: Event | 1 Comment »
Tags: apron, beaujolais, tea towel, wine