France rocks.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

It's a sad fact widely known that even among we DUers there are people who like to mock the French, as evinced in the bizarre Civil War II thread in GD. I'd just like to start here a thread for the appreciation of the mothership of western democracy, France.



I personally am thankful for -
Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite and the French Revolution
Serge Gainsbourg
Gustave Eiffel
The Napoleonic Code
The New Wave of Film from the 1950's
The Acadians
Quebec City
Air

You?

[flamingyouth]

1. Their food and wine

Clearly! :hi:

[Screaming Lord Byron]

3. Undoubtedly. Where would I be without a good bottle of red wine?

[sushi]

8. And clothes

and language!

[calico1]

2. The cuisine!

Its the best! They really know about good food!

[rlev1223]

20. Et alors, j'ai faim --------

Epoisses
Brie
Camembert au Calvados
Rocamadour AOC
Crottins de Chavignol AOC
Tomme de Savoie
St. Felicien
St. Marcellin
Roquefort
Delice de Bourgogne
Pouligny Saint Pierre AOC
Reblochon
Ossau Iraty
Raclette
Isigny Ste. Mére
Gruyere

tu comprends, n'est-ce pas?

[Westegg]

67. I give you: Kraft American slices. A processed cheese food....

Also, I thought Gruyere was Swiss. Am I wrong? No, j'adore les French cheeses---Raclette rocks hards!--- but there's some good California frommages aussi! (Sorry for any spelling errors---ain't spoken French in 20 years!)

[rlev1223]

75. Gruyere

Like Emmental (see Cheese? thread) Gruyère is made both in Switzerland and France -- both good melting cheese for fondue or eggs or.......

[Westegg]

77. Ha! Very funny. Have you seen your grandfather, baby...

...standing in the shadows?

[rlev1223]

78. What the......

?

[Westegg]

80. A Rolling Stones' song from about '66: "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby...

..."Standing in the Shadows?" That was its title. No kidding. Good song.

[trotsky]

4. Our independence from England.

I know we put up a hell of a fight but c'mon, does anyone think we could have done it without France (or the hired guns from Germany)?

[tigereye]

34. cept the hired guns from Germany were on the wrong side

right? Or did we hire Hessians, too?

[trotsky]

40. I thought we did?

I could be mistaken, but I thought both sides gathered mercenaries.

[tigereye]

52. hmmm have to go to the history vaults

for that one. :hi:

[Screaming Lord Byron]

53. Both sides used German mercenaries.

The Brits preferred Hessians, the US Westphalians, IIRC.

[tigereye]

54. ah, equal opportunity mercenaries

some of my Irish relatives were mercenaries, I am told. Well, one does have to eat.

Thanks Byron!

[Westegg]

71. You bastard. Why do you have to know EVERYTHING?

[arbusto_baboso]

79. He's a Scot. Their education system actually TEACHES them stuff.

This isn't a slam on you. It's a slam on American schools.

[Westegg]

82. I are humbled. Here I thought they were all a bunch of...

...shites and trainspotters. Actually, I'm a Scotsman myself, though the family's been in the New World since the 17th century. Quite long enough, I suppose, to fall afoul of the American edification system.

[arbusto_baboso]

83. Hey, it used to humble me...

every time I'd run into a non-American, and they knew more about my own nation's history than most of my countrymen did.

Not more than me, though. I majored in history in college.:D

[Westegg]

85. History major? Hell, that's where the big bux are. English major myself...

Oh come on, let's face it: College was overrated. If I could have those four years back: More sex, less boozing, more travelling and a HELL of a lot more wordly-won wisdom.

[arbusto_baboso]

88. I never let my classes get in the way of my education...

If you know what I mean.
<wink, wink. nudge, nudge>
Say no more.

[Westegg]

89. Samuel Clemens lived (quite literally) two blocks from my...

...front door here in NYC. At least for a time. And yes, I know what you mean.

[Westegg]

86. History major? Hell, that's where the big bux are. English major myself...

Oh come on, let's face it: College was overrated. If I could have those four years back: More sex, less boozing, more travelling and a HELL of a lot more wordly-won wisdom.

[Westegg]

87. History major? Hell, that's where the big bux are. English major myself...

Oh come on, let's face it: College was overrated. If I could have those four years back: More sex, less boozing, more traveling and a HELL of a lot more worldly-won wisdom.

[Westegg]

68. Washington fought the Hessians, in NJ and elsewhere. You are correct.

[LiveWire]

59. Um, history lesson...

The french revolution came AFTER ours. The whole fraternity, egality, and surrendering thing came after their king (whole totally kicked some british ass btw) was executed. Yes the french did help, but its not the same french as they are today.




PS France sucks.

[terrya]

5. The language.

The French language is incredibly beautiful, in my opinion.

[mrboba1]

12. Absolutely.

The most beautiful language in the world!

[Ellen Forradalom]

60. Je suis d'accord

La langue et la litterature.

[XNASA]

6. Lafayette!!!!

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

7. Edith Piaf

[KurtNYC]

9. statue de la liberté

Coquilles St. Jacques
and good white Bordeaux

[MercutioATC]

23. Woohoo! Let's hear it for the big copper lady!

Although, it IS a strange gift to give somebody...

[wtmusic]

10. Maybe we should cover the Statue of Liberty for the RNC

in deference to Republican anti-French sentiment.

[KurtNYC]

24. Or replace her right hand with one

which has the fingers in a slightly different pose, if you get my drift.

[wtmusic]

27. Guy de Maupassant

love those dirty stories

[Az_lefty]

30. I hope someone brings this up during the convention.

[Lavender Brown]

11. J'aime...

Colette
Chanel No. 5
Chopin
Audrey Tautou
one of my favorite college professors
the beautiful language
and many many other people and things :D

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

13. Baudelaire, Delacroix, Ingres, Millet, Manet, Hugo, Gaugain, Cezanne

and Toulouse Lautrec

[Screaming Lord Byron]

16. And Voltaire, Balzac, Sartre, Camus, de Beauvoir,

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

17. The French love jazz more than we do and always have been the best

patrons

[non sociopath skin]

47. And black musicians who were second class citizens to their "countrymen"

... were welcomed and celebrated for their talent.

The Skin

[salinen]

14. I studied in France

the family I lived with were the best people that ever walked the planet.

[meegbear]

15. Nobody can riot like the French

Saw an AP photo a couple of years ago; it was a close up of 2 men, face to face. One was a man in complete riot gear. The other man was in his face, screaming with his index finger in the officer's chest.

The other man was in his chef's uniform! They were pastry chefs protesting an increase in flour prices. You gotta have balls to do that.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

22. Sous le pages, la plage!

Long live 1968

[Ellen Forradalom]

62. Soyez realiste, demandez l'impossible

Be realistic, demand the impossible!

[Ellen Forradalom]

63. dupe

zut!

[tigereye]

35. pastry riot

I love it.

[Burma Jones]

18. New Orleans, Debussy, Un Generation Perdu,

And a healthy disrespect for authority

[Kellanved]

19. It does

Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite (can't be said often enough)
Descartes
Voltaire
Henri IV
Balzac
Rousseau
European Politics
Wine and Cheese (never can forget about these)

all around great country

[terrya]

21. Francois Truffaut, Jean Luc Godard, Alain Resnais...

The French have given cinema entertainment and genius.

[Magrittes Pipe]

25. Plastic Bertrand and Etienne Guigal

[Screaming Lord Byron]

26. Um, Al?

Don't go diluting this thread with Belgians. :evilgrin:
http://www.belgianbeerguide.co.uk/famousbelgians.html
Plastique Bertrand
Punkster whose only British hit was Ca Plane Pour Moi in 1978. This luckless gent's lot has been to be frequently cited as evidence that French pop music is rubbish.

[Magrittes Pipe]

28. Zut alors!

Well, I still dig Guigal.

And, of course, Serge... but you knew that.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

32. Bien sur. How about the Chateau d'Herouville, studio-extraordinaire?

Iggy, Bowie, Stones, MC5, Chris Bell, T-Rex, Pink Floyd, thousands of others.

[Magrittes Pipe]

38. Il est beau!

Ah, mon couer! :loveya:

[XNASA]

29. Those Lovable Pot-Head Pixies.........GONG!!!

[CanuckAmok]

31. Ou est Brigitte Bardot? Le Citroen CV? Les Montgolfiers?

n/t

[Screaming Lord Byron]

36. The 2CV?

Designed in the thirties to get a family of peasants and a basket of eggs across a ploughed field.

[CanuckAmok]

41. Best. Automobile. Ever.

The full story is that although it was designed in the 30s, it really became valuable after WW2, when France's transportation infrastructure was nearly completely destroyed. The 2CV was made out of stamped metal, unbelievably cheap to produce and repair, and was the most important tool France had to get goods from point A to point B, therefore reviving the economy.

I've read that the original models were so basic that the interior consisted of a leather sling in lieu of seats, and that the cost per unit, in today's dollars, was around $140.

[terrya]

43. I've always liked the designs of Citroens. Clean, basic.

Were Citroens ever sold in the United States? Just curious.

Thanks
Terry

[Screaming Lord Byron]

44. My dad had a couple of Citroens when I was a kid.

Mad suspension system. You could raise or lower the level of the car relative to the wheels.

[terrya]

45. That's one feature Citroens were known for.

The self-leveling suspension. Pretty cool idea.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

33. Their charming towns, excellent educational system,

daycare for all children, classical music (especially organ music), their language, and health care for all.

[GOPisEvil]

37. Mail service twice per day...the whole month of August off (sorta)...

[tigereye]

39. music, art, thought, food, democracy, protest, photography,

cinema, vacations... what's the problem?!!

Well, I don't like the addition to the Louvre, but...

[Guy_Montag]

42. Helping us poor Scots out

with our countless scuffles with the damned English. Actually I suspect we were taken advantage of, but anyway...

Dominique Aury (Pauline Reage)
Brandy
Calvados
Absinth
the Impressionists
camping holidays when I was wee
Citron 2CVs

[Donkeyboy75]

46. Cheese and wine. Menage a trois. The Impressionists. Ionesco.

Also, cheers to the country that basically invented restaurants. I also found the French to be very friendly. Except the waiters. Cheers to the unbelievably rude French waiters.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

48. The metric system (nt)

[HEyHEY]

49. YOU CALL YOURSELF A SCOTSMAN!

Aren't you guys supposed to HATE France?

;-)

[Screaming Lord Byron]

50. Er, no. Recall the Auld Alliance?

Scotland is France's oldest ally.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/scottishhistory/europe/features_europe_auldalliance.shtml

[non sociopath skin]

51. The music of ....

Lully
Rameau
Berlioz
Bizet
Gounod
Auber
Massenet
Offenbach
Christine
Messager
Yvain
Hahn
Ambroise Thomas
Debussy
Faure
Chabrier
Poulenc
Ibert
Milhaud

and they're just MY favourites!!!

The Skin

[salinen]

58. No Satie?

Ah

[non sociopath skin]

81. Ah, je l'ai oublie, helas.

Il faut ajouter le beau Erik.:)

Le Skin

[Blue_Tires]

55. les bleus

Zidane (who just retired)
Trezuguet
Henry, and the rest...great soccer team

and of course, being a car guy, Louis and Gaston Chevrolet (even though they were technically swiss, having grown up on the border IIRC)...They created one of the great american icons

[exJW]

56. My girlfriend, berets, Paris, the Countryside, good wine 1.25 euro

[Blue_Tires]

57. lest i forget

Claude Lelouch and the film "rendezvous"...arguably THE best driving sequence ever filmed

[Ellen Forradalom]

61. Going on Strike

The national pasttime. They're not afraid to shut it down.

[jpgray]

64. Magma.

That is all.

[Jack from Charlotte]

65. I was in Paris in May...............

Wonderful place and great, nice helpful people. I'd move there if I could.



On Monday, May 17th we hired a car and drove to Normandy. Here's the American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer.

[Fenris]

66. Thanks for including us Acadians in there, SLB!

:hi:

[arbusto_baboso]

69. Lest we forget... the lingerie!!!!!

Any culture as sex-obsessed (or are they just much more comfortable with it than we are, and in fact WE are the ones obsessed?) as the French seem to be are A-OK in my book.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

72. God yeah. An invention that may well prove the existence of a higher power

[dolo amber]

70. Rimbaud

Dunno whether I love them or hate them for that, but for better or worse he had an ENORMOUS impact on my life.

[Screaming Lord Byron]

73. Why, because you are Patti Smith?

Or because you are a gay 18 year old, who confused the two and now has an unnatural attachment to Sylvester Stallone.

WHICH IS IT!

[dolo amber]

74. Yes

:7

[Westegg]

76. I'd like to thank Michel Foucault for writing some six books...

...none of which I could get to the end of in college. Hello? "Madness and Civilization"? What was your fucking POINT, dude? Oh yeah, I forgot: You're dead. Whatever.

I'd like to thank Godard for his early films, up to and including "Weekend," which must be seen by all, if only for the traffic-jam scene. Godard's impact on Tarantino is....oh fuck. Nevermind.

I'd also like to thank the Marquis de Lafayette, who was the savior of the American revolution, and as a result had the county where my mom grew up in Southwestern Pennsylvania named after him: Fayette County. I don't know why they didn't call it Lafayette County. Too many syllables for the hillbillies, I guess.

And thanks to Maurice Jarre, for his film scores. And to Nathalie, the French teenager who broke my heart many years ago. Without you, bitch, I wouldn't have possessed enough bitterness in my heart to become a writer. I still have the taste of you in my mouth, 18 years later. Merci mille fois.

[eyesroll]

84. I have a mental block with the French language...

I can pronounce Mandarin. I taught myself Esperanto. I love language. But for some reason, even though I've gone over it a million times, I can't pronounce French to save my life, beyond soup du jour.

But, still, I thank France for their lovely food and wine (even if I have to sound dumb ordering it)...

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

90. French military cooperation with US in Korean War, WWII, Lebanon,

Afghanistan, etc. You'll note below that the French Batallion in the Korean War won 3 Presidential Distinguished Unit Citations for valor and was even creditred with saving a US Division from annihilation when they attacked the Chinese with bayonets after they ran out of ammo.

I note that Jacques Chirac was the first foreign leader to visit the devastation in New York right after September 11, arriving even before Tony Blair. I also note that the Bush Administration has never invited Chirac to his Texas Ranch, although he has invited the heads of ALL the other permanent members of the UN Security Council. This may not at first appear to be significant, but I think that Bush means it as a major slap at France and an attempt to isolate them from the very start of his Presidency.

***************************************
Jacques Chirac was the first foreign leader to visit the site of the destroyed Twin Towers:

"French President Jacques Chirac has become the first foreign leader to survey New York's leader to survey New York's devastated World Trade Center"

"...I want to tell President Bush, who is my friend, that we bring the total solidarity of France and the French people, it is a solidarity of the heart..." "...We are completely determined to fight by your side this new type of evil, of absolute evil, which is terrorism, and France is prepared and available to discuss all means to fight and eradicate this evil..."
http://edition.cnn.com/2001/US/09/19/ret.bush.france/

****************************************
French Military Contribution to the Operation "Enduring Freedom" May 17, 2002 (Afghanistan)
http://www.info-france-usa.org/news/statmnts/2002/sfia/fight1.asp

#French airspace, air bases, and harbors opened to US military aircraft and warships

#Liaison team at the US Central Command (Tampa, FL) since October 9, 2001
#WARSHIPS (1 Frigate, 1 Oiler) in the Arabian Sea for Leadership Interception Operations
#Sharing of Military intelligence
#Intelligence gathering airbone assets at an early phase of the operations (1 Transall C160 G ; 1 Transall C 160 Tanker)
#Strategic reconnaissance
(2 Mirage IV P-Recce from October 2001 to mid-February 2002)
#Air Refueling Aircraft (2 C135 FR Tankers) for French and U.S. Navy Aircraft. From December to April
#Maritime Surveillance Aircrafts (2 MPA Atlantique 2, based in Djibouti, to monitor Aden Gulf)
#Maritime intelligence
(1 LPD, 1 Frigate, 1 Corvette, 1 Support Ship, 1 Support Ship Jules Vernes). From the beginning of May
#Mine sweeping - Maritime survey
(2 Minehunters - 1 Support Ship FS Loire). From December to April

*"CHARLES DE GAULLE" aircraft carrier - 28 aircrafts
TASK GROUP :
- 1 Guided Missile Destroyer
(3500 men)

Deployed from 18th of December to beginning of May in the Arabian Sea. On high readiness status
within two days of operational flight above Afghanistan since then.
*1 Oiler - 2 Frigates - 1 Nuclear Attack submarine (800 men)

Deployed at Manas Air Force Base in Kirghisistan:

450 men to support the operations of the following air assets:

*6 Mirage 2000D (Precision Strike Aircraft)
* 2 C135 FR (Tankers)

Airlift Transit Center of Douchanbe in Tadjikistan:

Presence of air assets including C130 Hercules and C160 Transall seployed at Douchanbe to provide airlift support of the French Components of Enduring Freedom and ISAF (100 men).
Embassy of France in the US - May 31, 2002

***************************************

French soldiers died alongside US soldiers in the terrorist bombings in Lebanon in 1983:

On October 23, 1983, 56 French soldiers lost their lives alongside 241 US Marines in Lebannon when terrorists bombed their barracks. The US media seems to always forget the deaths of the French:
http://www.veteranen.info/~cedarsouthlebanon/mnf/multinational_force.eng.htm

"...On October 23, just after dawn 241 Marines died when a truck loaded with TNT blew up a marine barracks at the International Airport. At almost the same time, another truck blew up the French barracks a few kilometres away, killing 56 French troops..."

****************************************
U.S. Ignored Warnings from the French Intelligence a few days before 911, as documented by FBI Agent Coleen Rowley.
http://propagandamatrix.com/US_Ignored_Warnings_From_French.htm

********************************************

French troops saved US citizens in the Ivory Coast in September, 2002:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200209250715.html

"...French troops have rescued 160 mainly American children and staff trapped at an international school in Bouake, the central Ivorian city which has been under control of mutinous soliders for almost a week..."

***********************************************

French military contributions to the allied coalition in Desert Storm in 1991

Air Power: http://216.239.57.104/searchq=cache:7z0syujGyEkJ:www.danshistory.com/operations.shtml+france+military+contribution+desert+storm&hl=en

Over 100 aircraft committed including Jaguar, Mirage 2000 C, 2000 D, F-1, Mir-WP, JAG-A, E3-F, C-135F, UAV, CL-289, UAV CR, PUMA SA-330, HORIZON C160, aircraft based on aircraft carrier FS Foch.

French aircraft flew 2,414 sorties in Desert Storm.

French total military contribution of 11,000 troops to Desert Storm, including the 2nd Foreign Legion Parachute Regiment
http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:QtzXawDPzlAJ:news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/861164.stm+french+troops+desert+storm&hl=en

**************************************************

The French Battalion in the Korean War won 3 Distinguished Presidential Unit Citations for bravery and fought alongside US troops.
http://www.info-france-usa.org/atoz/koreawar.asp

The French Battalion took part in some of the bloodiest battles of the Korean War including Twin Tunnels and Heartbreak Ridge and saved a US division by making a stand and fighting the Chinese hand-to-hand, according to one eyewitness account of a US soldier:

"....Retreating, the Chinese reorganized and hit the French who were defending Hill 453. Lt. Col. Ralph Monclar, a decorated and much-wounded veteran of both world wars, inspired his men. Freeman later recalled: "Wave after wave of fanatical Chinese continued to surge on during the next three hours in an attempt to seize the dominating ground. The gallant French 1st Company was finally engaged in hand-to-hand fighting and suffered heavy casualties. With their position becoming almost untenable, the desperate French counter-attacked with the bayonet...."

"...The Chinese, with victory almost in their grasp-a victory which had they attained would have jeopardized our entire position-pulled back......"

**************************************
During World War II, the Free French Army fought alongside the US Army throughout the desert campaign, in Italy, in Normandy and even at the Battle of the Bulge. When US troops were besieged in the terrible bloodbath at Anzio on the beach, the Gustav line was finally broken and the campaign won thanks to the Free French Army that took the heights of the Belvedere:

http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:i3eOATaS-YcJ:home.wanadoo.nl/cclinks/abtf/fierce~1.html+french+break+gustav+line+anzio&hl=en
"...When the Allies renew the offensive on May 11, four corps are thrown forward - the U.S. II, the Polish II, the British XIII, and the French Expeditionary Force. The 12 attacking divisions face only 6 German divisions. While there is general progress all along the Gustav Line, it is the French who finally crack the line for good. On May 14, they break into the Ausente Valley and race toward the next German line; they hope to crack this line before the Germans can settle into their defensive positions. By May 16, only the Poles face determined resistance at Cassino; everywhere else the Germans are falling back to their next line of defense. The Poles finally capture the ruins of the monastery at Cassino on May 18..."

One of the great air aces of World War II was the Free French pilot Pierre Closterman, who had 33 confirmed kills and 23 probables, one of the very highest totals for any allied pilot in the European theater of war:
http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:fBJ7MSpR6iwJ:users.senet.com.au/~wingman/aces.html+pierre+closterman+ace+&hl=en

One of the great stories of World War II is that of the Free French pilots who volunteered to form squadrons of fighters within the Russian Army on the Eastern Front. Known as the "Normandie-Niemen", they racked up 236 kills of German planes with several more "probables". Their leader was Marcel Albert, who was given the highest Russia's highest military honor, "Hero Of The Soviet Union", which is the Russian equivalent of the Congressional Medal Of Honor.
http://www.frenkenstein.com/ww2/Normandy-Niemen/Normandie-Niemen.htm

Another famous incident in World War II involving the French was the battle of Gazala in North Africa, particularly that part of the battle known as the siege of Bir Hakeim. The Germans under Rommel fought a hard fight against the allies, including a major tank battle. The British were virtually routed. But the southern part of their defenses were held by two battalions of French Foreign Legion, one Regiment of Regular French Marines, and a collection of various French colonial troops. For 10 days, although heavily outnumbered by the Germans, they held off attack after attack and allowed the allies to escape to safety. It made the later victory at El Alamein possible. It is one of the proudest moments in the history of the French Foreign Legion, although other French units participated as well.
http://216.239.57.104/search?q=cache:iU_KESFuzS4J:www.ku.edu/carrie/specoll/AFS/4/d/4d4a1.html+bir+hakim+legion&hl=en