LIAR, LIAR

 Raconter des salades

dire des mensonges

Raconter des salades is a colloquialism which means in French dire des mensonges, or

to tell lies. 

Vocabulary

mentir: to lie, to dissimulate

un menteur, une menteuse: a liar

un mensonge: a lie

raconter: to tell

©2025 P. B. Lecron

MORNING DELIGHT

In the know morning walkers in Versailles like to stop for a cup of coffee at La Flotille, their general headquarters in the park of the Château. The iconic brasserie in a buculic setting along the Grand Canal charms clients with its late 19th-turn-of-the-century character.

Expression

QG: abbreviation for quartier général, or general headquarters

Dans le coup; au courant: in the know

See more about it, including an endearing resident cat dubbed Kitty Quatorze: Here Comes the Sun

©2025 P. B. Lecron

SOME FRENCH ZEN

A calm, modest sized city park typically described in French as japonisant in the heart of Reuil-Malmasion, the Parc d'Amitié. A happy spot to relax or read for lucky residents of this well-heeled western Parisian suburb. The term japonisant is used to describe an object, a work, or a food preparation which has been inpired by Japanese culture.

Vocabulary

aisé(e):  well-heeled, well-off, comfortable

un pont: a bridge

©2025 P. B. Lecron

UNIDENTIFIED FREE ARTIST

Every now and then I notice that the anonymous French mosaic tile artist known as Invader has affixed another one of his works on a Versailles wall. This recent one is on a building next to the parking area of the Gare Rive Droite, a train station in the city center. Though installing his quasi-permanent works on public and private property without permission may be punishable by law, there seems to be an attitude of tolerance, indeed de l'indulgence bon enfant toward this urban artist's mosaics. Originally inspired by the pixelation of the old Space Invaders arcade game, Invader has been at it for some 30 years and, according to an article posted by Christies, has works in 80 cities including Paris, New York, London, and Tokyo.

Vocabulary

bon enfant:  good natured, easy-going

©2025 P. B. Lecron

HOW TO SAY PARTY POOPER IN FRENCH

The look on the faces of these two family members will suffice to illustrate the French expression 

rabat-joie which translates to killjoy, party pooper, stick-in-the-mud, or any such adjective describing someone who casts gloom on or resists the fun.

©2025 P. B. Lecron

LEMON SUNSET ON THE SEINE

Look where dilettantism will lead you; I only paint on canvas once in a blue moon. When my son, above, asked me to paint something to hang on a bare wall in his apartment, Lemon Sunset on the Seine, or Coucher du Soleil Jaune Citron sur la Seine, emerged. It started out as a non-objective abstraction, but today I see it as a sort of scrapbook culmination of more than 40 years of living in France.

©2025 P. B. Lecron

STARING DOWN A MARTINI

This is an entry-level tip for social drinkers ordering a martini cocktail for the first time in a French bar:  if you ask for a martini you will likely be served a glass of Martini Rosso, which is a sweet red vermouth, rather than the classic martini--gin and dry vermouth garnished with an olive--that you were expecting. Be specific about what you want so that the vermouth brand, Martini, is not confused with the mixed drink.

The above photo was taken looking straight down into a martini cocktail.

©2025 P. B. Lecron

A LENTIL WITH A PEDIGREE

Prized by chefs

Cooperative building in Puy-en-Velay

Photo courtesy of Ian Byrd

It's the darling of the Haute-Loire and the favorite lentil in France--la lentille verte du Puy.

Grown high upon the volcanic plateaus of Velay in France's Massif Central, the compact, shiny, dark-green marbled lentil has been cultivated for more than 2000 years. The lentil plants' exposition to cold, heat, and hydric stress at high altitudes accelerates the seeds' maturation process--conditions that give them their characteristically small size, fine skin, texture, and flavor.

In 1996 it became the first legume to enter the closed and prestigious circle of A.O.C. label bearers, which until then had been the exclusive reserve of French wines and cheeses. The A.O.C. label--an acronym for appellation d'origine controllée, is a governmental guarantee that a traditional food product, specific to a defined geographical area, meets strict standards of quality, origin, and conditioning. A sort of pedigree, if you will.

What sets the green lentil of Puy apart from its more humble cousins--the brown, red, or blond varieties?

It has deeper flavor and retains its shape and color when cooked, making it ideal for salads.

Neither fertilizers nor irrigation are used in this hardy plant's cultivation. And, because it fixes nitrogen in the ground it's used in crop rotation to naturally enrich the soil. It's an all-round great and sustainable source of proteins, minerals, and fiber.

©2025 P. B. Lecron

NAPOLEONIC INFLUENCE

One of the more memorable statues of Napoleon Bonaparte symbolising his impact on the world. 

The work is in le Parc de l'Amitié, a park in the city center of Reuil-Malmaison. Napoleon's first wife, Josephine, owned an extravagantly decorated château in Reuil-Maison, which today is a museum and considered to be a "destination" for history buffs fascinated by the life of Napoleon Bonaparte. 

Reuil-Malmaison is about 20 kilometers west of Paris.

©2025 P. B. Lecron

 

RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT TIME

A light breeze swept up this peacock's tail feathers to create a very singular fanning out of its plumage.

With the rose garden in full bloom of the Parc Bagatelle as a backdrop, we felt we were at the right place at the right time to snap this photo. Bois de Bologne, Paris.

Expression

Le bon endroit au bon moment: right place, right time

©2025 P. B. Lecron

OH, FLACK IT!

More street-art photo-ops

The activity is called flacking, a creative and street-artsy way to repair cracks and shallow holes in sidewalks with mosaic tiles. The above is undoubtedly the work of a French urban artist and ceramicist known as Ememem. He has been fastidiously leaving his mark on pedestrian ways in France and Europe, but mostly in Lyon in Paris, since 2016. His cheerful works are generally welcomed so that now Ememem has the support of local cultural organisations.

The reparations seem to be in the spirit of the traditional Japanese art of kintsugi in which a broken porcelain or cermamic object is decoratively pieced back together and given new life. In the practice of kintsugi the fissures are painted with gold powder to highlight them, making esthetic what had once been broken. And so goes flacking. It's a happy event to look down at the pavement and discover that the scarred, gray asphalt beneath one's feet has been, so to speak, reinvented with a pretty, polychromatic touch. I randomly happened upon this example near the Musée de Cluny in Paris. There are so many more.

©2025 P. B. Lecron

REMEMBERING MISS.TIC

 A carefully preserved stencil created by the sensual and poetic street artist Miss.Tic. 

Her civil name was Radhia Aounallah (1956-2022).  

We happened upon this stencil in the 8th arrondissement on our way to the elegant Parc Monceau. From 1985 onward, the legendary Miss.Tic became the darling and a pioneer of Parisian graffiti street artists. Her pithy stencils grew to be some of the most sought after in the category of local urban art--on the streets and in galleries. Her career as an artist evolved from the early days of illegitimately "defacing" property to having her works sought after by businesses for commercial purposes. Even the Victoria and Albert Museum in London acquired one her pieces. It's worth mentioning for philatelic fans that the French postal service issued a series of 12 stamps bearing her auto-portraits and epigrams. Rest in peace, Miss.Tic.