Quoi de neuf: Special Guest at Thursday's Open House, House in Sunny Languedoc, and More

Quoi de neuf / Infolettre

Cyrano Coming Soon to Portland

Edmond Rostand's Cyrano, translated from the French by Michael Hollinger, comes to the Main Stage at Portland Center Stage (the Gerding Theater at the Armory) from April 4 to May 3. Set in 17th century France,

the classic romantic comedy tells the story of a great swordsman with a beautiful soul, who is handicapped by a huge nose that makes him believe he is incapable of being loved. Filled with swordplay and wordplay, Cyrano is beloved for its affirmation of love, friendship and the power of a well-developed sense of humor. Suitable for ages 10 and up. Click here for more information; to save $10 on adult tickets, use promo code "ALLIANCE" online or through the box office at 503.445.3700 (12 p.m.-6 p.m. daily).

Special Guest at Thursday's Open House

Special guest at this Thursday's quarterly open house will be Philippe Garcia, owner of Philippe's Bread on N. Williams, one of the latest successes in the ChefStable Group. Originally from Lyon where he connected 10 years ago with ChefStable owner Kurt Huffman, Philippe focuses on quality and flavor, using the natural starter, levain, for all his recipe. Look for samples and chat with Philippe at the Open House, which is also the deadline for saving 10% off Spring classes. Visit the website for all the 10-week term's listings or click here for adult classes and here for children's classes. Finally, click here for workshops that will be held during the 2-week intersession (March 16-28). Interested in what recent students had to say about their experience in Alliance classes? Click here for extracts from the most recent survey.

Belle maison avec piscine et grand jardin

Alliance member Clara Steiner-Jay owns a home that she rents out in the Languedoc area of France, known for its great weather, historic sites and its huge wine industry. The

home is fully booked this summer with the exception of June 20 to July 18. This private home features a pool and garden, and is in a wine-growing village (Embres-et-Castelmaure, near Perpignan), a quick drive to the Mediterranean. Click here for photos and details; email the owner directly; 10% off for Alliance members, additional discount for reservations of more than one week. An Alliance member who stayed there recently recommends it strongly, describing the home as, "Lovely and ideal in every way."

PSU Film Festival Coming Next Month

The Alliance is pleased to promote PSU's 4th Annual Film Festival at the 5th Avenue Cinema (123 Hall Street in downtown Portland). The

films are shown over two weekends (Friday through Sunday). The films on Friday and Saturday start at 7:30 p.m. and the Sunday films are at 2 p.m. Admission to all the films is free to the public on a space-available basis. The schedule is: Friday, 4/17 - Augustine; Saturday, 4/18 - Camille Claudel 1915; Sunday, 4/19 - Quai d'Orsay; Friday, 4/24 - Jimmy P.; Saturday, 4/25 - Elle s'en va ; Sunday, 4/26 - La Baie des Anges. All the films are in French and are subtitled. Note that on Friday, April 17 at 6 p.m. the Alliance will provide a complimentary pre-show reception for the film-goers.

Fall Tour of Bordeaux, Cognac & Dordogne

Alliance member Maxine Borcherding, co-founder of the Taste and Compare Academy (the licensed provider of the French Wine Scholar

program in Oregon and SW Washington) and Lead Chef Instructor at the Oregon Culinary Institute, will lead a small-group tour (maximum 20 people) to France this fall. The tour, from September 20-27, will focus on historic as well as food- and wine-oriented highlights in Bordeaux, Cognac and the Dordorgne, with day trips from two home bases (Bordeaux and Sarlat-la-Canéda) to avoid frequent packing and moving between hotels. For tour pricing (which includes lodging, in-country transport, tasting and admission fees, breakfasts and lunches, an opening reception and a farewell dinner) and a detailed itinerary, click here. Email Maxine directly with questions.

Dates to Remember

March 16-28: Intersession Workshops (2 weeks)

March 30: Spring Term Begins (10 weeks)

April 4: Cyrano Begins at Portland Center Stage

April 17: PSU 3rd Annual French Film Festival - Opening Night Reception

Quick Web Links

Intersession term runs March 16-28. Spring Term starts March 30.

Conversation

Groups

Some are hosted by Alliance staff, board members or other volunteers. Drop-ins welcome; membership is encouraged but not required.

NW, N, or Central

St Honoré on NW Thurman on

Wed., 6pm, Mar. 18

Philippe's Bread on N. Williams on Sat., Apr. 4 for B2/C1 levels (advanced, fluent)

SE Portland

At Chez Machin, Mon., Apr. 13, at 7p.m.

At Vie de Bohème weekly on Sundays, 4-5:30 p.m.

Vancouver

At Gustav's in Vancouver, Tues., Apr. 7 at 5:30 p.m.

Alliance Partners

Perrier

Higgins Prix-Fixe Menu, More about the Moquette, and Member Announcements

More about la moquette: The most popular item in the previous bulletin was the article about the

PDX airport carpet. Readers wondered, however, what the title (A Portland, la moquette ne se fume pas) means. Our teachers explain that the title means, literally, that the carpet is not for smoking (as in drugs, hashish, marijuana). It relates to an expression, "fumer la moquette," which is explained very well on this website.

Another $29 Prix-Fixe Menu Recommendation:

We're hearing from members about their favorite $29 prix-fixe three-course menus at French-inspired restaurants around town. In the previous bulletin we shared Heathman's menu. Members also recommend Higgins' menu - remember that the $29 promotion is only valid for the month of March!

St Honoré Conversation Group: The Alliance is still seeking volunteers to host the St Honoré conversation group

(the one on NW Thurman) once per month. The group meets twice per month, so a possibility could be two hosts that take turns hosting. Email info@afportland.org. All levels of French are acceptable.

Third Annual French Fest in Seattle: If your travels take you to Seattle this month, keep an eye out for the 3rd Annual French Fest at the Seattle Center on March 22, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; it's free and open to the public. Festival-goers will listen to live music, watch dance performances, attend the first French Fashion Show in Seattle, taste international cuisine, learn from informative seminars and cooking demonstrations, and enjoy a day full of fun activities en français! The event is jointly organized by the nonprofit France Education Northwest (FEN), the FACC PNW, the French Consular Agency, and all the French-speaking community groups from around the Puget Sound area. Click here for more info. Shown here at the right is Olivier, the event's Master of Ceremonies.

Recalling a Favorite: Occasionally we re-publish a favorite link from earlier bulletins. Here's a popular one that has a handy interactive map of France, showing how many cheek kisses are "typical" to each region. Click here.

Terroir Presentation: An audience of close to 25 enjoyed the Terroir Presentation at the Kamm House on March 6. The event (shown in the photo at right) attracted Alliance members interested in the development of the French wine industry, as well as PSU students and others. Merci to the presenter, Joseph Bohling (Assistant Professor of History at PSU) and to Alliance member Kris Kern for her help in laying the groundwork for the event.

French West Indies Presentation: Click here for a few photos from the March 13 presentation of author Timothy Williams. Note that his books will be available for sale at the Alliance through March 20.

La Fête de Rostand: In conjunction with the run of the show, Cyrano, at the Gerding Theater at the Armory, Portland Center Stage will hold a festival of "all things French" on Sunday, April 26 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the lobby, between the matinee and evening performances. The event will feature specialty cocktails, French press coffee, champagne and pastries, as well as local musicians performing in French (including Portland favorite, Eric John Kaiser).

Leave your Selfie-Stick at Home: Terry Beard of Infogentsia kindly alerts us to a new development at Paris major museums which involves the likely banning of selfie-sticks such as the one shown here. Click here for the article explaining why, which is in English on France 24.

Intersession Workshops - a varied sampling of short classes are available in the next two weeks (March 16 -28). It's not too late to sign up for those. Click here for the list and call the Alliance office to enroll.

This infolettre is copyrighted by the Alliance Française of Portland.

Contact info@afportland.org for permission to re-use.

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