Rémy the rat and Americans in Paris

   

Rémy the rat is doing exceedingly well in France. Hollywood's big animated films are usually popular here but Ratatouille, Pixar studio's tale about a Parisian rat with a talent for haute cuisine, is breaking records. It has topped the box office for the two weeks since it scored the biggest-opening day for an animated film in France. This has got me thinking about the long tradition of Franco-American mutual admiration.

The audience in my cinema at the Porte Maillot gave Ratatouille a standing ovation the other night after the finale, in which Rémy triumphs with a message that echoes the can-do doctrines of President Sarkozy: If you work hard, you will prosper. Even a lowly rat can become a gastronomic celebrity

The film, for all its technical prowess, is of course another a feel-good Disney about a cute rodent and its sensibility is all American. Yet something in the film has touched a Gallic nerve.

I wrote about Ratatouille in the paper and you can see from the quotes that it has performed the feat of entrancing high-brow critics as well as movie-goers.

Le Monde's fastidious reviewer called it "one of the greatest gastronomic films in the history of the cinema."  Télérama, a serious entertainment weekly, delivered an encomium that invoked Marcel Proust among others.

 

That magazine also put its finger on why the film, for all its Hollywood sentiment, is doing even better, relatively, in France than in its US home. It compared it with Vincent Minelli's American in Paris, starring Gene Kelly. In other words, Ratatouille is part of the old tradition of American celebrations of France. We're back to the US love affair with Paris after all those Hollywood French bad guys and the Simpsons' cheese-eating surrender monkeys.

As Sarko has been saying during his New Hampshire holiday, America and France have admired one-another for much longer than they have been adversaries. American artists have long paid homage to Paris. Think of Henry James, Hemingway and Faulkner, Miles Davis and Duke Ellington. The mutual influence in film has been immense and Hollywood has often picked French subjects -- like Gigi and the recent Moulin Rouge. Paris has been the backdrop of countless American films. One of my favourites is Stanley Donen's 1963 Charade, with Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant. US influence was strong in the French nouvelle vague of the 60s, starting with Jean-Luc Godard's A Bout de Souffle which starred Jean Seaberg along with Jean-Paul Belmondo.

[Grant and Hepburn in Charade] 

Like those movies, Ratatouille presents an idealized American Paris, where the men sport berets and pencil moustaches and everyone drives ancient Citroens. The film scores because it does the feel and detail of Paris so well and is meticulous about the haute cuisine business. It is far from the rough caricature of the Da Vinci Code or the recent remake of The Pink Panther. Watching the French language version feels right because Pixar made the characters' mouths move in a French way to go with their accents. The French like seeing themselves through American eyes and they forgive the caricature when it is done with affection.

That takes us to the phenomenon of the Americans who make it bigger in France than at home. The list is long, going back at least to Edgar Allan Poe, who has been revered in France since Charles Baudelaire translated him in the mid 19th century. Jerry Lewis was considered high art in France and Woody Allen is deemed one of the great auteurs. Sharon Stone is also taken seriously. 

The biggest case at the moment is Douglas Kennedy. The latest novel by the American writer, The Woman in the Fifth, is one of the hits of the year in France, selling nearly half a million so far. It is doing quite well in Britain and elsewhere too, but not in America, where Kennedy is not published. Time magazine recently called him "the most successful American novelist America doesn't know."

I've just read the book, as well as Temptation, Kennedy's previous novel, and tried to understand why France adores him. In English, it is yet another American in Paris tale, with clunky writing and cardboard characters. Inspector Coutard the police inspector is pure Inspector Clouseau. The plot moves briskly but ends with a bizarre cop-out.

France loves it, I suspect, partly because translation softens the wooden style and especially because it mixes genres in a Gallic way. You don't know if it is a thriller, a policier noir or a ghost story. I realised towards the end why it felt familiar. The formula was straight from Poe, whose macabre, mystical tales made him one of France's favourite Americans. Kennedy, I discovered, acknowledges that Poe was a model for the book, along with the late Georges Simenon, of Maigret fame.

Okay, Poe is a long way from Rémy the Rat. I'm sure that learned readers of this blog can come up with examples and a more elegant explanation of the Franco-American fan-club.

Comments

[Robert Marchenoir]

I have a French friend who is an accomplished cook. One of her young nephews has now taken to call her "Ratatouille".

[Daniel Strohl]

Robert,

My wife is also an accomplished cook, but I wouldn't dare to call her "Ratatouille" !

[Sandrine]

"Sharon Stone is also taken seriously"

Oh really ? wow I learn something everyday on this blog... ;o)

[terry]

Charles said:

"This has got me thinking about the long tradition of Franco-American mutual admiration."

Mutual admiration? I always believe that Americans love for France/Paris was unrequited. Where are the French movies about the french traveling to america and sampling what we have to offer? (Sarkozy recently gave us his "reality" version with unfortunate results). Who are the French who come to America to make it big? Claude Raines was english, I believe.

These movies about uncultured Americans traveling to Paris to discover (ironically) a "new world" have become almost trite. I am sure the French love them because it strokes French pride in their culture. (I believe pride is a virtue, not a vice). An American rat comes to paris to sample the food and loves Paris. Another american uncultured colonist finds light in the City of Light. The French stand and cheer in the theater. We still are a world power. Ho hum.

This American rat visited Paris for the first time this summer. $7 cokes and 75 euro chickens was my, albeit limited, experience. I thought the food in Paris was good but not overwhelming. Perhaps, I should have eaten where Ratatouille did. Tuscany is still the best.

I suspect the writers who write this stuff really feel America is unsophisticated and uncultured (whatever that is), maybe because we dont have large piles of stone with moats around them.

I find it most fascinating who does make it France. Jerry Lewis considered high art? Perhaps, we need to re-examine the notion that France leads the world in taste. I wonder what drew the French too him. Woody Allen's underlying theme in every movie seems to be his depression of living life with only one woman.

BTW: Having traveled throughout Europe, I have noticed that people tend to smile less than in the U.S. Perhaps, they are not happy to see me. But there seems to be a moroseness or malaise among Europeans. Some used the term "world weariness" on this blog.

[Donald]

I agree with Sandrine's comments. This movie strokes the French satisfaction with themselves; that is why it is a success. Where are the French movies about French people coming to America to find something good in the U.S.? Precious few of them. (Cecille Sarkozy - as an example of the highly cultured Europeans,couldn't find the 2 - 3 hours to have lunch with the U.S. President and his extended family.)

The "Franco-American fan-club" that Charles speaks of is way over done. One has only to remember how often "Americanization" was used as an epithet in the recent French elections to realize how deep seated the anti-American sentiment is in France. If this sounds paranoid, you have only to read Jean Francois Revel's - member of the Academie Francaise and former editor of L'Express - "L'obsession anti-americaine" (the book in English is titled simply "Anti-Americansim") to see how deep rooted the dislike of America is.

The snooty condescension of Europeans towards America is endless. One can see it in Charles' article with such phrases as "The film, for all its technical prowess, is of course another feel-good Disney about a cute rodent" or "the film, for all its Hollywood sentiment". We are told that the American author Douglas Kennedy's novel is "yet another American in Paris tale" (the world weary European) with "clunky writing and cardboard characters" but that it redeems itself because "translation softens the wooden style and especially because it mixes genres in a Gallic way." In other words, it redeems itself due to the fact that it is translated into a foreign language and "mixes genres in a Gallic way". This is probably one of the very few times that a translation from the original beats the original in quality. Would that all successful American authors could have their writings improved by putting them in a foreign language and include lots of Gallic sensibilities! In explaining why American films and books are so successful throughout the world, could it possibly have anything to do with American sensibilities despite the "Hollywood" and "Disney" condescending labels? Just wondering.

[rocket]

Terry

If you want a good example of how the French love to be loved by Americans, please rent the movie French Kiss (1995)with Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline with a great supporting role from Jean Reno at the beginning of his international career.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113117/

This movie of course was heavily financed by Canal + which is a French television and film production company.

It's about an American who hates Paris at the beginning but she is so in awe of her new found French friend (Kevin Kline) that she falls in love (of course) and decides to stay.

It's what the French call stroking the hair in the right direction. (caresser quelqu'un dans le sens du poil)

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=108262

The French love it and if you know how to do it you can get pretty much what you want.

For example I have never paid 75€ for a chicken.

I'll rent buy "ratatouille" when it comes out in DVD as I don't do French cinemas.

PS - I agree with you. I love Italian food and it's simple and not complicated and overly expensive as is French food(albeit good also)

[Sandrine]

"I agree with Sandrine's comments."

Those comments weren't from me but from Terry. Rendons donc a Cesar ce qui lui appartient...

[colin grayson`]

henry james liked paris so much he ended up adopting british nationality
am I missing something here?

[Monika]

My impression is that French are in fact very interested in how others see their country but I, too, have realized that they want to have affirmation of how they see their country themselves.
In the beginning I was sufficiently naive to answer honestly their question about how I see France. Until I realized that every time I said something less positive (though taking care to give a positive view just afterwards) they almost turned away from me.
Only once did I experience a joining in and even resulting in the French telling me jokes about France and the French.
Sometimes it happens that they, realizing that I am a foreigner, give a negative account on France but not rarely I simply have the impression that they want hear me denying this.

[Juliette]

Terry, what drew France to Jerry Lewis is his support for téléthon and fight against Muscular Dystrophy Association (he hosted the 1987 and 1991 editions), not his acting skills (I've never seen a film of him, so I can't say whether he is funny or not).

[Valentin]

"Having traveled throughout Europe, I have noticed that people tend to smile less than in the U.S"

I remember a scene from Julie Delpy's "Before Sunset" when her character was speaking about her stay in New York and how astonished she was to see people greeting each other with a Hollywood smile and a "How're ya doin'? Great! And you? GRRREAT !".

Maybe we're just realistic (or politically incorrect :) ) enough not to pretend everything is juuust fine :)

[Valentin]

"In explaining why American films and books are so successful throughout the world, could it possibly have anything to do with American sensibilities"

Probably so, but even more with the American marketing machine.
Paris bookstores are half-filled by american authors, just like cinemas boil with Hollywood productions. Granted many are good quality, but I suspect it is more about conquering the market.
Newsweek's last issue was focusing on universities. I couldn't help notice the logic throughout it all was about competition and market share, backed tons and tons of numbers. At some point it got tiresome and I had to stop reading.
Bill Gates' Microsoft is another classical example of average quality brilliantly marketed.

[Monika]

Mh.
I remember having been to Vancouver once and when I arrived (or was it when I left? I can't remember) at the airport I strolled through a shop and the shop keeper asked me: "Oh, how are you today?"

Now: if she had said: "Oh, how are you?"

But no, she asked how I felt TODAY!

Now that is some sort of funny.

How did she know how I felt yesterday? Or the day before ...

[Robert Marchenoir]

Terry, maybe you should stop embarrassing yourself by constantly bringing up this 75 € chicken and 7 € Coke story of yours.

Managing to pay 75 € for chicken in Paris in a restaurant not remotely known for its cooking excellence, but rather for its snobbish appeal (La Closerie des Lilas, since you mentioned the place some time ago) only shows that you are willing to let yourself be ripped off, or that you are not able to do some simple research to come up with one of the hundreds of vastly cheaper and better existing restaurants.

I'm afraid that does not look very good for a lawyer.

Unless you are deliberately distorting reality by a 100% factor, in order to spruce up your anti-French prejudice.

The price list available on the Closerie web site has the "géline" (that, I reckon, is the pompous name for your chicken) at 75 € all right, but for two people.

http://www.closeriedeslilas.net/closerie_fr.html

I know lawyers are expected to lie -- a bit -- to support their case, but their lies are not supposed to be so easy to debunk.

As for Coke, what do you expect if you insist on ordering some sweetened black water that's way overpriced even when you buy it from the supermarket?

If you want something cheaper and better, you could consider doing as the Romans do when in Rome, and order a glass of wine. There are plenty of restaurants where 7 € would have filled your glass with something very nice.

And of course, the vast majority of Parisians who insist on Coke never pay 7 € for a glass of it.

[terry]

Rocket:

I saw and forgot about French Kiss. My wife made me watch it with her. Do men in France have to watch "girlie" movies with their wives even if they have two t.v. sets? I get the "but then we are not together answer" when I try to go in the other room to watch the end of my program. And off goes the last hour of "The Good, the bad and the Ugly".

You are right. French Kiss did have that sensibility you speak of. I did not know that it was financed by the French. The French might like to be kissed, but they are ungrateful lovers who don't reciprocate. It makes me feel like doing what Maggie contemplated during one swim session, if you get my drift.

[terry]

I still kind of stuck on the "mutual" part of the Franco-American fan club. As you know, I am not very learned and am never elegant. I been struggling to find some recent examples that aptly demonstrate the affection the French have for us Americans. De Villepin comes to mind. But, I don't think that was what Charles had in mind. Jacques Cousteau, well, he never really came to america. He spent all of his time under water. Certainly no sports stars. As a kid, we had season tickets to the Cosmos-the team Pele went to in America. We had beckenbauer (german), neejskins (dutch and my favorite player of alltime), carlos alberto (brazil), steve hunt (english) bogivitch (czech I think), Georgio Chinaglia (Italian). Hmm. what country is missing? Julie Delpy was sort of a flash in the pan here. Never a big star. Same with Julie Binoche (whatever). I cant think of any French movies that show France's love affair with America. I know the French are awfully fond of McDonald's from what I have read. (You might as well burn our flag when you throw chairs through McDonald's windows). I've run into very few french tourists here. Sandrine says nice things about America. But she doesnt count. (hehe)

BTW: So what if Donald said he agreed with you. Take accolades whenever you can.

[azloon]

CB/others:

i read your blog story early this am before golf (i shot a 90, even for the par 5s, thanks for asking!!), and am now reading the first responses. my thoughts while 'ruining a good walk' (title of a great golf book) were that you had handed us an inivitation to a lovefest, americans fondly recalling their first memories of something french, and the french doing the same, all this deliberately set up by you to assist, even temporarily, in softening the bitchy (ok CB?) tone which has developed of late.

AND WHAT DO I FIND WHEN I GET BACK??? surprise, the same people who were here before, perhaps even a little crankier than usual.

i mean, WHERE IS THE LOVE, Brother ????? "can't we all just get along" -- to quote the famous drug-crazed american crackhead rodney king?

the gist of these comments so far seems to be, first from americans: what have YOU done for US lately (i.e. since de toqueville)?? incidentally, it is very american to ask what others have done for us lately (or to think it secretly).

and from the french: the only reason we appear to enjoy anything americans are offering or selling is because either it flatters us, or americans are cramming it down out throats.

wow, some lovefest.

i suggest the ties which bind us are stronger than these comments suggest. they are somewhat reminiscent of an old marriage where insults have become ingrained in the fabric of the coupleship. no one seems to go anywhere after being insulted. they just gather their thoughts for next "gotcha." i have often thought that the americans and the french are more alike than either would like to believe.

we love to hear french thinkers/writers say nice things about us and the french the same from americans. since these things occur infrequently, it seems to offer some higher proof of their vaildity. so, i'd postulate that we're mutually sensititve. touchiness is our common bond.

my story: my wonderful mother was a small-town girl from central illinois (US) who yearned for a sophisticated life, with glamour, culture and away from the stultifyingly churchy atmosphere of her little town. so she travelled north to chicago, enrolled at the u. of chicago, lived in the "french house," a dormitory where all american students had to speak french. my mother loved french people without reservation, french culture and all they represented mostly in her imagination. for her, french culture was clearly superior to her own though she never visited france (england, yes). she tried to pass on this francophilia to me, even to the extent of writing me letters (written correspondance delivered by post) in french while i was off the at university (my roomates thought she was a bit daft).

anyway, some this stuff from my mother stuck, and i still find myself interested in things french. (i don't think my father, a newspaper editor, ever uttered the word 'france' in his entire life, such was his abiding interest).

cross-cultural note: as i write this, i am listening to to the incomparable tina turner from my itunes library singing "addicted to love," performed before a wildly screaming french audience in paris several years ago. it pains me to think that the french might have had to subsist on a diet of johnny halliday (sp?) if it weren't for american culture.

i'll finish with une bouche for france: when i was a troubled kid (i am now a troubled adult), i LOVED french cinema. it made me feel like someone in the world knew how people really felt, in particular me. american movies were pap, and largely still are.

si, je t'aime, LA FRANCE, cecilia s. et toutes les autres choses.

i am now listening to the great old 50s tune, 'get a job," by the silhouettes. i send it out, golden oldies style, to all the french who are un- or underemployed and who soon will face the wrath of sarko, while i play golf and surf the net.

cheers

:)

[Valentin]

"I suspect the writers who write this stuff really feel America is unsophisticated and uncultured (whatever that is), maybe because we dont have large piles of stone with moats around them."
---

I suppose they (Disney etc.) rather feel Paris is a symbol of gastronomy, elegance and luxury. That is Paris' label, should you ask everywhere in the world. You could put there an Indian rat, it would have worked just the same. Everybody comes to Paris for the class and the old walls. Rome is a world symbol for its Vatican and the Sixtine Chapel, London for the City and the Big Ben, Los Angeles for its Hollywood, Beijing for the Forbidden City... nothing derogatory, it's about symbols.

"The snooty condescension of Europeans towards America is endless."
---

Every time, and I mean each and every time a French actor - not that makes it at Hollywood, but IS SEEN in a movie, all French media present it as a great accomplishment.
American movie stars from Fred Astaire to Bruce Willis are just as big in Europe as they are in the US.
And it's not only about movies. Parker, the NBA player of French origin, is a huge star in France and his performance considered outstanding because NBA is THE temple of basketball.

Just to say there is condescension but one should not generalize. Value is recognized as such on both sides of the pond.

[KICK]

"BTW: Having traveled throughout Europe, I have noticed that people tend to smile less than in the U.S. Perhaps, they are not happy to see me."

I don't know, Terry, what do you look like? :-)

Seriously now: other people, other customs. Britons tend to use the handshake much less than, say, the French. Does that mean they're afraid of catching tuberculosis from you? Of course not. Thoroughly knowing the foreign lands you visit takes time and effort and, if you have an open mind, you never stop learning.

[azloon]

"Terry, what drew France to Jerry Lewis is his support for téléthon and fight against Muscular Dystrophy Association (he hosted the 1987 and 1991 editions), not his acting skills (I've never seen a film of him, so I can't say whether he is funny or not). "
Juliette

Juliette, you're too young to remember how popular lewis was in france. he received the legion d'honneur and numerous other highbrow artsy awards in france. these were for his "art" not his MDA work as far as i know (i can recall vaguely some of the wording in the award presentations).

lucky you, tho. since you haven't seen any of his comedies, i suggest you just take my word for it: they're dreadful.

it was probably your parents and their friends (ask them) who thought lewis was so wonderful. so if you think your parents are geeky and hopelessly out of touch, this will be great ammunition to use against them.

it was an aspect of france most americans couldn't comprehend. and it made us(me) realize there were differences in our cultures that could never be adequately explained.

perhaps, future dna experimentation will uncover this mystery. :)

[Thomas James]

1. Jim Harisson is another one of those American authors who seems to be more popular in French translation than in the original.

2. Yves Berger's «Dictionnaire amoureux de l'Amérique» is a 550 page compendium of everything there is to love about the United States from a French point of view. It won the Renaudot Non-Fiction Prize in 2003.

[christopher muir]

Ratatouille certainly looks like a charming movie. A welcome change from the usual rat-tat-tat of AK47s. (There’s a generous 10 minute clip of Ratatouille available on YouTube,)

The film could well add to a resurfacing warmth between France and the US. Perhaps its small, engaging leading man could next star in an animation about Remy paying a visit to New York.

On matters bookish, I recall once having a conversation with a Frenchman while waiting for an international flight. We discussed American writers and it took me some time to realise that when he spoke of the "great Poay" he meant Poe, but we could both be excused for the confusion because we're not all Americans...well, not yet, anyway.

[Huan]

75€ a chicken? (while 5€ the coke in a restaurant is quite common)

So what's the point? You had been once in an expensive restaurant and you conclued that is all the same in the City?

Well i guess you can have this kind of price in an outprice restaurant in NY or London too?

If you want you can have chicken for 6€ in a KFC with the coke.

[Valentin]

"I cant think of any French movies that show France's love affair with America."

The Visitors 3 with Jean Reno and Christian Clavier.
French movies are quite ignored in the States though.

[terry]

Robert:

If you really wanna do some research, I said in some prior posts that my wife and I split the chicken. That is still about a $125 for two. I also pointed out that American chickens, like American tourists, are much plumper than their counterparts. We were recommended to go by a Parisien who works with my wife. I did say my experience was limited so their is no reason to get yourself all worked up. As for wine, I do not drink alcohol. Ice tea is really my poison. We ate lunch in cafes filled with Parisiens. The cokes were basically the same price. The real point, Robert, is that I found the food good in Paris but not great. And ridicously expensive.

The point about food in France is not that it's expensive or not. It's just that if you really want the best restaurants in the world, you can actually go there.
(Well, it seems that the best is now in spain but still, Paris is home of great chefs.)
But then, epect to pay more than 125$ each for you dinner.

[Terry]

Valentin:

The Visitors 3? I will try to find it.

[pierre]

I am a student at one of Paris' most prestigious grande école (university). As third year students, my classmates and I are required to study oversees. 75% of us are heading to the USA. I can't speak for the rest of you, but us students are definitely in love with what America has to offer.

[Thomas V.]

All right Terry, here are a couple of artists who contributed to build America's reputation.

Marcel Duchamp opened a new era in modern art, by submitting his "Fountain" to an american art jury. He definitely brought sthg to NY's reputation in terms of art, and allowed works such as Pollock's and co.

Blaise Cendrars wrote the "Paques à New York" while a tramp in NY ; this long and excellent poem is deemed as a landmark in poetry, as it is one of the first occurrencies of what would be called modernism. Dos Passos was a big fan of Cendrars, who also wrote about California ("l'Or") and worked for american cinema studios.

There's a designer named Raymond Loewy, whom you might have never heard of but who designed several emblematic item, such as the 53 Studebaker. he also worked for numerous american companies worldwide famous, such as Lucky Strike, Hoover, Greyhound or even Coca-Cola.

I think that if you are somehow interested in basket-ball, you may have heard of Tony Parker (who's french).

Yves Bonnefoy, our most aknowledged living poet, taught in the US, just as Le Clézio did (he's a famous and talented novelist).
But you'll find many french teachers in american universities anyway, contributing to its excellence. (for a critical review of this cliché, see Roth's novel "The Human Stain")

Isn't Jean Reno a perfect villain for any movie? (ie, godzilla for instance)

And the Art Deco style, that is closely associated to many scryscrapers (including the Chrysler Building, an internationally recongnized landmark) was an international movement in both art and architecture, but was born in France (and Belgium), around folks such as Guimard. It became big in the US in the thirties, but thats's just a consequence of it being international and of the concomitant rise of America.

And need I mention the Statue de la Liberté ?

There are many others who could be added to the list, I just won't type for hours and hours.
You'll notice anyhow that many of them bring a twisted cntribution to America's fame : Duchamp started with his joke the theory dead-end art is now in, for instance. Cendrars had a weird relationship with nationalities (he'd always say he was Swiss, even though he had nothing to do with that country as soon as being 17). Many of the guys I've told about either used America as a land of freedom, compared to a French territory they'd see as stubborn and narrow-minded (but the opposite would be true as well : Jim Morrison, Pound...). And many others saw it as a way to
And listing celebrities (who may remain rather oscure to many people while appearing as references to many other) is certainly no way to demonstrate a French love affair for the USA. in fact, whatever your nationality is there would always be an Irish guy who'd come and produce a longer list.

Furthermore, you can't imagine how America is a model for most of French youth : the upper class teens dream about studying in a US university. The business students dream of creating companies in the US. Urban culture owes everything to Ny (and LA) hip-hop culture, who's still a great exemple for many of them. And I know loads of youngsters, from 15 to 30, who wish to visit/have visited/are about to visit the USA.

We may have load Gallic pride and narcissism, but I'd say the USA are one among the few countries we do admire. (we also love hating it, but that's another question ; cf the Cecilia affair)

[Thomas V.]

Hum, sorry, probably forgot to end a sentence or perhaps was it erased by some supranatural entity.

And many others saw it as a way to... achieve their own goals (ie fame), without working for the US in particular.

[Terry]

Thomas:

Your points are well taken. I did not know that many French students want to come to the U.S.A. to study. That is praise indeed. I do know that a number of French nannies come here. They don't make much. So they must be coming to see the U.S. I guess maybe my point is that if France does love the U.S., it's not so readily apparent.

P.S. I wished France kept Art Deco to itself.

[Ros]

Clicking on the link http://www.allocine.fr/video/player_gen_cmedia=18730581&cfilm=46211.html
I found a choice of 15 videos of "Ratouille", much better than You Tube.

[azloon]

"in fact, whatever your nationality is there would always be an Irish guy who'd come and produce a longer list." Thomas V.

are you speaking of our Frank, or is this a slur against the irish race?

if the latter, i resemble, i mean i resent, it very much.

[Daniel Strohl]

I have seen the film today - technically, it is perfect and very funny too.

I am not a movie amateur - may be the last I have seen (in a cinema, not on TV of course) was about 30 years ago ! Therefore I was rather stunned to sit mid in the action; the many powerful loudspeakers all around are very impressive too; thanks to this new technology (for me, of course ...) , and in spite of my hearing problem, I got almost every single word.

Let me, as a competitor for the Most Pedantic Blogger Award organized by Charles, however point out a small translation error : the sign (enseigne in French) of the restaurant is "Gusteau's" - this is not usual - normally it should have been "chez Gusteau". However, it is also possible that this has been made on purpose for American viewers.

Charles,

"I'm sure that learned readers of this blog can come up with examples and a more elegant explanation of the Franco-American fan-club".

This happened indeed, with great talent.

[Thomas V.]

It definitely is not a slur ; I just do believe whatever has been achieved by the Irish in the last centuries was often done from abroad, especially in the US (considering the high number of emigrants going there). I heard about 20% of american had Irish roots, so it'd be very logical if many great things, contributing to America's glory, had been achieved by Irish-Americans, thats all.
And I know Irish pride !
Dont they consider JFK as one of the great Irish successes? ;-)

[KICK]

"I guess maybe my point is that if France does love the U.S., it's not so readily apparent."

It does, Terry, on its own terms, but if you need 'readily apparent', there's the annual Festival de Musique Country in Mirande, SW France. Take a look:

http://www.country-musique.com/index.html

[azloon]

THOMAS V.

"Dont they consider JFK as one of the great Irish successes? ;-)"

yes, unless you are, or were then, a conservative republican WASP.

JFK was the first great public irish-american figure (and catholic to boot). but many americans had a similar reaction to him as to his latter-day 'wannabe,' william jefferson clinton ('just call me bill'). when JFK's sexual dalliances were later revealed, there was a alot of 'clucking' from prudish republican types, many of whom claim they personally were conceived without benefit of sex.

i was kidding about your 'racial slur.' being a bit removed from the 'auld sod,' we irish-americans can have a little more perspective about irish stereotyping. i personally believe totally in almost every insult ever directed our way. and i am very suspicious about compliments that we very rarely receive. in all cases, we clearly don't deserve them. :)

as to the great irish diaspora (mass irish emigration), it is now becoming somewhat reversed. young irish here are moving back to their country where they can live more cheaply, and make salaries that are comparable, when adjusted for cost of living, to what they were making in boston or NY.

first generation irish immigrants to the u.s were called "pig shit irish." and those who stayed behind were not particularly well-regarded or treated by their british 'keepers'.

virtually taking over an entire country, as we clearly have the u.s., and looking back at the resurgence of our homeland is sweet revenge indeed.

half-kidding.

:)

[Helen]

Daniel Strohl - I thought it a bit funny the way the restaurant was called Gusteau's too! But not as funny as the fact that everybody spoke English ;)

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

An American author told me that he found curious behaviour in France. Invited to play golf in Languedoc he left the clubhouse but a mist covered the course and 30 or so golfers stared as it lifted. No golf was played however, for the rising brume revealed mushrooms, and the thirty golfers ran forward with shouts of glee and plastic bags for the surprise cueillette.
Each week when he paid the rent, by cheque, in an unsealed envelope, for his apartment, the landlady returned to his door and presented him with the envelope for re-use.
Bizarre was the word he used.
www.peterkinsley.com

[Daniel Strohl]

Helen,

"But not as funny as the fact that everybody spoke English ;)"

In the version I saw, everybody (rat included) spoke French ...

There are many well observed details in this film. For instance, "le second" (the cook with a big forehead and very blue eyes) is an excellent caricature of Joël Robuchon, a famous and very meticulous grand chef.

But the authors of the film have caricatured (very gently) not only the French in general, but the French comics as well - I am speaking of the chef (the nasty little man) who is a caricature of Joe Dalton, and of the "critique gastronomique" who is a caricature of the ugly undertaker (croque-mort in French) who is also a character of the same comics book, i.e Lucky Luke. If you don't know it, it is certainly more undertaining to read than Ms Pingeon's book ...

[Daniel Strohl]

Peter,

Bizarre, indeed !

[Joan]

I thought Ratatouille was sort of cute, the animation was terrific (they must have started with films of live rats), and the story "worked" in a simple and upbeat way, which is probably why people like it. I think French food--the sort one can get at the corner bistro--is way better than US food and not a whole lot more expensive. Where in the US can one get a lovely selection of salades composées? Or frites that are crisp instead of soggy? Or saumon tartare as one of the lower priced items on the menu? Or good chocolate on the profiteroles? Or anywhere in the US, butter made from raw milk? France is a gastronomical delight.

[azloon]

"Where in the US can one get a lovely selection of salades composées? Or frites that are crisp instead of soggy?" Joan

Joan, you obviously haven't eaten at jack-in-the-box recently.

-----------

hearing that the french audience in CB's theater gave this film a standing ovation, and considering the jerry lewis factor, i am a bit reluctant to see this one.

------------

are les ratouilles as treacherous as english "rats" or spanish "ratones" when this term is applied to humans? Daniel?

[KICK]

"the landlady returned to his door and presented him with the envelope for re-use"

Peter, I had nearly the same experience when I was a student in France. The landlady would hand back the envelope on the spot.

Azloon,

I wanted to tell you that I liked your "Where is the love, Brother???" post way up near the top, with the story about your mother. Nice!

And to Terry, who thinks American love of France and Paris is unrequited -- could this be because France's first love goes to Quebec?

It would be interesting to know which is the most popular North American destination for the French -- the United States, or their dear, dear cousins in Quebec?

And what's so bizarre about giving back an unused envelope? I do it all the time. I had to get a weekly blood test for awhile. I had no use for the large pristine window-envelopes the lab report came in so finally, after a few months, I took them all back to the lab. It makes more sense than throwing them in the garbage. Eventually I remembered to remove the report immediately and leave the envelope on the counter (they never mail them to you in France -- you have to pick them up) and eventually the lab girl caught on and stopped putting them in envelopes altogether. What's the point of using up hundreds of envelopes every week to pass a report directly by hand to the customer? It's crazy!

[Maggie G]

That unsigned comment was from me (Maggie G). For quite a few months my name has been automatically there in the name space under "Post a comment", but for some reason it has disappeared today, and I have to type it in myself again.

Is this because I said said something about not wasting envelopes?

[Daniel Strohl]

Azloon,

Rat is normally not much used in French in the sense you mention in English or in Spanish. However, there are a few pejorative expressions like "face de rat" (self explaining) or "les rats quittent le navire quand il coule" (rats leave a sinking ship).
A contrario, the rat is mentioned in several "Fables de La Fontaine" and most of the time it is a rather sympathetic animal, as in "Le lion et le rat", where the rat rescues a lion caught in a net - there is an often used quote out of it :"On a souvent besoin d'un plus petit que soi" - one often needs somebody who is smaller than oneself is - that's was my wife (who is a fan of La Fontaine) tells me sometimes - she is taller than I am, I am more voluminous ...

Ratatouille is primarily a dish made especially in southern France out of several vegetables (courgettes, aubergines, tomatoes, spices and olive oil boiled together for a rather long time). When it is well made, it is very good. But sometimes, it is rather disgusting - therefore the expression "C'est de la ratatouille !" which should be used with caution when addressed to the maître d'hôtel ...

Touiller une sauce means stir a sauce (this happens in the movie).

Ratatouille has a funny sound in French. Of course, in the movie, it is also a funny word play between "rat, touiller" and may be also "rata" which means bad food for soldiers ("c'est pas de la soupe, c'est du rata" - this is the wording of one of the "sonneries de clairon" (bugle) used by the military).

Last but not least for ancient mariners like you and me : "ratafia " is a liquor made of eau de vie (aguardiente or schnaps), sugar and fruits.

Azloon, since you were active in journalism and related activities and therefore know a lot of people, you may perhaps suggest to the Pixar people that they should make another movie called "Ratafia" about French liquors and wines, béret wearing wine makers, oenologs (with a caricature of Parker) etc. There are also mice and rats in wineries ...
This would "faire un tabac" in any wine making country, not only France (faire un tabac means to have a big success).

PS : I don't know the word "ratouille" you mention - perhaps it is due to a lapsus made by Rocket. Or it is not a lapsus, but a special word used only in the exclusive "quartier de Paris" where Rocket and Charles live ...

[Valentin]

"What's the point of using up hundreds of envelopes every week to pass a report directly by hand to the customer? It's crazy!"

It's called discretion :)

[azloon]

Maggie -- thx for your comments. i was fearing i'd driven you off with my swimming comments. :)

agree re envelopes. there are many bizarre human behaviors but returning envelopes hardly seems one of them.

dashing onto the golf courses to pick mushrooms is a bit more dicey. funny to imagine. i smash all forms of fungi on my course with the club i happen to be carrying. the light colored ones look too much life golf balls.

[Robert Marchenoir]

"Courgettes, aubergines, tomatoes, spices and olive oil boiled together for a rather long time". (Daniel)

Noooooo! Not together! They cook at different speeds and should therefore be stewed separately, until some time into the process. That is one of the secrets of a good ratatouille.

Also, it helps if you do not forget the red and green peppers... and onions, in my opinion.

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

Yes, Daniel and Kick - and it reminds me of my secretary in Rome who was a student in Grenoble and her landlady waited by the clock until the big hand was exactly on mid-day, when she would switch the wireless on, hear the news and then switch it off! But please do not think the French are alone in these strokes of petty meanness. Yorkshire writer Keith Waterhouse had a notice in his desk in the Daily Mirror office, filched from his landlady's staircase which said: Will guests please take the stairs two at a time to save wear and tear on the carpet.

[azloon]

Daniel --

your reply to my question was near encyclopedic (and gentle), and i had to study it a bit before replying. :)

i am TOTALLY embarrassed ((valley girl talk, Sandrine) to confess that i forgot (or never knew) that ratatouille had nothing to do with the french word for rat, which i now realize is "rat." imagine that? -- more common ground for us!!

i have eaten versions of ratatouille ("ratouille," the word i used, is some weird truncation of the french food word which i somehow, at least subconsciously, thought was related to "ratness" [the essence of being a rat?]).

anyway, the ratatouille i've eaten is usually mushy/soggy and tastes like something that i imagine might have beeen served in the soviet gulag. i guess if the ingredients were extremely fresh, it wouldn't be too bad.

anyway, you answered my question: no french edward g. robinsons, or humphrey bogarts staring into the eyes of the villian, and exclaiming "you dirty rat."

about your sequel idea (Ratafia), i am 'bookmarking' your post with a time/date stamp so it can't be claimed that this wasn't your original idea. it's brilliant but might run into 'rating' problems in the u.s. for promoting alcohol use by minors.

as an purely adult cartoon, i think we would need some organized crime connection ("ratafia" sounds like mafia, and "ratting out" someone, in 'mafiaese,' means to inform on them to the police). does the french mafia have its fingers in the wine/spirits business? Ratafia might be the consigliere of a rapidly expanding family of mafia rats who kill each other off as fast as they multiply, drinking themselves senseless with their own wine and distilled spirits, which they manufacture as a 'front" for their criminal activities, while watching "the soprano's" on rat tv, known as RA-TV)). OMG, stop me.

my contacts in hollywood are few (none?), though i have a son in LA who deveops story ideas and produces series epidodes for two cable tv channels (he's the talented one in our family). do you have contacts in the french film ministry who might agree to underwrite our joint production? we would certainly feature in our presentation to them the capitalist spirit of the mafia rats, and their family values (big, loving rat families who never ask for government handouts, and work evenings, weekends, and in august).

so you too have "gone down to the sea in ships?" (from horatio hornblower, i think, a favorite of mine when i was ten). tell me about it.

[azloon]

Valentin's response to Terry comments about relative quantities of smiling in u.s./europe: "Maybe we're just realistic (or politically incorrect :) ) enough not to pretend everything is juuust fine :) "

Valentin, what you forget, or never knew, or haven't learned yet, is that everything IS "juuuust fyeeen." just ask the dalai lama.

(studies have shown that endorphins are released in the act of smiling, and smiling is certainly easier than jogging).

[Daniel Strohl]

Azloon,

Your commentary is funny, as always. It is so good to laugh or to smile.

I have no connection in the film business. However, you may use at your will my "brilliant" Ratafia idea. If it works, you owe me a couple of bottles (Bourbon, tequila - I know already, of course - or aguardiente - I know only by name).

Yes, "I have gone down to the seas in ships". As a young man, I have served a few years in the French merchant navy (1 trawler, 2 tankers, several cargo ships and one passenger ship - the cuisine was outstanding on the latter, not bad on the other ones, with the exception of the trawler, where I got overstuffed with fish). In between, I made my military duty in Fréjus St-Raphaël on the Côte d'Azur (navy air field). It was nice, and not too stressing intellectually ...

I have read with great interest what you wrote so gently about your mother. Was it your mother who taught you about Rabelais or did you hear about him at school ?

The reason why I ask the question is that foreign language teaching is not always very intelligent. Shakespeare is a genius, ok (sorry, all right!), but what is the use of it if one gets out of school not being able to read a simple newspaper (of course not monuments like the august The Times or Le Monde) or - worse - not being able to read and to order a menu ?

[azloon]

Daniel --

your seagoing experiences were more varied than mine and fascinating. so you were in the french navy? my destroyer once rescued a french fighter pilot who had had to ditch his airplane during a nato exercise we were participating in. he spent three days in our officers mess, barely managing to communicate a single idea. i tried to speak french to him, but it was not a total success.

i didn't care greatly for the military aspect of my shipboard experience, but i loved being at sea -- particularly in the caribbean at sunrise, sunset, or in the mediterranean, particularly at anchorage in the greek isles. at that time, the u.s. navy sixth fleet was based in villefranche and i hoped we would get to put into port there, but no luck. we did 'hit' barcelona, valencia, palma de mallorca, casablanca, all over italy, greece, malta and turkey. all in all, a great experience. which areas did you operate in during your different ship experiences?

i don't know where/when i learned of rabelais. i don't think it was my mother, but perhaps could have been. probably in a high school literature course.

i looked back at my ratafia post and realize my mention of a "rating problem" for the sequel was a funny (freudian?) inadvertency. the brain is a strange thing.

re: foreign language training. i emerged from my french language classes able to read a menu, and to order dinner but not much more than that. :)

[Daniel Strohl]

Robert,

"That is one of the secrets of a good ratatouille".

So there are still a few other secrets as well ...

Terry and Robert,

My wife went out today with an elderly friend of ours and a group of people (about 80 persons - our friend makes the paper work and the organizing of this group) for lunch in what is called "une ferme auberge" in our region. This "farm inn" is located in the "vallée de Munster" close to Colmar where we live. Munster (population around 5000) is mainly known for its cow milk cheese which is rather "fragrant" as soon as it gets somewhat (too) old ...

There were two menus at 20 Euros each :
Menu I :
- Apéritif : Kir (white wine with blackcurrant liquor)
- a well dimensioned portion of "tourte" (meat pie) with a salad
- a slice of "Kassler" (pork chest) with "Roïgebragelti" (potato speciality of the Munster valley) and salad
- a good portion of Munster cheese
- a dessert (choice between billberry pie, cheese pie, ice cream)
- a cup of coffee (French coffee, not American coffee ...)
In the menu, white wine, red wine and mineral water were included as well.

Menu II
- Apéritif (as above)
- Potage (soup)
- Bouchée à la reine with (Alsatian) noodles
- Munster cheese etc. etc. as above

As you may see, one is normally well fed after such a menu. The funny thing is that the group was composed mainly of people aged 80 - it was a meeting of the "classe 1928 de Colmar". My wife told me that generally speaking, appetite was still quite good within the group - with a few exceptions of course.

I didn't join the group because I am not a fan of such meetings, mainly because of the noise, but not because of the menu; I still have a normal Alsatian appetite ... But I am a few years younger than the group members.

There is a specific legislation for the "fermes auberges"; they pay less taxes than normal restaurants, but their menues must include a given percentage (60 % ?) of products coming from the farm.

Terry, there are many regions in France where one can eat (well) and stay at hotels at affordable prices.

[azloon]

Daniel --

Your food commentary is instructive. what struck me first was the price. i would have a hard time finding a restaurant in arizona, even a nice one, where i would spend 20E for lunch (the top 1% of fancy places would present no problem with spending this much, or more). but not knowing what % of your meals were atributable to the wine/liquor cost makes it hard to compare, because certainly here, you could add a very good $8 glass of wine, which would bring a typical good meal price here up into the vicinity of 20E. (btw, that's how nice restaurants here increase average bill totals -- by selling very good domestic wines for anywhere between $6 and $15/glass. karafes of good table wine are non-existent here, so i am thinking this practice of ours is the u.s. equivalent of the 7E parisian coke.)

a second observation: my god, the #1 lunch would choke a horse (but otherwise sounds quite tasty). if i drank the apertif and then more wine with that meal, i would need a two-hour nap before resuming normal functioning. i am assuming that this not what YOU typically eat for lunch. otherwise, you'd be dead by now. (i am removing a 'happy face' from this position in the note because i realized it might send the wrong message).

or, is that your point: that sturdy alsatians eat like this all the time and live to be quite old? if so, medical research needs to discover what natural defenses your people possess which ward off the effects of starch, fat, and cholesterol.

i have the sneakiest suspicion you'll tell me no research is required, that the alcohol takes care of everything, pas de probleme. les autres problems, aussi. :)

[Daniel Strohl]

Azloon,

Of course, nobody is able to eat such a meal (as in Menu I - but the "bouchée à la reine" in Menu II is not a "sample" either) every day or twice a day. But it is a typical meal in the "fermes auberges" and people enjoy it from time to time. Of course, one may for example order only a meat pie with a salad followed by a Munster cheese or a pie or an ice cake (typically a "vacherin glacé). Usually, one takes an expresso after that and as a (gentle)man, one has the rare privilege, liberally but exceptionally granted by the spouse, to have a "schnaps" as well (local "aguardiente" made of distilled mirabelle or quetsch or cherry called kirsch). Of course, one drinks with the meal a 50 cl wine carafe (or a 75 cl bottle) for two persons.

The problem is that people now drive up to the "ferme auberge" and drive back. When I was young - say in the years 1950 to 55 - nobody or almost nobody had a car. So it was usual - provided one had the money - to make a 2 or 3 hours walk up to the restaurant, and then the same back. So starch, fat and cholesterol were burnt.

Another example : today, we had lunch in a grill adjacent to the Colmar air field - my wife ordered a big "salade composée" and had after that a cappucino. I had a very good "andouillette" (chitterling) with plenty of good pommes frites (sorry, freedom frites or fries!), a salad and an expresso. I ordered also a 50 cl "carafe de rosé", which was quite drinkable, and a 50 cl bottle of mineral water. The "addition" (bill) was 37.05 €, including 15 % "service" (tip - is almost always included in the bill in French restaurants). Since the young waitress was sympathetic and loveable, she got an additional tip, which is not very usual nowadays. I recommended her also warmly "Ratatouille" - she hadn't heard of it - not everybody reads Charles's blog ...

Azloon, for your understanding about restaurant prices : the today's exchange rate was approx. 1 € = 1.34 US dollar. In my opinion (but I am not Mr. Bernanke or Mr. Trichet), the dollar is undervalued may be at least 20 %. This makes a difference.
The other difference is that manpower costs a lot, because of taxes which are most probably higher than in the US.

Note : a glass of red wine per meal is good for the heart and the blood vessels. Of course, it depends on the size of the glass... if it is too small, it is no good - I am not a fan of homeopathy.

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

The American who found his landlady's behaviour bizarre when she climbed up two flights of stairs to return the empty envelope,had bought 100 for a couple of coins in a supermarket. What this denotes, Maggie G and Azloon, is petty-minded meanness. It is the kind of meanness like the presentation of one piece of toilet paper by a crone in a public lavatory, causing visitors to joke that one tore a hole in the middle for the digit and used the corners to clean the fingernail; the kind of meanness which makes restaurateurs put a 40 watt bulb in staircase lights and the toilet, known to Brits as a "squat-bog" and a minuterie switch cutting off in mid-operation, so that, when standing up to find the switch, hearing the car keys fall down the hole; the kind of meanness which his wife displays when the "cheese board" is presented (one old bit of chevre, half a camembert, some little balls in red plastic and triangles in silver paper with a laughing cow, and she urges the client to choose a piece; the meanness of my publisher Collins,*** sending a manuscript from Glasgow to Nice surface mail, taking two weeks and allowing only 24 hours to correct before deadline.
*** Raymond Chandler stood outside the London house of Collins selling matches from a tray until the miserable Scotsman came out and agreed to pay a better advance. The late Lord Beaverbrook refused to pay guineas (£1 and one shilling, a professional's fee)when every newspaper in London did, to save the shilling, and he insisted on used envelopes so that his executives jumped on new ones to dirty them up for the miserable old twerp.

[azloon]

Peter Kinsley

the 40 watt bulb in the 'squat bog' with a timer that extinguishes itself mid-operation while your keys go down the hole is a hilarious image.

after living through that, petty meanness would seem lurking in every corner. :)