What a wonderful, educational and enjoyable evening, full of music, photography, video clips, poetry, food, drinks and, of course, great conversations!
We started the evening out with a discussion about culture. What a treat that one of our young guests had just written a paper about culture and could share the complexities of wrapping our brains and hearts around interpreting and knowing another culture if you haven't lived and experienced it deeply. Cédric Jacquemont is our token Frenchman here to act as host and translator of his home culture. Throughout the evening, he shared his experiences and knowledge about all things French, including his interesting perspective as a corporate executive turned artist. After introductory conversation about the vibe of another land, we dove into the more hands-on.
An apéritif was a learning experience, from how to sit to how to enjoy the endive with blue cheese, topped with a bit of pistachio oil from an exquisite oil producer in Southern Burgundy (which we lugged back in our suitcase!). Kir Royal was poured for all (almost)!
We discussed clichés and stereotypes about the French, finding where lie the grains of truth and which are unjustified. After sitting, chatting and enjoying the apéritif, we went into the studio to play some games with QR codes linked to our diarios (www.thedensecompany.com), which revealed photos, video clips, poetry and even a playlist of French music through the past century! All of this was discovered with describing and guessing games. I hope people learned as they played! We ended the evening with a French wintertime treat: raclette, which we love for the slow, communal way of sharing this cheesy dish.
If you missed the evening last night but would like to come to our next one in the spring, please comment here or send us a message. Please reach out if you would like to host a French Art de Vivre evening at your home, inviting your friends, clients, or co-workers. We're happy to share in Los Angeles, San Francisco and the Bay, Santa Barbara/Montecito, Monterey/Carmel, San Luis Obispo/Paso Robles, or many points between! Connecting people, talking about cultural differences and similarities, sharing poetry, music, food, & wine and educating people about other worlds is our passion!
Merci beaucoup et à bientôt !
Cindy
C’était un plaisir !