Five A's that I Give an F: Pommeau

THE STORY:

The Friendly Association of Authentic Andouillette Lovers (known in French as the Association Amicale des Amateurs d'Andouillette Authentique -- or better yet, AAAAA or 5A) will clearly beg to differ with me, but authentic 5A andouillette is the closest thing to a teenage boy's gym sock that I ever want to smell or eat. And I'm a person who eats maggot-covered stinky French cheese for fun.

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They Got Us Covered: Chavroux

THE STORY:

It takes so little for my daughters to be punk and rebellious here in France: a little temporary dye in their hair, ripped jeans, a cropped top that shows a belly button. Sacré bleu! So racy! Let's play a game: How many French school dress-code violations can you spot in this photo?

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The Pagentry of Tapestry: Le Petit Saint Roch

THE STORY:

By pure accident, I have now seen several of the most famous, most beautiful tapestries in the world. Is it any wonder that France created and houses so many of these treasures? It seems like a fancy tapestry kind of place. Or, more accurately, places: several of the great houses for manufacturing tapestries in history were Aubusson, Beauvais (where you can still have tapestries made today), and the most famous of all, right around the corner from me in Paris, Manufacture des Gobelins.

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In a Lather About Lather: Le Causse Méjean

THE STORY:

The city of Aleppo's good name has been dragged through the mud recently, which is ironic because this formerly-beautiful city is closely connection with something that cleans mud really well. It's where one of the sweetest-smelling, cleanest French traditions arose: savon de Marseille, or Marseille soap. This French classic is based on Aleppo soap, an ancient tradition of olive oil, laurels, water, and ash.

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