Lesson 4B Points de depart

​Les cafes et les bistros

​At the beginning of the 20th century (the 1900's), there were 500,000 cafes and bistros in France. Today about 35,000 remain. Nevertheless, the French still think of the corner cafe as a place where regulars gather to talk about what's going on in the neighborhood and where friends meet to catch up on each other's lives.

​Watch this video.

Multiple Choice

About ow many cafes exist nowadays in France?

• 500,000

• 35,000

Multiple Select

How do they French think of cafes?

• A place where they can grab a quick cup of coffee.

• A place where regulars gather to talk about what's going on in the neighborhood .

• A place where friends meet to catch up on each other's lives.

​The film Le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain provides a glimpse into this tradition. Today, Internet cafes and small restaurants serving organic food have replaced some of the traditional cafes in order to meet the needs of their 21st-century clientele.

​Les cafes et les bistros (p185)

​Watch this video.

Multiple Select

How have some of the cafes adapted to their new more modern clientele?

• serving organic food

• keeping with tradition and not changing their ways

• providing internet

Open Ended

In your opinion, what are some of the similarities and differences you see in cafes in America vs France?

​The croissant (p185)

​The croissant is served in many French cafes. Similar in shape to an American crescent roll, it is a buttery flaky bread or pastry. The word "croissant" first appeared in a dictionary in 1863, and the first recipe was published in 1891, but it is unclear when the croissant was invented

​How to pronounce it.

​How to order a croissant.

​Les cafes et les ecrivains

​Many Parisian cafes have become famous over the years because of the writers associated with them. In the 18th century(1700's), writer-philosophers like Voltaire met over coffee to discuss politics at the cafe Procope. In the 1920's American writers Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald used to frequent the cafes La Coupole, Le Dome, and Le Select on le boulevard Montparnasse.

Multiple Choice

Why are many Parisian cafes famous?

• the food is good

• the coffee is good

• famous writer-philosophers would meet there to discuss politics

Multiple Choice

What are 3 famous French cafes that American writers Hemingway and Fitzgerald used to frequent?

• le deux magots, le Procope, le boulevard Montparnasse

• La Coupole, Le Dome, Le Select

​Les cafes et les ecrivains

​In the 1940's and 1950's, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir, two writers associated with the literary and artistic movement called existentialism, used to write at two other Left Bank establishments, the Cafe de Flore and Deux Magots. Today this literary tradition continues at the Cafe Drouant where each year France's highest literary honor, The Prix Goncourt, is awarded.

Multiple Choice

What is France's highest literary honor?

• Le cafe Drouant

• The Prix Goncourt

• the Left Bank

Multiple Choice

Where is the Prix Goncourt ceremony held?

• The Left Bank

• Le cafe Drouant

• Le boulevard Montparnasse

​Les fast-foods (p186)

​McDonald's, or chez McDo, is the number one fast-food chain in France. Quick is a French equivalent. Both of these restaurant chains, as well as KFC, Subway, Pizza Hut, and Planet Sushi, can be found in towns, cities, and shopping malls all over France.

​Les fast-foods (p186)

​Other French fast-food restaurants include Flunch, Paul, Delifrance, La Brioche Doree, le Relais H, La Viennoisiere, and Pizza del Arte. In addition to chain restaurants, there are snack shops everywhere. They sell crepes, waffles, gyros, and other types of sandwiches. Some people in France call fast food the mal bouffe (junk food) because it has led to a growing problem of obesity and other medical problems.

Multiple Choice

Which is the French version of McDonald's?

• Flunch

• Quick

• Planet Sushi

Open Ended

What are some differences you noticed in the French restaurants vs. American restaurants?

Multiple Select

What types of foods are available in France?

Choose all that apply.

• burger, crepess

• pizza, sushi

• tacos, salads

• gyros, sandwiches