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Fr3H – CULTURE Unité 2B

2. La Cuisine Française p.99 (= French cooking)
For a long time cooking has taken up a large part of a French family’s budget and also a large part of their time
However, times have changed. Even if it is normally women who do the cooking (75%), more and more men (44%) are helping prepare meals
In the majority of families, meal preparation has changed a lot
No longer do people cook “from scratch”, they assemble pre-prepared ingredients: pasta, meats, poultry with sauces and seasonings often pre-cooked.
Traditional cooking based on long-simmered dishes, or dishes cooked in the oven is strongly decreasing due to a lack of time
Nowadays, cooking is fast (steak, grilled fish, pasta) and healthier (steamed vegetables, salads, fruit salad instead of traditional desserts)
Single dish cooking is also more and more popular: you can see influences from other cultures: Italian (pizza), Spanish (paella), North African (couscous), Asian (wok cooking) which have changed the gastronomic habits of the French.
The most important part of French cooking is freedom: mixing ingredients from different origins, changing and adapting cooking methods from elsewhere, combining a variety of culinary types.
VOCAB: volaille, assaisonnements, mijotés, désormais, cuit à la vapeur, détourner

3. Le Cordon Bleu p.100 (= Cordon Bleu French cooking school)
One of the most prestigious culinary schools is Le Cordon Bleu
There are 30 Cordon Bleu schools across the globe
Its aim is to share and spread the French culture and art of living which dates back to the Middle Ages
The teachers are world-renowned chefs
Students acquire theoretical knowledge as well as hands-on experience
Once given the title of Cordon Bleu Chef they can find work in the best restaurants and hotels in the world

4. Le Cordon Bleu p.101 (= Cordon Bleu French cooking school)
The Cordon Bleu is proud to announce the showing of the movie Julia & Julia, inspired by the book of the same name
The book which was originally a blog traces the story of Julie powell, a 30 year old secretary who decides to take a year off of work to make in 365 days all 524 recipes in the book Mastering the Art of French Cooking by the famous American chef Julia Child, graduate of the Paris Cordon Bleu cooking school in 1951.
Julia Child was one of the first women to learn and master the French culinary techniques taught at the Cordon Bleu school in Paris and bring it to the American people via TV shows and numerous books.
Julia Child received the Légion d’Honneur medal in 2000 and the Médaille Présidentielle de la Liberté in 2003.
Julie Powell’s project represents Julia Child as a model for new generations of chefs and culinary enthusiasts.
Following the success of the book Julia & Julia, Columbia Pictures produced the movie version with the leading actress Meryl Streep playing the role of Julia Child. Amy Adams played Julie Powell and Stanley Tucci played Paul Child.
The movie success in USA enabled Julia Child’s book Mastering the Art of French Cooking to become a best-seller almost 50 years after its initial publication