L’ATHERTONNAIS OL O UILLET OÛT V

33, N 4 J

Bulletin de l’Alliance Française d’Atherton, Inc.

—A

2008

ABN 62 343 249 677 Website: www.alliancefr.atherton.freeservers.com

Bastille Day 2008 Luncheon The Alliance's Bastille Day 2008 Luncheon to be held at The Summit Conference Centre, 22 Twelfth Ave, Atherton. Sunday July 13 starting at 12:00 pm for 12:30 pm.

Your committee, mindful of the increasing cost of catered functions, has arranged with the management of The Summit Conference Centre to have their cooking and serving facilities made available to the Alliance at a very reasonable rate. This means that we have exclusive use of the facility and can hold our Bastille Day luncheon as a shared dish function (like our Grande Bouffes). The idea is that those who attend bring a French mains dish to share with everyone else and, of course, their own choice of wine, beer, mineral water, OJ, etc. We will provide a French dessert and tea and coffee for everyone and all for the price of $15.00 per person attending. There will be intermittent musical entertainment ( ) and plenty of opportunity to socialise, sing along, maybe even participate in a little improvised French can-can dancing. (Not really ! I just made that last one up.) So come along and have a good time celebrating the fall of the Bastille, the glorious revolution of '89, and the arrival of the Marseillaise into the musical canon. As they say in the classics - "Be there or be square!" RSVP date is 1 July - and that's an easy date to remember. Kate Niederberger, our Social Secretary is taking numbers for catering purposes. She can be reached on 4095-5355: it There be intermittent would be will a good idea to phone today or tomorrow to let her know how many will be in your musical entertainment ( party. Don't leave it too late. ) and plenty of opportunity to socialise, COPY FOR NEXTsing ISSUE along, maybe even participate in a little improvised French While researching the Bastille Daycancelebrations I was sidetracked more than once by can dancing. really I just interesting historical(Not tidbits and !side events that happened before, around the time of made that last one up.) and as a result of the revolution in France. I am sorry to be missing the Bastille à la

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Luncheon as I will be away, but I’m sure all who attend will have a wonderful time. So come along and have a good

celebrating fallmyofresignation the Attime this point I need to the tender from the post of Editor of the newsletter. Bastille, the glorious revolution I have decided to undertake study for work purposes and I cannot stretch myself of '89, thea arrival of the to you all. I hope see you all soon at an Alliance enough to and provide quality newsletter Marseillaise into the musical event. Please keep sending info to me as I can pass it on. canon. Georgina As they say in the classics - "Be therecontributions or be The Editor welcomes from members and friends. Please email to square!" RSVP date is 1 July [email protected] post to 26 Azalea St ATHERTON. Notifications of and that's an easy to Alliance functions, newsdate of members’ activities and letters from current and former remember. members are particularly welcome, and will be published as space allows.

IN THIS ISSUE Alliance Bastille Luncheon History of Bastille Day

1

History of Bastille Day Letter from Alain Breuzé Cooking Classes Student exchange Book Review Book Review

3 3 4

Manger a la Mode Fançaise

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2

5 5

LA FRANCE DE NOS JOURS—FRANCE NOWADAYS

BASTILLE DAY Bastille Day is France's most important national holiday. There's a huge military parade on the Champs-Elysées, and further celebrations take place all over the city. The holiday commemorates the storming of the former high-security prison and the uprising that marked the beginning of the French Revolution. The evening before the big day is spent dancing in the Bastille square and at numerous balls that are organised around the city. Worth a look-in are the many parties held by the fire service in their stations, at which the fire-fighters themselves are usually the star attraction (their uniforms providing a lure for the ladies). There is also a big outdoor Gay Ball if you fancy something more boisterous. If that doesn't take your fancy, try sitting down to the Incredible Picnic, one of the largest in the world, taking place in some 20 of France's départments on Bastille Day. On the big day itself, the crowds come out and line the ChampsElysées to watch the military parade which, led by the President and accompanied overhead by jets in formation, marches from the Arc de Triomphe to the Place de la Concorde. Bringing up the rear and receiving the loudest applause are the fire brigade, perhaps suffering from a hangover or two. It's wise to arrive early if you want to get a good view. The partying continues all day and later thousands of people come together again at the Champ-de-Mars to watch the fireworks at the Trocadéro. On top of all that, most bars and clubs stage their own celebrations, so take your pick. If you're not in Paris, don't worry: every single village in France has their own dance, with champagne, fireworks, street fun and lots more. Everyone should take in at least one Bastille Day in their lives. Although nothing now remains of the Bastille fortress itself, the place where it once stood remains an enduring symbol of the ideals of liberté, egalité and fraternité.

ORIGINS OF THE REVOLUTION

Historians disagree in evaluating the factors that brought about the Revolution. To some extent at least, it came not because France was backward, but because the country's economic and intellectual development was not matched by social and political change. In the fixed order of the ancien régime, most bourgeois were unable to exercise commensurate political and social influence. King Louis XIV, by consolidating absolute monarchy, had destroyed the roots of

feudalism; yet outward feudal forms persisted and became increasingly burdensome. France was still governed by privileged groups—the nobility and the clergy—while the productive classes were taxed heavily to pay for foreign wars, court extravagance, and a rising national debt. For the most part, peasants were small landholders or tenant farmers, subject to feudal dues, to the royal agents indirect farming (collecting) taxes, to the corvée (forced labor), and to tithes and other impositions. Backward agricultural methods and internal tariff barriers caused recurrent food shortages, which netted fortunes to grain speculators, and rural overpopulation created land hunger. In addition to the economic and social difficulties, the ancien régime was undermined intellectually by the apostles of the Enlightenment. Voltaire attacked the church and absolutism; Denis Diderot and the Encyclopédie advocated social utility and attacked tradition; the baron de Montesquieu made English constitutionalism fashionable; and the marquis de Condoret preached his faith in progress. Most direct in his influence on Revolutionary thought was J. J. Rousseau, especially through his dogma of popular sovereignty. Economic reform, advocated by the physiocrates and attempted (1774–76) by A. R. J. Turgot, was thwarted by the unwillingness of privileged groups to sacrifice any privileges and by the king's failure to support strong measures. The direct cause of the Revolution was the chaotic state of government finance. Director general of finances Jacques Necker vainly sought to restore public confidence. French participation in the American Revolution had increased the huge debt, and Necker's successor, Charles Alexandre de Calonne, called an Assembly of Notables (1787), hoping to avert bankruptcy by inducing the privileged classes to share in the financial burden. They refused in an effort to protect economic privileges. For the peasant class, the Bastille stood as a symbol of the hypocrisy and corruption of the aristocratic government This important event marked the entry of the popular class into the French Revolution . The French recognize Bastille Day as the end of the monarchy and beginning of the modern republic. The lasting significance of the event was in its recognition that power could be held by ordinary citizens, not

HISTORY OF THE REVOLUTION

THE REVOLUTION OF 1789

Parisians mobilized, and on July 14 stormed the Bastille fortress. Louis XVI meekly recalled Jacques Necker and went to the Hôtel de Ville in Paris, where he accepted the tricolor cockade of the Revolution from the newly formed municipal government, or commune. The national guard was organized under the marquis de Lafayette. This first outbreak of violence marked the entry of the popular classes into the Revolution. Mobilized by alarm over food shortages and economic depression, by hopes aroused with the calling of the States-General, and by the fear of an aristocratic conspiracy, peasants pillaged and burned châteaus, destroying records of feudal dues; this reaction is known as the grande peur [great fear]. On Aug. 4, the nobles and clergy in the Assembly, driven partly by fear and partly by an outburst of idealism, relinquished their privileges, abolishing in one night the feudal structure of France. Shortly afterward, the MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. Rumors of counterrevolutionary court intrigues circulated, and on Oct. 5, 1789, a Parisian crowd, aroused by rising food prices, marched to Versailles and brought the king and queen, “the baker and the baker's wife,” back to the Tuileries palace in Paris. The Assembly also removed to Paris, where it drafted a constitution. Completed in 1791, the constitution created a limited monarchy with a unicameral legislature elected by voters with property qualifications. Of gravest consequence were the Assembly's antireligious measures. Church lands were nationalized (1789), religious orders suppressed (1790), and the clergy required (July, 1790) to swear to adhere to the state-controlled Civil Constitution of the Clergy. Only a bare majority (52%) of all priests took the oath; disturbances broke out, especially in W France; and Louis XVI, though forced to assent, was roused to action. Numerous princes and nobles had already fled abroad (see émigré); Louis decided to join them and to obtain foreign aid to restore his authority. The flight (June 20–21, 1791) was halted at Varennes, and the king and queen were brought back in humiliation. Louis accepted the constitution.

LETTER FROM CHÂTILLON Australia-sur-Loire annual meeting is happening on Tuesday the 17th of June and I'll try to send a photo the next day if it is not too late for you. Our present secretary is moving away so, Helen will be appointed to the job. Helen comes from Adelaide and now lives, with husband John, in Châtillon, busy renovating their 300 hundred years old or more house they bought last year. We are busy training to play petanque at the "square" by the canal and should be able to compete with the locals soon. I'll ask Helen if she feels like writting something about their new life in Châtillon for the next Athertonnais, like dealing with the builders or with official paper work as well as discovering the who's who of the village.

The wine bottle sounds like a joke here. French wine made by Australians. Probably did not sale well, where ever, Australia or France, because I found some at a discount shop in Gien ! Even if what's inside is no good, the bottle will be a collector's curiosity.

Voilà, à la prochaine fois, alain

OUTRE LA VOIE BATTUE - OFF THE BEATEN TRACK Alliance Francaise d’Atherton Cooking Classes 2008

Around the French Speaking world…

When: Saturday the 2nd, 9th and 16th of August 2008. Time: 3 to 6.30 pm.

Where: Atherton High School, Home Economics Room.

Cost: $150 (non-AF members), $135 (AF members) for the 3 sessions. (includes recipe book, meal and drinks)

Purpose: Fund raising for Alliance Francaise d’Atherton (Annual membership -$20 single, $25 family)

CLASSES LIMITED to 15 participants. Phone Catherine: 40 916538

Theme 2nd of August

Morocco

Menu Cheese ‘cigars’/Chick pea Salad Tagines (chicken and beef )

Milk pudding with caramelized pistachios Orange salad. Gâteau piment(chilli cakes) Chatini de papayes vertes(Green papaya salad) Poisson grillé (grilled fish) Chatini de requin(Flaked Flake)

9th of August

Rougail de saucisses

Indian Ocean

(spicy sausage stew) Gâteau bananes (banana fritters) Flan coco (coconut pudding) Nems and rouleaux de printemps

16th of August

Vietnam

(Spring rolls)

Porc au caramel (caramelized pork) Poulet a la citronelle (lemongrass chicken) Flan au caramel et coco/Sago pudding

STUDENTS OF THE WORLD INFLIGHT EDUCATIONAL SERVICE Students of the World specialises in placing French students with Australian families for short term school and homestay experience. Australian students may also return to France during their school holidays Placement grants of $500.00 to be shared between the host Family and the Alliance Française This company has contacted us regarding the exchange program and is not a part of our Alliance program. It could be of interest to some of our members and that is the reason for including the information. For further information email to—[email protected] or check the website—www.studentsoftheworld.com.au

Constructeurs de Vocabulaire— Vocabulary Builders

BOOK REVIEWS The French Idea of Freedom: The Old Regime and The Declaration of Rights of 1789 Dale Van Kley (editor)

The eight essays in set the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man in its Old Regime context. Though they are scholarly papers focused on specialised topics, they fit together nicely to give a broad picture both of the immediate background of the Declaration and the deliberations of the National Assembly and of the deeper context of eighteenth century French politics and political thought. The reader will want to be familiar with the outlines of French history, but no specialist knowledge is necessary. (A translation of the Declaration and a twenty page glossary of terms are useful here.) David D. Bien begins with a look at the Old Regime origins of democratic liberty. One significant factor was the state's need to raise loans. In France this was done through a large number of intermediate bodies or corps, and connected with the distribution and maintenance of offices and privileges. The internal operation of these corps helped to promulgate ideas of equality and democracy, which with the Declaration entered Dale Van Kley's own essay looks at the historical context of an ahistorical declaration. He surveys pamphlets from the 1787-88 conflict between ministers and Parliament, which can be roughly divided into "patriotic" and "ministerial". Their negative arguments undermined any possible historical foundation for the eventual "national" synthesis. In "Betwixt Cattle and Men" Shanti Marie Singham looks at the application of the Declaration to Jews, Black slaves, and women. Despite the complications of rural politics), Jews were emancipated and slavery abolished. French women made some gains during the Revolution, but many proved short-lived. Keith Michael Baker considers the general idea of a declaration of rights, looking at American precursors, debates between views of a constitution as a reform of existing system and a new creation, and the key events in July and August leading up to the Declaration. J.K. Wright examines the "political program" of the Declaration, addressing national sovereignty, "the general will", and the separation of powers. There was little dispute in the National Assembly over articles 7, 8, and 9 of the Declaration. The eighteenth The French Idea of Freedom

century also saw a gradual shift from support for an autonomous judiciary towards legislative guarantees, laying the groundwork for the Declaration. Raymond Birn finds some parallels in the eighteenth century histories of religious discrimination and censorship, there were no Protestants in France (they were all in the process of converting to Catholicism) and all publications were censored. In the last essay Thomas E. Kaiser traces the course of Old Regime debate on the nature of property and its legal basis — issues such as seigneury versus sovereignty and the status of allods — and the effects of this legacy on both the Declaration and the subsequent operations of the Feudal Committee and the Convention.

The French Revolution George Rudé

George Rudé was actively involved with the Communist party, an affiliation which caused him many hardships during his life. . Rudé, making his new academic focus history, and with very little to back his research in Paris of revolutionary France, became a leading British historian of the French Revolution. Rudé contributed to the “history from below” view of history, which is history from the view of the oppressed. He focused especially on those who participated in the riots and rebellions. After writing an article about rioters during the French Revolution, he was awarded the esteemed Alexander Prize by the Royal Historical Society in 1956. Rudé wrote and was featured in a number of journals and created a scholarly name for himself under the wing of his mentor, Georges Lefebvre. Rather a lot has been written about the French Revolution, and it is still one of the more controversial events of modern history. So Rudé's inclusion of a brief historiographical outline in his work is particularly welcome; he takes a fairly "orthodox" approach himself, but he discusses alternative viewpoints and makes it clear where he is coming from. The core of is a fairly straightforward narrative account, starting around 1775 and going through to 1815, which covers social and economic changes as well as the more dramatic political and military events. The big questions are not avoided; the book opens with a section titled "Why Was There a Revolution in France?" and the closing chapters The French Revolution

discuss the effects of the Revolution on Europe and the world and the history of the Revolutionary tradition within France.

MANGER A LA MODE FRANÇAISE—EATING FRENCH STYLE

WARM OYSTERS WITH TOMATO-SHALLOT VINAIGRETTE * Rock Salt * 4 Tomatoes peeled, seeded and minced * 2 Cups (16oz/500ml) Champagne vinegar * 2 Shallots, minced * 1 tlbsp minced fresh chives * 1 tsp freshly ground pepper * 1/2 tsp salt * 4 Dozen oysters in their shells Preheat an oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C) 1. Pour rock salt to a depth of 1 inch (2.5cm)in 1 large or 2 smaller baking dishes 2. Place in the oven to heat for 15 minutes 3. In a bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients to form a vinaigrette 4. Remove the baking dish(es) from the oven and place the oysters, rounded side down, on the salt. Return to the oven and bake until the oysters open, 7-8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool until the shells can be handled, 3-4 minutes. 5. Discard oystersnotthatto spill failedanyto open. through nearontheahinge shells together on each oyster, beinganycareful juices.Using Discarda small, the flatsharp upperknife, shellscutand placethe themuscle lower ones platterthat or 4attaches individualtheplates. Spoon a tablespoon of the vinaigrette onto each oyster. Serve immediately.

MIXED GREENS WITH ROAST FOIS GRAS AND LENTILS What decadence! But actually, whole roast foie gras doesn’t work out too expensive, if you’re catering for 6 – 8. And then you can also justify it by saying it is very festive and seasonal, as well as being impressive and utterly delicious. The Romans used to serve whole foie gras, carved at the table, as a show of opulence, and the dish dates back further than the birth of Christ. This recipe makes a satisfying main course, but slices from a whole roasted foie gras can be served as a starter too. Serve with crispy roast potatoes and a dollop of redcurrant jelly, for an ideal main course, or pour a simple spiced plum sauce over individual slices for a mouthwatering starter. SALAD

Ingredients: 1/4 cup (45 g) golden raisins (sultanas) 1/4 cup (60 ml) sauterne wine 2 tablespoons flavorless vegetable oil 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon walnut oil 1 tablespoon truffle oil (if unavailable, increase the vegetable oil to 3 tablespoons) 1 tablespoon cider vinegar 1 teaspoon port Dash of Tabasco (hot chili) sauce 1 teaspoon peeled and finely minced shallot 1/4 teaspoon peeled and finely minced garlic Sea salt to taste Freshly ground black pepper to taste 6 cups mild lettuces (such as mache, bibb, Boston or butterhead), washed and dried Toast Points 1. In a small bowl, soak the raisins in the sauterne. Macerate at room temperature at least 1 hour or overnight.

2. To make the dressing, whisk together all remaining ingredients except the lettuces and foie gras. Leave dressing 1 hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator. 3. Strain the raisins and add the liquid to the dressing. Set the raisins aside. 4. When ready to serve, toss the greens with the raisins and enough dressing to moisten. Adjust salt and pepper. Divide between 2 plates. Place a piece of foie gras on both sides of each salad. Pass toast points separately.

ROAST FROIS GRAS AND LENTILS

Ingredients:

• 1 foie gras – do not fiddle with it in any way, or remove any membranes. • Seasoning • 250g lentils (not orange), cooked and kept warm • Knob of butter • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard • 1 tbsp good quality honey, preferably something strong, like ‘miel du forêt’ • A few chopped leaves of tarragon (optional) • 1 tbsp Armagnac What to do: 1.Heat oven to 200C. Season the foie gras all over, with plenty of salt and a little pepper, and place right way up (i.e. smoothest, roundest side up) in a roasting dish or tin that is not too big compared to the liver itself. 2. Once the oven is hot enough, put the foie gras in to roast for 15 minutes (for a 600g liver), less if you like it rare. Halfway through cooking, turn the foie upsidedown, and put back in the oven, to finish roasting. 3. Meanwhile, gently fry the garlic in a knob of butter, until cooked through. Add a little water, then the mustard, honey and tarragon. Leave to bubble away for a few minutes, before straining through a sieve and setting aside. 4. Pour the Armagnac into a clean saucepan, and cook for a few minutes, before adding the rest of the sauce back in. Mix together thoroughly, taste, and add any extra honey or mustard as necessary. 5 Check that the lentils are still hot – pour boiling water over them if not – and serve a small heap on each warmed plate. Put a 2cm thick slice of foie gras on top of the lentils, followed by the sauce, which is poured over the top. Serve immediately.