Issue 2 September 09.pub - Alliance Française | Cairns

Alliance Francaise de Cairns
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Welcome !
Welcome to all our new members and students. I
hope you enjoy our little corner of France in
Cairns!
Have you seen our website? Ken, our webmaster,
has done a wonderful job and the challenge is now
to keep it up to date and interesting for you.. As
we do not yet have a physical meeting space, this is
where you will find all the information concerning
our activities.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
French classes
1
Le Guide Michelin
2
Events
3
France in Cairns
3
Les perles du Bac
4
Well done everybody!
4
Next term will start on October 12 and terminate
the week of November 30. We plan to have 4
classes:
Annette
Thank you to all the people who gave their time
freely to help us make it such a great night.
Our second term has now finished and we are
proud to say that 18 students completed the
course!
Beginners 1 on Monday nights with Margot
4
A bientot!
The highlight definitely was the very witty vignette
written especially for us by local Cairns writer,
Avril Duck on the tribulations of Louis XIV and
Marie Antoinette. Here are some pictures of the
night; more should be available on the website
soon.
1
Contact Details
I am off to Brisbane at the end of September for a
meeting of all the Queensland Alliances Françaises,
so hopefully I will come back with more ideas and
ways of making things happen.
Our Bastille Day Ball on 11 July at the Reef Hotel
Caisno was a wonderful night with lots of great
entertainment.
Welcome
Petites annonces
We have already concluded our second term of
French classes (see below) and Christmas is just
around the corner : see page 3 for details on our
Christmas Party.
Beginners 2 on Monday nights with Cécile
Intermediates on Tuesday nights with Catherine
Beginners 3 on Wednesday nights with Cécile
(the last step before moving on to Intermediates)
Classes are held at Cairns High School from 6.30
pm to 8.30 pm
Cost of classes:
$220 for new students
$200 for continuing students.
For new students, this works out at only $13.75
for one hour of great company, brain stimulation
and a great way to escape the GFC!
To this, add $20 for a yearly student membership
which is compulsory for all students and the cost of
the workbook ($65) which will cover a number of
levels.
Here at the Alliance, we love France and our
language. We care that you learn French
properly and put a lot of effort into our tuition. We also realize that it is not easy to
come and sit down in a classroom after a day’s
work. Cécile and Catherine have a lot of energy and love teaching, and their classes are
always fun. This term they will be joined by
Margot who will take the Beginners 1 class on
Monday nights, and children’s classes if there
is any interest.
Remember, all our teachers are also available for
private lessons.
And don’t forget our Saturday morning conversation sessions: a great way to practice your new skills
in a convivial atmosphere at Sapphire Bar & Lounge.
For more information on our classes, contact
May Morin, Course coordinator, on
Mobile: 0488 756 550
Email: [email protected]
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The Michelin Guide
What exactly is the Michelin Guide?
The Michelin Guide is a series of annual
guide books published by Michelin in
over a dozen countries. The term refers
by default to the Michelin Red Guide, the
oldest and best-known European hotel
and restaurant guide, which awards the
Michelin stars. Michelin also publishes
Green Guides for travel and tourism, as
well as several newer publications such
as the Guide Voyageur Pratique
(independent travel), Guide Gourmand
(good-value eating-places), Guide Escapade (quick breaks) and Guide Coup de
Cœur (hotels of character).
There are guides to New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Fransisco, Tokyo,
Macau and Hong Kong.
How does the guide work?
Professional inspectors anonymously visit
restaurants and hotels, and evaluate them
on a range of criteria. The evaluation
process has been honed over time to
identify consistently high-quality establishments to suit a range of budgets and
across a range of styles and cuisines.
If inspectors are impressed by a restaurant
or hotel, they visit the establishment again.
And again. It is this sort of obsessive research that makes the Michelin Guide such
a reliable source of recommendations.
André Michelin, who with his brother
Edouard, founded the Michelin Tyre
Company in 1888, published the first
edition of the guide to help drivers maintain their cars, find decent lodging, and
eat well while touring France, thereby
supporting his tyre manufacturing operation. It included addresses of gasoline
distributors, garages, tyre stockists, and
information on fuel prices, changing tyres
and repairing automobiles.
The Michelin Guide uses a system of symbols to identify the best hotels and restaurants within each comfort and price category. For restaurants, Michelin stars are
based on five criteria:
•
The quality of the products
•
The mastery of flavor and
cooking
•
The "personality" of the cuisine
•
The value for the money
•
The consistency between visits
The guide was distributed free from
1900 until 1920. The Michelin brothers
introduced the charge to establish more
credibility after a pile of guides were
found propping up a garage workbench.
The guide introduced the star in 1926 to
note good cooking; two and three stars
were added in the early 1930s. The
cover of the guide was originally blue,
but since 1931 has been red.
Michelin stars are awarded to restaurants
offering the finest cooking, regardless of
cuisine style. Stars represent only what is
on the plate. They do not take into consideration interior decoration, service
quality or table settings.
As motoring became more widespread,
the star system was developed and
guides to other countries introduced.
Today a series of twelve guides list more
than 45,000 hotels and restaurants
across Europe, and the guide to France
has sold 30 million copies since it was
introduced.
One cannot think well, love well,
sleep well, if one has not dined
well.
Virginia Wolf (1882 0– 1941),
British novelist
Because of their reputation, the Michelin
Guides are subject to increasing amounts
of scrutiny and criticism.
Pascal Rémy, a Michelin inspector wrote a
tell-all book in 2004, claiming that Michelin
had become extremely lax in its standards.
He gave evidence that, though the guide
claims to visit all 4,000 reviewed restaurants every 18 months in order to keep
the guide up to standards, they are actually visited about every 3.5 years,
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unless a specific complaint had been made. Needless to
say, Rémy's employment was terminated
Some US food critics have also claimed that the
rating system is biased towards French cuisine
Another food guide, the Gault et Millau
Guide is just as highly rated in France.
Michelin is certainly more popular and
therefore more influential, while Gault Millau has been considered more purist due to
the main system being based purely on the
quality of the food at the restaurant.
The reputation of many restaurants rests
highly on those 2 guides and restaurateurs
will go to great length to ensure they keep
their stars or rating.
In a famous case in February 2003, a prominent French Chef, Bernard Loiseau, committed suicide after his widely-admired restaurant Côte d'Or in Saulieu was downgraded by the Gault Millau from 19 to 17
points. At the same time a downgrade by
Michelin from three to two stars had been
rumoured, but was not done and a denial
had been issued to the press.
Le saviez vous?
Mayonnaise
Pendant la guerre de Sept-Ans, en 1756,
la prise de la forteresse de Port-Mahon,
dans l’île de Minorque aux Baléares, par
le maréchal de Richelieu, neveu du Cardinal, fut une des rares victoires françaises. Pour flatter le maréchal, un
cuisinier aurait eu l’idée de baptiser
cette sauce faite de jaune d’œuf et
d’huile : mahonnaise, d’où mayonnaise
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Allo … Allo…..
89.1 FM is looking for a replacement for
Marine and George who have left the
radio station.
Training will be provided.
Café blah blah…..
Every Saturday morning, members of the French community in
Cairns, and those interested in France or wishing to practice their
French, meet for coffee and conversation from 11 to 12 noon.
Contact Don Corcoran on:
Home: 4058 2127
Work: 4053 7055
Email: [email protected]
Where? Sapphire Bar & Lounge
39—49 Lake Street—Cairns
Pétanque Sundays on the Esplanade
Join us on the last Sunday of every month to play pétanque.
You don’t need to know how to play, there is always someone to
show you how!
Where? at the pétanque court on the cnr of Mackenzie street
and the Esplanade
When: from 4pm
Bring your boules, if you have any, picnic chairs or rugs.
There is a BBQ just next to the court, so why not enjoy the sunset over the coral sea?
intimate, romantic dining.
Oliver's - Australian Fine Cuisine is an
elegant little boutique restaurant located
in the heart of Cairns.
The style is modern Australian and combines European and Asian cooking techniques with the use of fresh Australian
ingredients, including traditional Aboriginal produce.
Some of the signature dishes are the
Emu and caramelised shallots rillette
served with Yakajirri tomato jelly and
bush herbs terrine or the prime beef
fillet with a crust of macadamia nuts and
rosella jam or coral trout fillet steamed
in seaweed vapour, served on braised
lotus
The lovely courtyard room decorated
with hanging plants and an antique
carved timber framed mirror offers
Both David Bres, head chef and his
partner, Stephanie Bosc, restaurant
supervisor, have worked all around the
world and bring to Cairns a level of
sophisticated, quality dining.
David has worked in some of the finest
restaurants in Europe, many of them
rated 2 or 3 stars by the definitive guide
on all things food in France, the Michelin
guide. (see our article on the Michelin
Guide on page 2)
Olivers is open for dinner from Monday
to Saturday from 6pm
Tel: (07) 40411221
Book now for our Christmas Party on
4 December!
We will be cruising Trinity Inlet at sunset.
Members: $10
Non Members: $18
Interested in
contributing ?
We welcome contributions or
suggestions for this newsletter.
Please email to:
This includes a glass of sparkling wine on
arrival, lucky door prizes, nibbles with a
French touch and French music.
See details on our website:
www.afcairns.org.au
[email protected]
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CA IRNS
Le Guide des Français de l’ Etranger
Les Perles du Bac
Ce guide mis à jour tout au
long de l'année rassemble
l’essentiel des informations
réglementaires et pratiques
intéressant la vie des
expatriés.
Vous pouvez télécharger ce
document en version PDF sur
le site de La Maison des
Francais de l’ Etranger :
www.mfe.org
C’ est le jour J – le stylo tremble….le sujet
tombe… et la, c’ est le drame!
Quand le stress se combine au manque de
connaissances, voila les résultats!
Ci-dessous un condensé de quelques perles
relevées par les correcteurs au cours des
dernières années.
The 2009
Committee
President: Annette Gaborit
Secretary: May Morin
Treasurer: Trevor Beard
Committee members:
Marine Davidson
George Davidson
Sareylom Poole
Sandrine Tallairdat
Dani Wraith
•
Le Mont Blanc est à 4 807 mètres au
dessus du niveau de la mer, sauf quand la mer
monte.
•
Pour congeler un corps, il faut le faire
bouillir en remplaçant la chaleur par du froid.
•
Quand le chlore est entièrement dissous dans l’eau, on dit qu’il y a dix solutions.
La Maison des Français de l’étranger (MFE) est un
service du ministère des Affaires étrangères et
européennes qui a pour mission d’informer tous
les Français envisageant de partir vivre ou travailler
à l’étranger.
•
Comme Bonaparte, Jules César pouvait dicter plusieurs letters à la fois: c’ était un
dictateur.
Competition
•
C’ est Richelieu qui fonda la Star Academy Française.
Teachers:
Cécile Carava , Catherine
Brewster & Margot Lodzinska.
Contact Us
Tel:
0488 756 550
Email:
[email protected]
Website:
www.afcairns.org.au
•
Dans le monde, il n’ y a que la France
qui ne soit pas un pays étranger.
Help us find a name for our Newsletter
We are looking for a title for this Newsletter!
We would like it to be zany, fun, and most of all
representative of what we are: in the tropics,
French, Australians, citizens of the world….
•
Le Mexique, autrefois, c’ était le pays
des pastèques.
If you have any bright ideas, please email them to:
[email protected],au
Please mark you email ” AF Newsletter”.
•
Les Egyptiens transformaient les morts
en momies pour les garder vivants.
The selected suggestion will win a prize.
•
Les Américains vont souvent à la
messe car les protestants sont très catholiques.
•
Les fables de la Fontaine sont si anciennes qu’ on ignore le nom de l’ auteur.
•
Autrefois, les Chinois n’ avaient pas
besoin d’ ordinateurs, car ils comptaient avec
leur boules.
•
Grace la la structure de son oeil, un
aigle est capable de lire un journal à 1400
mètres.
•
Les lapins ont tendance à se reproduire à la vitesse du son.
Petites annonces
Piano Lessons
Professional Pianist and Piano Teacher— Finished
first with high distinction of Music Conservatory
of Paris— is available for lessons (Piano Jazz and
Classical) for Children and Adults.
Call: 0432 40 56 03 or
Email: [email protected]
Hawain Lomi Lomi Massages
October Special: $50 for 80 minutes.
Australian Bush Flower Essences consultations and
other treatments also available.
Call Anne Marie—Mobile: 0439 3130 42
81.9 millions… number of international
visitors to France in 2007.
The highest numbers came from the UK
(18.1%) and Germany (15.1%).
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