So French!
70 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 9 ratingsThe podcast from Paris about French current affairs, culture and politics. Hosted by Sara Bertilsson and Stefan de Vries
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Episodes
Episode 30 – Moralisation and Muddy Waters
May 28, 2017 11:49 - 28 minutes - 24.7 MBIn their first week, the Government is already involved in two potential scandals. Once again the French media revealed some embarrassing details about two politicians, both close to Emmanuel Macron. The new President has promised to clean up his country's politics, so what will he do? He is preparing a new law to ‘moralise' politics, and moralisation is our So French Word of this episode, brought to you by Maud Descamps. Our special guest is comedian Paul Taylor. Just like us, he is fascinat...
Episode 29 – A Political Battlefield
May 12, 2017 15:56 - 28 minutes - 23.7 MBFrance has a new president…but who is Emmanuel Macron really? The French political landscape looks more like the battlefields at the end of the First World War. They're are casualties everywhere. And…you may not yet have noticed…but l’amour is dead… The man who had the Parisians bump into love in every street corner has passed away. Recorded in Paris, on May 12, 2017 in Le Cercle Suédois, the Swedish club in the heart of Paris, at 242 rue de Rivoli, which per next Monday is also the address o...
Episode 28 – Macron's Mission Impossible?
April 28, 2017 16:00 - 28 minutes - 23.7 MBWith the second round of the presidential election coming up in just one week, we scratch our heads and take a closer look at WHAT actually happened and WHAT to expect. And we also ask the question WHY Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the far-left candidate, refuses to encourage HIS voters to vote against Marine Le Pen. And of course, Maud Descamps brings us a fresh French word of the day! This month, So French! has a very famous neighbour. Stay tuned to find out whom we’re talking about… Recorded in Pari...
Episode 27 – A Franco-British Food Fight
April 14, 2017 15:31 - 28 minutes - 24.1 MBOnly a week to go before the first round of the presidential elections, we’re we’re wondering if France will face a run-off between the extreme left and the far right. Is France going to ditch the euro for the sucre? We alo have a look at what’s left of Nuit Debout, the grassroots movement that grew out of the protests against the new labour laws here in France. One year on, does the movement still exist? And we get into a food fight: The French were not amused by a restaurant review by a Br...
Episode 26 – From the Jungle to the Beach
March 31, 2017 15:07 - 28 minutes - 23 MBThe French Left is crumbling down. Why don’t they just kiss and make up to have a better chance in the upcoming elections? Since two weeks, there's a lot of social tension in French Guyana. Journalist Déborah Neusy of the newspaper France Guyane is in Cayenne and gives us the latest. We have a report on university students working together with young Syrian migrants and we'll tell you the link between sand, Donald Trump and an Arabic Princess. NEW: Every second Saturday starting April 1st you...
Episode 25 – Fillon's Fashion Week
March 20, 2017 15:23 - 28 minutes - 23.7 MBWith just over a month to go until the French presidential election, we finally know who is a candidate and who isn't. We also discuss the ongoign revelations of François Fillon's way of life. The So French Word of this epsiode is ‘cadeau', given to you by Maud Descamps. And we listen to the stars, to the music selected by France's star-astronaut Thomas Pequet. You can find his playlist on Deezer: http://www.deezer.com/artist/678. If you like French music, don't forget to check out So French'...
Episode 24: Elections, elections, elections
March 05, 2017 15:30 - 32 minutes - 26.9 MBIn this week's episode: Elections, elections, elections (and the occasional scandal)! We also talk about France’s large and diverse Asian population, with guest Leo Takeuchi of the organisation Asia 2.0 And of course, Maud Descamps brings us a fresh French word of the day!
Episode 23: Primaries and politics
January 27, 2017 11:50 - 17 minutes - 15.2 MBLots of politics in this episode. We talk about the socialist primaries, a new political scandal involving former PM François Fillon and about the fact that politics in France is almost a men-only affair. And Maud Descamps went into the lion's den of American Republicans living in Paris, celebrating Donald Trump's inauguration. Hosts: Sara Bertilsson & Stefan de Vries Recorded in Paris, January 27th, 2017
Episode 22: No More Taxes
January 06, 2017 21:11 - 23 minutes - 19.8 MBIs the French government executing its own citizens abroad? We’ll walk you through accusations of targeted killings approved by the president himself in legal grey zones. And after the 35 hour work week a legal right NOT to reply to work email. On top of that – a tax free year in France! Maybe the country is really turning into heaven on earth? And of course, Maud Descamps brings us a fresh French word of the day. This week, Maud is being radical. Recorded in Paris on January 6, 2017.
Episode 21: Politics, Pollution and an Astronaut
December 11, 2016 17:11 - 22 minutes - 19.5 MBSince our last episode only three weeks ago, French politics has been shaken up. Old men like Sarkozy, Juppé and Hollande are leaving the scene, but will not be replaced by new faces. In other news: * Parisians were suffering this week from a extreme pollution. There's no solution in sight. * Beards are getting more and more popular in France * The country has a new space hero. Recorded in Paris on December 11, 2016. The video of we were talking about in Episode 21, showing what really happ...
Episode 20: Trump, Primaires & PNL
November 20, 2016 15:22 - 21 minutes - 17.9 MBWe follow up on that surprise Donald Trump victory in the US elections. What is the impact on the French presidential elections, up in only six months? And how do Franco-Americans see the Rise of the Orange Leader? We'll discuss that with our special guest, the Franco-American journalist François Picard. PNL is the name of a rap duo that's a real phenomenon in France. And of course, Maud Descamps brings us a fresh French word of the day. Recorded in Paris, 19 November 2016
Episode 19 – Calais, Canal Plus and a Forgotten Massacre
October 24, 2016 19:01 - 16 minutes - 14.7 MBWe talk about a new scandal that is threatening the very existence of iTélé, one of France's 24 hour news channels. We also you about another scandal that took place 55 years ago this week, the massacre of 40 to 300 Algerian protester by the French police. It hardly ever gets into the media limelight. And of course we'll discuss the start of the evacuation of The Jungle, Europe's largest refugee camp in Calais. Recorded in Paris, 24 October 2016.
E18 – The Great Train Robbery
October 09, 2016 07:11 - 14 minutes - 14.8 MBThere was one robbery in Paris that dominated the headlines this week around the world. Yes, we are talking about the French government's train robbery to safe some jobs and to please some voters. We are also going on a camping holiday in the city. This and more in Episode 18 of So French. Recorded in Paris on Oct. 8th, 2016
E17 – Fighter Jets & French Origins
September 25, 2016 13:30 - 22 minutes - 27.2 MBThis week, a former president told the French that their ancestors are a group of comic book heroes. Yes indeed, Asterix and Obelix are the real French. Maud Descamps tells you more about these Gaulois. For the first time in its history, the centre-right parties are organising primary elections. They will be held at the end of November and there are now seven official candidates. And is there something beautiful blooming between François Hollande and Rihanna? We'll tell you all about it in th...
S02E01 (16) – Elections & auctions
September 11, 2016 18:02 - 17 minutes - 21.5 MBThe Summer of 2016 is over. So French is back, but so are the many politicians who are hoping to become France's next President. We'll tell you all about a scandal that shocked the ever so chic French world of art. And we tasted some coffee. Although Paris is world famous for its café culture, the coffee Parisians drink usually tastes like mud. But that's going to change: quality coffee is slowly but surely conquering the city. And we talk about something So French: la rentrée. Maud Descamps ...
Episode 15 – Terror, Green Cars & Summer Holidays
July 31, 2016 20:27 - 21 minutes - 25.9 MBTwo more terrorist attack in France. Apart from the horror and sadness, there is growing discontent with the politicians who fail to protect the citizens and to behave like grown-ups. We also talk about green cars and the very French habits surrounding the Summer holiday. Enjoy!
Episode 14 – Brexit, pollution and football
July 04, 2016 14:47 - 19 minutes - 23.9 MBThe dust has not settled yet, but it seems there's no other choice for the EU than to find an answer to Brexit. We'll talk to Yves Bertonconi, director of the think tank Jacques Delors Institute, about what France needs to do. The Irish supporters are widely regarded as the nicest ones of this Euro 2016 tournament. We cheered with them in the streets of Paris. We'll also bring some good news for the environment, and Maud Descamps learns you a new So French Word.
Episode 13 – So British!
June 25, 2016 15:01 - 15 minutes - 18.6 MBNow Brexit is a fact, we're looking at the consequences for Europe in general and for France in particular. We decided to drown our sorrows in an English pub in Paris and interviewed the British owner, who is not amused by the result of the referendum. Bye Bye Britons! Podcast recorded in Paris, on June 24, 2016
Episode 12 – Terrorism, Strikes and Brexit
June 18, 2016 19:57 - 15 minutes - 16.4 MBA new terror attack in France and the ongoing social unrest are the main topics of the week. There are around 300.000 French people living in London. Are they afraid of a possible ‘Brexit’? We travelled to British capital to talk to two of those ‘frogs’. And this episode, Maud Descamps selected the So French word: ‘Eboueur’.
S01E11 – Meddling in the Middle East & Betting on Brexit
May 28, 2016 20:30 - 21 minutes - 21.5 MBIn Episode 11: It's a hot spring in France with blockades, strikes and riots. Will the current government survive? Would you put your money on Britain's membership of the EU? Our new series on a possible ‘Brexit', the possibility of the UK leaving the European Union, tries to give you an answer. We also discuss the everlasting tension in the Middle Was, with James Barr, the author of the book ‘A Line in the Sand'. He will tell us how, in May 1916, France and Britain laid the foundations of th...