Author: Viktorija Todorovska for Fines Bouches Magazine

Bread is such an intrinsic element of French food culture that recently, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested baguette should be added to the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, which aims to protect traditions, such as music, dance, and cuisine, from the effects of globalisation.

French artisan bakers think that in addition to the name and shape, it is the ingredients and recipe of baguette that should also be protected. Mass-produced imitations, often made outside of France, threaten this centuries-old tradition.

A 1993 law specifies that traditional baguette cannot contain anything other than wheat flour, yeast, water, and salt. But even with these four ingredients specified, there is a world of difference in the texture, colour, and taste of a supermarket baguette and one made by an artisanal Boulanger.

So, what transforms these four simple ingredients into the crusty, delectable loaves that bakers worldwide aspire to?

Predictably, when a recipe is this simple, it is the quality of the ingredients that makes the difference between a mediocre product and an exceptional one. The ingredients must be fresh and of high quality to yield the crusty yet chewy perfection the world admires.

Another essential element is the know-how of the baker. Anyone who has tried to make bread at home knows how quickly this seemingly simple pursuit turns into hours and hours of research, dozens of attempts, many phone calls to friends and more than one loaf of inedible dough. Which is why a great boulangerie, one that consistently crafts loaves with a crusty outside and a chewy middle, is worth seeking fervently.

Michel Fiori’s boulangerie in Nice won the title of best boulagerie on M6.

When asked what his secret to great bread is, Fiori shrugs his shoulders and says simply,

“Time… we work with time. It takes us 20 hours to make a baguette.”

Twenty hours?!?

Yes, because the few simple ingredients he starts with need time to develop and achieve the complexity of flavor and the texture of a perfect baguette.

Each ingredient plays an important role.

The flour provides the carbohydrates used for fermentation and the proteins (gluten) that give the bread texture. Depending on the type of flour, the dough rises differently and gives bread with different textures.

Fiori uses only selected flours, with no additives or stabilisers. Pure grains, grown in a way that respects the environment. His preferred are Farine Label Rouge, a premium flour that gives the bread depth of flavor and also is environmentally friendly, and CRC (Culture Raisonée Controlée) flour, produced from 100% French grains of high quality in a way that benefits both humans and nature. The mills he buys his flours from only work with artisanal boulangers, not large distribution. That way, they can make great flour in a sustainable way.

To these high quality flours, Fiori adds very little yeast, only 1% (10 grams per kilo of flour) and 10% leavening (100 grams per kilo of flour). The leavening causes the fermentation that creates bubbles of CO2, which cause the bread to rise. Water brings it all together enabling the unravelling of the process of fermentation.

First the ingredients are mixed together in a large bowl and the dough is kneaded.

This seems like a simple step but it all starts here: the type and quality of the flour determines the intricacies of this part of the process. To make great bread, this step must be executed with precision and know-how: the baker needs to know the ingredients, how they interact, and how those interactions might change depending on weather and other conditions. He needs to also be able to modify this part of the process as necessary, observing how the dough comes together and tweaking things so the final product is consistent.

After the dough has achieved the desired consistency, it is left to rest for an hour. The experience and know-how of the boulanger are critical here: years of experience and experimentation have allowed Michel Fiori to developed a process that yields dough with depth of flavor and the right consistency.

After the initial rest period.

Fiori lets the dough slowly rise in the fridge for 18 hours at 10C. This long, slow rising ensures perfect development of the gluten chains for elasticity and also leads to a complex, rich flavor. The slow process gives the bread its final crust, in several shades of golden brown, and persistence on the palate.

Finally, the dough gets its final shape (including any cuts and decorations). This step is time-consuming. Fiori explains that in the past, when it was done by hand, the cutting and shaping of baguettes to fill one oven would take up to 14 hours. Now, machines can do this in about 2 hours. The recipe, of course, had to be adjusted and is still tweaked every time an ingredient changes for example from white to darker flour, from summer to fall, etc.

After the dough is shaped, come the final two steps: baking and cooling. This is when the dough loses moisture and becomes bread, forming a crust and the inside.

The temperature, usually 240 to 260C, is critical: at the beginning of the baking process, the dough continues to rise in the oven, the inside of the bread develops, and the crust is formed. The vapour injected into the oven allows the bread to cook without drying out and hardening.

After the bread comes out of the oven, it needs to cool to optimise texture and flavor.

This is the crowning moment of the 2-day process that leads to the perfect baguette: brown and crusty on the outside, with a chewy middle dotted with air bubbles. The crust of Michel Fiori’s baguettes has 4 shades of brown: from a light beige in the folds to deep rustic brown on the ridges.

When enjoying a freshly-baked baguette, warm and crusty, most of us don’t think of the fact that it took 2 days to make. It is possible to make a baguette in a lot less time, of course. But a baguette made in 2 hours can never have the same texture and flavor as the artisanal one, let to develop flavor and texture over many hours. The fast-rising baguette has no colour and little flavor, so of necessity it contains additives, including sugar, to develop the golden colour so appealing to the eye.

A skilled labour.

In a globalised world, where physically demanding jobs are not in high demand, the biggest challenge for artisanal boulangeries is skilled labour: it takes years to become a boulanger. Fiori’s assistant baker, after 4 years of working at the bakery, can handle the mixing and kneading of the dough, but not yet the oven. That takes a lot more experience, knowing the dough intimately, knowing the oven and all the conditions that can affect it.

Bread is a living thing and a good boulanger knows how the bread will change after a customer buys it. Michael Fiori likes to study his own bread: he leaves a baguette at his house for a couple of days, even more, to see what happens. The bread loses moisture, but it stays fresh and edible for a long time, the sign of excellent bread, one made with passion from high quality ingredients.

About the author: This article was written for Fines Bouches Magazine by Viktorija Todorovska. Viktorija is a journalist, sommelier and author of numerous cookbooks. You can find more articles like this, in French, over on the Fines Bouche Magazine website.

The post THE ART & CRAFT OF BREAD MAKING appeared first on Bordeaux Expats.

It took a few hours to approve the 5.8km extension of the transport service to include the campus and downtown Gradignan. On the cards: 9 new stations, 2 parks & rides and a running frequency of 15 minutes (daily). According to the Sud-Ouest, the project will consists of an extension to line B by a splitting the track between the stations  of Doyen Brus and Montaigne Montesquieu, and then joining Cours de la Libération until bypass 16 on the ring road before the terminus of Beausoleil.

The project is estimated at approximately 10,200 daily travellers and a total cost of €136 million.

Whoop Whoop for the Bordeaux!

The post TRAM LINE B EXTENSION TO THE CAMPUS AND GRADIGNAN appeared first on Bordeaux Expats.

For a short film with Vincent Regan (from the film the 300) and Packy Lee (from the Peaky Blinders series)

The group is looking for native English speaking males, between 25 and 45 years old.

Potential candidates must be free from January 27 to 31.

If your interested, please send a recent photo & phone number by email to Cayol Sandrine – cayolsandrine@gmail.com

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OZ-360 founder Ben Hill moved to Bordeaux in April 2018 he is an avid surfer, golfer and ex rugby union player with a passion for human movement. Following an injury to his neck when working as a commercial diver he completed his Personal Training Cert IV in Australia, is registered with the European Union as a certified Personal Trainer and has now received his diploma as a sports coach qualified to coach in France.

When asked to explain his training business in a nutshell, Ben had this to say:

“Having held down office jobs for much of my adult life I’m acutely familiar with the issues that go along with this lifestyle. Particularly that niggling lower back pain which always seems to flare up just when you want to go for a surf or hit a few golf balls.

I endeavour to conduct all my sessions in the comfort of your own home or a close by outdoor space, the reason for this is two-fold. Most of my clients spend the whole day in an office type setting so getting outdoor is a great way to get some fresh air, invigorate the soul and the human organism.

My clients also tend to spend most of the day sitting in a chair, usually in an office or similar environment, so the last thing I would recommend is that they hit the gym to sit in a machine and push weights which could further compress the spine or potentially add to further restrictive joint mobility issues.

This style of training uses mainly body-weight or limited equipment, and many of the movements are inspired by Yoga and Pilates using proper breathing techniques which help to decompress the spine and mobilise joints. Hence it is perfect for all age groups.”

Conducted by a native English (Australian) speaker Oz-360 also offers the unique opportunity for you to practice the English language.

“At OZ-360 we believe that sustainable fitness comes not just through strength and mobility but starts with education and awareness of correct movement and common archetypes you can adopt into your daily life and routine to ensure a pain free mobile existence.”

If you are interested in trying this out to see if it may be a fit for you or just to break the monotony of your usual running routine please visit www.oz-360.com or LinkedIn to contact Ben.

Group training and corporate (specific training) sessions are also available on demand. Drop him a line.

The post GET FIT & HAVE FUN – AUSSIE STYLE appeared first on Bordeaux Expats.

Here is a great break down of how to implement both and how you can move from from ‘vous’ to ‘tu’!

Author Letty David

What is “vous” and “tu” ?

In English, whoever you’re interacting with is designated by the term “you”. In French as in other romance languages such as Italian, we have an informal term for you; which is “tu”(second person singular), and a “polite” term which is “vous” (second person plural). Although “vous” is used to designate a group of people, it is also used when speaking to anyone you don’t know or wish to show respect to.

Using “vous” is called “vouvoyer” and using “tu” is called “tutoyer”.

Whether to use “vous” or “tu”, that is the question!

Let’s start off with a nice simple rule; use “vous” to everyone except children unless they tell you that it’s OK to “tutoie” them.

Because “tu” is informal, using it incorrectly means you run the risk of insulting people. However, if you use “vous” over-enthusiastically, the worst that could happen is that people might take you for a snob which is much more easily remedied. If you’re a beginner, start off with “vous” and wait to see if the person to whom you are speaking invites you to use “tu”.

It might also be worth pointing out that “tu” is used for animals.

The following table should help you to decide how pick between “vous” and “tu”, and how to switch from the former to the latter.

Although younger generations are becoming more relaxed about using “tu”, some (usually older) people are still old fashioned and use “vous” within their family or to their life partner even. Tutoying someone that old fashioned could be dangerous as they might even think that you were trying to flirt with them.

Meanwhile, younger more open people are starting to use “tu” more and more; if you’re in a bar, at a party, or in any informal setting, you’re more likely to get tutoyed immediately, especially by anyone under 35. Usually they don’t mean it as a sign of disrespect but as a way of breaking down the barriers and being friendly, and you can afford to tutoie them in return.

Some examples:

I’ve spent a while trying to work out how to explain how to navigate between “vous” and “tu”, and because it’s so complex, I thought some concrete examples might help illuminate it’s subtleties. Here are some of the best examples I came up with. They might give you a headache but read them over a few times and hopefully the lights will pop on in your head and you’ll get it.

My neighbour Marie-France is a 79 year old widow and we’ve become good friends over the last year and a half. For the first 4 months, we used “vous” to each other everyday. Because she’s more senior in rank than me, I wanted to wait for her to make the first move… One day she accidentally used “tu” to me twice and apologised. We were having a nice conversation so I said that I was happy for her to start tutoying me. I said this using “vous” and she immediately said that we should both tutoye each other. Ever since we’ve used tu.

My car mechanic lives across the road from us and is hoping to retire soon. He’s known Marie-France for years, but not as a personal friend; her husband used to be a customer. My garagiste vouvoies Marie-France as a sign of respect, but she uses “tu” to him as a way of showing that she likes him.

Meanwhile, I vousvoie my garagiste as a mark of respect for his rank, his age, and his work. He has recently starting tutoying me (he asked and I agreed) because I’m the same age as his daughter and it felt weird him vouvoying me, especially given the amount of time I’ve recently been spending at the garage (yep, I’m having car problems). However, I will continue using “vous” to my garagiste as a form of respect until the day that he initiates me using “tu”.

This has it’s subtleties though… My doctor is older and in a more senior job than me, and we maintain a strictly professional relationship; even though I’m a lot younger, we both vousvoie each other as a sign of mutual respect and professional courtesy.

I could come up with a trillion more examples for you, but essentially, the tu/vous dance must be treated case by case; every situation is different and therefore must be treated differently. The basic things to remember are:

• if you get a good vibe from someone and you wouldn’t mind them using tu to you, you can always try using tu, or ask if it would be ok.
• If you tutoie someone and they go stiff or look insulted or uncomfortable, apologise and go back to using “vous”.
• If you want to show respect, vous is the place to start.
• If you want someone who respects you to chill out, invite them to tutoie you.

Some key vocabulary:

When you’re having an argument:

If you want to be rude you can use either “tu” or “vous.

If you’ve been tutoying someone but you want to insult them, suddenly changing back to “vous” will symbolise the rift between you; it’s like saying:

“we’re not the same anymore, we’re not friends, you don’t know me and I don’t know you.”

If you’ve been vousvoying someone and you want to express how annoyed you are with them, switching to “tu” is a way of dragging them down to your level, of saying;

“you’re not better than me you know, I’ve been polite to you, but I don’t respect you, and you shouldn’t treat me like I’m a lesser being because you and I are on the same level.”

When I signed up for a driving school and the director of the school automatically tutoyed me without asking, I was very insulted because I wasn’t a 15 year old like all his other students, I was an adult. I insisted on vousvoying him until the day that we got into a very heated argument in which I tutoyed him as a sign of disrespect. After the argument I went back to pointedly vousvoying him.

To conclude, using “tu” can demonstrate disrespect and contempt, which is why if you’re uncertain what to use it’s best to stick to “vous” and risk being a little too formal. As with everything, practice makes perfect, so just get out there and start assessing people and situations and seeing what works for you. Context is everything when choosing between “tu” and “vous”, so learning about French culture and social codes of conduct will help you enormously.

About the author:

Letty David was born and brought up in France but her family is originally British. Being bilingual but not understanding British culture at all, she wanted to learn all about it so she spent 5 years in Scotland catching up on English TV, discovering Scottish music, and bingeing on curry… She is now proud to call herself not only bilingual but bicultural. She is happy to be back in France, even though she knows that she’ll never properly fit in anywhere because she’s not 100% British or French… She is however a true European!

Letty specialises in communications, and she would be happy to connect on LinkedIn here: You can find out about her work as a photographer: www.lettydavid.com / @PhotographyLettyDavid

The post TU & VOUS – HOW TO DECIDE WHICH TO USE appeared first on Bordeaux Expats.

He studied visual arts and graphics in both countries and started his career as a set designer producing large scale paintings for theatres, which gave him the inspiration to produce his own work on canvas and murals.

In the course of his professional experience he has also been active as a producer, and the co-founder of IPAF festival, and beforehand he explored other ways of creativity working as a tattoo artist, photographer, designer and a digital artist.

Ruben has participated in solo and group shows, festivals, biennials and presentations in South Africa, China, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Belize, Cuba, United States, Israel, Mexico and Canada.

“I have always been curious and interested in history, traditions, metaphysics, science and the development of philosophical ideas, mainly topics related to human behaviour and the complexity of our interaction with nature. The “Neoshamans” series appear as the result of this informal approach to those concepts.”

The current exhibition of Ruben Carrasco at Magnetic Art gallery offers a new series of artworks tend to a universal narrative that offers enough room to expand or distort the multiple conclusions we can recreate through our personal life experiences and ways of perception.

The gallery is showcasing a varied exhibition of artworks that includes an installation, original paintings, drawings, limited edition prints and his most recent mural “Last Forest Dreamer” until October 12th.

This body of work is composed mostly by paintings of chromatic and bi-chromatic scenes of animals interacting with neoshamans characters which are wearing costumes that fusion technological elements with organic tribal objects. This hybrid look represents the dispute and the conciliation between the pragmatism of science and the spiritual world of ancestral traditions as a sort of “new ways of faith” or the last hope to heal nature, but also revealing the loss of control caused by their own human condition.

WHERE: Magnetic Art gallery – 1 Place Avisseau 33300 Bordeaux
WHEN: Until October 12th, 2019
HOURS: Wednesday to Saturday – 14h – 19h

The post NEOSHAMANS – RUBEN CARRASCO SOLO SHOW appeared first on Bordeaux Expats.

Over the last few decades we have seen technological progress with the appearance of autonomous robots that aimed to assist humans in daily life. Now with the introduction of AI we are experiencing the future with robots playing roles in the household, industry and collaborative.

Ever present in our lives, from the cinema to literature and music, robots are not just a cultural symbol. The coming years will determine the relationship that we have with them and the position that they will take in our existence. So, will they replace us?

Play a part in this ethical debate and delve into these intriguing challenges that have been put in motion by Pepper, Nao, Cozmo and other Robotic counterparts.

All audiences / above 7 years old
Visit Duration: 1hr 30min
#RobotsBdx @capsciences
Bilingual exhibition French / English

WHERE: Cap Sciences, Hangar 20, Quai de Bacalan, 33300 Bordeaux

WHEN: 10th July 2019 until 3rd May 2020
Tuesday to Friday 2pm – 6pm
Saturday & Sunday 2pm – 7pm
Every day during school holidays

COST: 
Full price : €9
Discount price : €6.50
Online reservations and ticket purchases are available at: cap-sciences.net

The post THE ROBOTS HAVE ARRIVED AT CAP SCIENCES appeared first on Bordeaux Expats.

Truly committed to the preservation of their natural patrimony, they are convinced at Cousin et Compagnie that it also comes through their practices in the vineyards as well as in the cellar. Therefore, their range is composed for 90% of organic, biodynamic or natural wines from small-batches productions.

Stopping by Cousin et Compagnie’s means to unearth gem wines from all over the country and from abroad, from the prestigious Classified Growths to the narrow and unknown family run estates. Novices or connoisseurs, everyone will find what they want, helped by the very open and knowledgeable staff.

Cousin et Compagnie is not only a wine shop, you might be alone or a group and whatever budget or time you are willing to spend, Cousin et Compagnie is able to welcome you every day for short commented tastings or private tastings and wine dinners in hidden places of the historical Bordeaux, on reservation.

In addition, every Saturday at 12h, an introduction to the tasting of 4 great wines of Bordeaux in an 18th century lounge for 2 hours of exchange and sharing around emblematic areas of the region.

But also, throughout the summer until the end of September, every Monday at 18h and Tuesdays at 11:30, Cousin et Compagnie will take you aboard its cruise over the wine for 1h30 tasting of great Bordeaux wines and local products. under the sign of conviviality and good humour.

Tastings, wine dinners, events, wine cruises or worldwide shipping, everything is possible at Cousin et Compagnie’s, where there is always a glass of wine waiting for you and where friendship and fellowship are the key words, every single day of the week, all year long from 10am to 10pm.

WHERE: Cousin et Compagnie, 2 Rue du Pas-Saint-Georges, 33000 Bordeaux

https://www.facebook.com/CousinandCo/

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It’s a great way of injecting French popular culture into your day, during your commute, workout, or downtime, and will provide you with something to talk about with French people.

Here is a selection of hits you’ll hear on the radio this spring. Try reading the lyrics while you listen, and practice translating them to boost your French skills.

Author Letty David

Patrick Fiori – Les gens qu’on aime

Written and composed for Patrick Fiori by Jean Jacques Goldman (known for 1982 “Quand la musique est bonne” which is still a cult dance track), this catchy song has a lovely message. We’ll be humming it all summer. Goldman makes a cameo appearance in the official video clip; see if you can spot him.

Maître Gims – Miami Vice

Aside from his work with Sexion D’assaut, Maitre Gims’ voice has enlivened French radio with many solo hits including “J’me Tire” (2013) and “Sapés comme jamais” (2015). Miami Vice is is his latest release.

Zaz – Demain C’est Toi

Her first single “Je Veux” (2010) made Zaz famous and is a radio classic that you’ll hear while walking round the supermarket. “Demain C’est Toi” is a hauntingly beautiful track from her new album “Effet Miroir”.

Angèle – Balance Ton Quoi

Referencing the #MeToo movement (called #BalanceTonPorc in France), 22 year old Angèle’s upbeat song is a feminist anthem whose video clip is a hilarious comment about the patriarchy.

Clara Luciani – La Grenade

Another rising star in the French music industry, Clara Luciani’s lyrics in “La Grenade” are a battle cry for all women.

Jenifer – Slimane, Les Choses Simples

Since winning the first season of “La Star Academy” in 2002, Jenifer has released many hit songs and been a coach on “The Voice”. For “Les Choses Simples”, she collaborated with Slimane (who won “The Voice” in 2016).

Calogero – On se sait par cœur

The video clip for “On se sait par cœur” was filmed live at the Olympia in Paris during Calogero’s hugely successful “Liberté Chérie” tour.

Kendji Girac, Claudio Capéo – Que Dieu me Pardonne

“Que Dieu me Pardonne”’s gypsy-pop vibe reunites two singers from “The Voice” whose budding friendship could lead to even greater musical achievements.

Patrick Bruel – Pas Eu Le Temps

A veteran French star of stage and screen, Patrick Bruel’s latest song is a melancholic yet upbeat reflection on the passage of time.

Maëlle – Toutes Les Machines ont un Coeur

In 2018, Maëlle was the first female winner of “The Voice” at only 17. Her first single was composed by Calogero and questions our technology-dependant society, reminding us that behind each screen is a human being.

About the author:

Letty David was born and brought up in France but her family is originally British. Being bilingual but not understanding British culture at all, she wanted to learn all about it so she spent 5 years in Scotland catching up on English TV, discovering Scottish music, and bingeing on curry… She is now proud to call herself not only bilingual but bicultural. She is happy to be back in France, even though she knows that she’ll never properly fit in anywhere because she’s not 100% British or French… She is however a true European!

Letty specialises in communications, and she would be happy to connect on LinkedIn here: You can find out about her work as a photographer: www.lettydavid.com / @PhotographyLettyDavid

The post LEARN FRENCH BY LISTENING TO THE RADIO appeared first on Bordeaux Expats.

They love living in the city but since their arrival they’ve always looked to get out and explore the region. But after they had driven through the Médoc’s “Route des Châteaux” and ended up on the empty dunes looking over the Atlantic coast, they knew it had to be shared and that this is where they would eventually set up shop.

Back in 2008, they became close friends thanks to their involvement with their Uni’s ski society, organising the annual student ski trip to the Alps. After graduation, not convinced by the choice of Grad’ schemes on offer, they both jumped ship to South West France in 2012 following years-abroad in Paris and Nice respectively.

With the Atlantic ocean on their doorstep it was inevitable that they should try to transpose their ski/boarding skills into surfing, but they never expected to get hooked on the sport so easily, let alone build a surf camp!

Check out this great Surf Guide to waves in France!

For the first few years living in Bordeaux they would take any free time off from the freelance teaching gigs to head back to the waves.

Within 1h15 there are so many spots within reach of the city. Although this sounded like a lot to Brits, driving in the French countryside is a genuine pleasure and time on the road flies by.

Learn more about where the are location: www.sanctuary.surf/where

A little throwback to their early surf days. 7 years ago when they arrived in Bordeaux.

It was exactly on one of these trips back from a mid-week session when full of post-surf buzz they asked themselves “Why can’t we do this everyday?”.

“Let’s start a surf camp!”

“It’s been done” Came the reply.

“Yeah but not with the home comforts we’re used to…..”

“It’s always nice to go home after a surf to chill, but instead of going home, why not take all the best aspects of home and bring them to the surf?”.

The rest as they say, is history… From there onwards they made the most of every drive to their surf sessions to develop the concept.

Over the next four years and after much discussion and fine tuning they arrive where they are today: making their idea a reality, being in the position to actually offer what they have been planning for so long, and most importantly, living what we love doing…

They built Sanctuary Surf to share “The best France has to offer” for those travelling from abroad (outside France). But they are still surprised today how undiscovered this area of the region is to people from Bordeaux, whether native or Expat.

That’s why James & Olly want to welcome new guests and we have put together some special offers for the Bordeaux Expat Community

2 NIGHTS FULL-BOARD ONLY €139 pp

We have put the first weekend of June aside exclusively for Bordeaux Expats so get booking!

They can’t wait to see you at Sanctuary Surf this summer!

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