The Land of Desire: French History and Culture

  Welcome back! After a long break to buy new soundproofing equipment – which may or may not have been successful – we're back with a new miniseries. I'm excited, as I think we're covering one of the most interesting subjects this show has ever covered: the heiress, philanthropist and pioneering psychoanalyst Marie Bonaparte. Naturally, The post 71. Marie Bonaparte, Part I appeared first on The Land of Desire.

Aloha from Hawaii! Your host is celebrating a lot of things right now: Bastille Day, the ability to travel responsibly, the birthday of a certain overworked and abused producer-intern, and oh yeah, the fifth anniversary of The Land of Desire!!! I'm celebrating by answering some excellent questions from you, dear listeners. Merci beaucoup. Episode 70: The post 70. Fifth Anniversary! Listener Q&A appeared first on The Land of Desire.

We're back! After a big move, which required the dismantling and relocation of the trusty recording studio (a.k.a. Diana's closet), I'm excited to record in my new space!  Next month is the show's sixth anniversary – I know, right?!! – and I'm asking YOU to submit questions for a special listener Q&A episode. You can The post 69. The Boy Who Solved Vanilla appeared first on The Land of Desire.

April showers bring May flowers – unless they bring floods, famine, and fear. This month, I’m looking at the moment in French history when farmers turned their nose up at the foods of the New World – until they realized what the potato had to offer. Antoine Parmentier, one of the great hype men of The post 68. Antoine Parmentier & The History of the Potato appeared first on The Land of Desire.

What better way to “celebrate” a year of sheltering in place than a closer look at France’s most famous social distancer? This week, I’m looking at the curious relationship between the eccentric, reclusive writer, Marcel Proust, and his beloved housekeeper-confidant, Céleste Albaret. Together, the two hunkered down into a mostly nocturnal life of writing, collaborating, The post 67. Marcel & Celeste, Part II appeared first on The Land of Desire.

What better way to “celebrate” a year of sheltering in place than a closer look at France’s most famous social distancer? This week, I’m looking at the curious relationship between the eccentric, reclusive writer, Marcel Proust, and his beloved housekeeper-confidant, Céleste Albaret. Together, the two hunkered down into a mostly nocturnal life of writing, collaborating, The post 66. Marcel & Celeste, Part I appeared first on The Land of Desire.

The darkest days of winter are here, and I think it’s time we all indulged in a little self-care, non? My own quarantine hobby, skincare, set me down a particular path. Why was I spraying my face with thermal spa water from France? What is thermal spa water? Why do we drink thermal spa water? Does any The post 65. A Trip to the Spa appeared first on The Land of Desire.

Happy New Year! The Land of Desire is BACK with an exciting – and hopeful – story to set us off on the right track in 2021. Your happy host gets to indulge her love of epidemiology a little bit without leaving you depressed in the middle of a pandemic (she swears). This week, we’re The post 64. Louis Pasteur and The History of the Vaccine appeared first on The Land of Desire.

BOO! It’s spooky season, so I’m bringing you a chilling tale of piracy, treachery, and blood-soaked revenge. This week, we’re digging into the very beginning of the Hundred Years’ War, when a bunch of scheming men had their plans ruined by scheming women. We’ll learn about the War of Breton Succession, a.k.a. a teensy conflict The post 63. Jeanne de Clisson and the Black Fleet appeared first on The Land of Desire.

At long last, I get to combine two of my great passions: French history and 1990s women’s figure skating! Let’s face it, France hasn’t produced that many great female skaters over the decades. Male skaters like Alain Calmat and Pierre Péra made their way to the champion’s podium, but as the end of the 20th The post 62. Surya Bonaly appeared first on The Land of Desire.

It’s that time of year – les vacances! Oh, wait, you’re stuck at home? No big international trips? Global pandemic got you grounded? Yeah, me too. My favorite summer destination, Disneyland, is closed for COVID, and it’ll be a long time until it reopens. When it does, it won’t be the same. It’ll be an The post 61. Euro Disney appeared first on The Land of Desire.

It’s our birthday!! Today, The Land of Desire kicks off its fifth year and what better way to celebrate than with a little cake? This week, I’m focusing on the history of one of my favorite French treats: the humble, beloved madeleine! “One could almost call the madeleine France’s national cookie” wrote Patricia Wells in the New The post 60. The History of Madeleines appeared first on The Land of Desire.

  Surprise! I know I said I was done with Women At War, but then I immediately sat up in bed one night and smacked myself in the forehead. This series is the perfect opportunity to tell the story of my favorite unlikely heroine of all time: Rose Valland.  What better way to wrap up the The post 59. Women At War BONUS: The Witness (Rose Valland) appeared first on The Land of Desire.

  It’s the two-part conclusion of the miniseries: Women In War. This episode was a long time coming. I struggled to read the stories of Ravensbruck concentration camp. How can I pay tribute to these brave women? But I knew the story of French women during World War II would be incomplete without confronting the truth The post 58. Women At War 5: The Survivor II (Marie-José Wilborts) appeared first on The Land of Desire.

  It’s the two-part conclusion of the miniseries: Women In War. This episode was a long time coming. I struggled to read the stories of Ravensbruck concentration camp. How can I pay tribute to these brave women? But I knew the story of French women during World War II would be incomplete without confronting the truth The post 57. Women At War 5: The Survivor I (Marie-José Wilborts) appeared first on The Land of Desire.

We are going underground. ― Jacqueline Marié It’s the continuation of my new miniseries on a subject extremely near and dear to my heart: Women In War! For the next few weeks I’ll be focusing on the experiences of women in France during World War II: fighting the resistance, collaborating with the Nazis, keeping children The post 56. Women At War 4: The Résistante (Jacqueline Marié) appeared first on The Land of Desire.

If one took seriously the disclosures that Mademoiselle Chanel allowed herself to make about those black years of the Occupation, one’s teeth would be set on edge. ― Marcel Haedrich, friend and biographer It’s the continuation of my new miniseries on a subject extremely near and dear to my heart: Women In War! For the The post 55. Women At War 3: The Collaborator (Coco Chanel) appeared first on The Land of Desire.

Why is it that knowing how to remain alone in Paris for a year in a miserable room teaches a man more than a hundred literary salons and forty years’ experience of ‘Parisian life’? ― Albert Camus, diary entry, 1940 It’s the continuation of my new miniseries on a subject extremely near and dear to The post 54. Women At War 2: The Schoolteacher (Berthe Auroy) appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“We decided to take only precious items. But what did we have that was precious?” ― Jackie DeCol, Parisian refugee I’m excited to announce the launch of a new miniseries on a subject extremely near and dear to my heart: Women In War! For the next few weeks I’ll be focusing on the experiences of women The post 53. Women At War 1: The Exile (Elisabeth Kaufmann) appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“It is fresh, and free.” ― Paul de Charry, art critic This week, we’re kicking off the fourth year of the podcast with some hot fun in the summertime! It’s hot in Paris – too hot – and a listener question got me thinking about historical ways to beat the heat. This question led me The post 52. Luncheon of the Boating Party appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“Plaisir partagé, plaisir doublé.” (“Joy shared, joy doubled.”) ― French proverb It’s our THIRD ANNIVERSARY! I’m celebrating with a listener Q&A! What an amazing ride it’s been. I’ll Thank you again for all your support over the past three years! Episode 51: “3 Year Party! Listener Q&A” Anniversary Reading List Here are the books I The post 51. Our Third Anniversary! Listener Q&A appeared first on The Land of Desire.

The Land of Desire is turning 3! To celebrate, I’m taking questions from listeners, so please submit your questions before the end of the week (July 12). You can submit via the show’s Facebook page, as a comment on this blog post, through Twitter, or through this form. I can’t wait to hear from you The post Reminder: Listener Q&A appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“Charity is dead.” ― Guy de Chauliac Welcome back to our FIFTIETH EPISODE! Next episode will be our THIRD BIRTHDAY and I’m celebrating with a listener Q&A! Over the next few weeks, please ask me any questions you like: questions about the show, about me, about France, about whatever, and I’ll share my favorites in The post 50. Notre Dame, Part 3: The Black Death appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“Great edifices, like great mountains, are the work of the ages.” ― Victor Hugo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame This week we’re continuing our tribute to Notre Dame Cathedral – posted straight from Paris! Your host is currently leading a tour for this show’s #1 fan. (Hi Maman!) Keep an eye out on the show’s Facebook The post 49. Notre Dame, Part 2 appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“Great edifices, like great mountains, are the work of the ages.” ― Victor Hugo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame This week we’re paying tribute to Notre Dame Cathedral. I’ll be skipping around to the most important interactions between Notre Dame and her hometown. At each point, I’ll try to paint a picture of Paris as she The post 48. Notre Dame, Part 1 appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“A symphony of a sandwich” Anthony Bourdain Important News: The Land of Desire is now streaming on Spotify! Get hungry, y’all. This week we’re taking a look at the darker side of French history by exploring the history of one of the world’s best sandwiches, the banh mi! Episode 47: “The History of the Bánh The post 47. The History of the Bánh Mì appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“Choupette is a rich girl.” Karl Lagerfeld Important News: The Land of Desire is now streaming on Spotify! Dear listeners, I had an entirely different episode lined up for this week, notes prepared, outline finished, ready to be transformed into a script. Then I woke up on Tuesday morning to the news that Karl Lagerfeld, The post 46. Choupette, The Most Glamorous Cat In The World appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“I had to wait 110 years to become famous… I intend to enjoy it as long as possible.” – Jeanne Calment Happy New Year, everyone! Thanks so much for your patience while this podcast host enjoyed a trip to Japan, a 30th birthday, and a very necessary break. I’m super energized to be back, with The post 45. The Mysterious Life of Jeanne Calment appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step.” – Napoleon Bonaparte Before we all gorge ourselves on turkey and stuffing, it’s time for the conclusion of Napoleon Bonaparte’s tiniest war. Now, if you’re like me and hate military history, don’t tune out just yet – the battlefield is small, and the only casualty The post 44. Napoleon’s Tiniest Campaign, Part 2 appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“From the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step.” – Napoleon Bonaparte This week we’re going to explore a little-known footnote of history: Napoleon Bonaparte’s tiniest war. Now, if you’re like me and hate military history, don’t tune out just yet – the battlefield is small, and the only casualty is – well, I The post 43. Napoleon’s Tiniest Campaign appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“I only drink Champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad.”  – Lily Bollinger The Land of Desire turns 2 years old! We’re celebrating with – what else? – champagne! Pop, fizz, salut: we’re going deep into the history of the world’s favorite party drink to find out what makes bubbly so special, what makes The post 42. The History of Champagne appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“With enough butter, anything is good.” – Julia Child, The French Chef Yes, you’re seeing things correctly: not one, but TWO new episodes in a single day. Consider this my je suis desolee for the three months’ absence. Picking up right where we left off in episode 2, Julia Child is halfway through her grand cookbook project The post 41. Julia Child, Part 3 appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“The big job now rests on your shoulders.” – book editor to Julia Child Hello again, everyone! I know it’s been awhile, and in this episode I’ll discuss the reason for my long absence. Thank you to everyone who reached out with questions, concerns and care over the past few months. It’s meant so much The post 40. Julia Child, Part 2 appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“In France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport.” – Julia Child Hello everyone! Welcome back to The Land of Desire. The first episode of 2018 is finally here! his year, we’re kicking things off with a salute to one of France’s most curious cultural ambassadors – a woman who has helped generations of The post 39. Julia Child, Part 1 appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“Where are you, best of the salt sea?” – Middle French poem, 14th century Hello everyone! Welcome back to The Land of Desire. Thanks for your patience while I spent some quality time with family at Thanksgiving and celebrating my birthday in NYC. This week we’ll continue our miniseries: “A Tour de France”: What kind The post 38. A Tour de France – Brittany appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“Good wine is a necessity of life for me.” – Thomas Jefferson Hello everyone! Welcome back to The Land of Desire. Thanks for your patience while I spent some quality time with family at Thanksgiving and celebrating my birthday in NYC. This week we’ll continue our miniseries: “A Tour de France”: What kind of France The post 37. A Tour de France – Bordeaux appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“Cassoulet is not a recipe; it’s an argument among villages.” – Andre Daguin Hello everyone! Welcome back to The Land of Desire. Thanks for your patience while I spent some quality time with family at Thanksgiving and celebrating my birthday in NYC. This week we’ll continue our miniseries: “A Tour de France”: What kind of The post 36. A Tour de France – Toulouse appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“It is always an event at Marseilles for a ship to come into port.” – Alexandre Dumas Hello everyone! This week we’ll continue our new miniseries: our very own Tour de France. What kind of France exists outside the boundaries of Paris? What kind of France exists in the middle of the countryside? What does The post 35. A Tour de France – Marseille appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“You never see anyone in the countryside.” – Jacquou le Croquant Hello everyone! This week we’ll continue our new miniseries: our very own Tour de France. What kind of France exists outside the boundaries of Paris? What kind of France exists in the middle of the countryside? What does someone in Paris have in common The post 34. A Tour de France – Lyon appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“We shall see much, but learn very little.” – Jean Ognier Hello everyone! After a much needed vacation, I’m excited to return with a brand new miniseries: our very own Tour de France. What kind of France exists outside the boundaries of Paris? What kind of France exists in the middle of the countryside? What The post 33. A Tour de France – Montgeron appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“We have never retreated from anything, ever.” – Stéphane Sirot, labor historian Hello everyone! This week’s episode is a bit timelier than usual – I thought it would be an interesting experiment to dive deeper into some of France’s biggest headlines today. As the French return from their holidays and I prepare to leave for The post 32. Le Code du Travail appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“A line of railway tracks, like a zipper, speeding open to the south, to Marseille, to Nice and the Côte d’Azur” – Sylvia Plath, 1956 Hello everyone! This week’s episode is a bit late, as a certain podcast host’s bathtub stopped working, flooded her entire apartment, and delayed things a wee bit. Thanks for your The post 31. Le Train Bleu appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“A Moveable Feast.” – Ernest Hemingway We have a new milestone! This week, The Land of Desire will reach a quarter of a million downloads – absolutely incroyable. Thank you to everyone who participated in The Land of Desire’s anniversary celebrations, and to those of you who shared my series on how to start a podcast, and The post 30. The History Of The Picnic appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“We are locked in history and they were not.” – Werner Herzog We’re back! Thank you to everyone who participated in The Land of Desire’s anniversary celebrations. Extra thanks to those of you who shared my series on how to start a podcast, and those of you who contributed to the show’s Patreon page. This The post 29. The Caves of Lascaux appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“Bienvenue and welcome to The Land of Desire.” – me, 7/14/2016 WE DID IT! This Friday, The Land of Desire officially turns one year old! I’m completely blown away by everything that’s happened in the last year – getting featured on the iTunes Store, getting played on the CBC (twice!), getting to hear from fans all The post 28. Bon Anniversaire! appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” – Yogi Berra This week, we’ll wrap up our series “We’ll Always Have Paris” focusing on the history of tourism in France. Paris is in many ways a city constructed by and for tourism: tourism shapes which landmarks are preserved, which civic resources are available, and whose needs are prioritized. The post 27. We’ll Always Have Paris – Paris Syndrome appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“Everyone in Paris once.” – German military catchphrase This week, we’ll continue our series “We’ll Always Have Paris” focusing on the history of tourism in France. Tuesday was D-Day, so let’s take a look at an understudied element of the hospitality industry: occupation tourism. What happens when an entire army comes to town? What happens when your conquerors The post 26. We’ll Always Have Paris – A Visit from Hitler appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“I have come to liberate the Ritz.” – Ernest Hemingway This week, we’ll continue our series “We’ll Always Have Paris” focusing on the history of tourism in France. I don’t know about you, but after all this history, I could use a drink! Luckily, I know just the place. This week, we sneak behind the bar The post 25. We’ll Always Have Paris – The Ritz Paris Bar appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“A public monument is not there just for lovers.” – city official, Paris (2014) Now that summer’s around the corner, Paris is bracing itself for the annual influx of tourists. With 36 million tourists passing through Paris every year, tourism has a profound influence on the capital and the country at large. Tiny trends morph into The post 24. We’ll Always Have Paris – Love Locks appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“No one but myself knows…the trouble I give myself.” – Claude Monet What are you doing April 26th? If you’re in San Francisco, the answer could be seeing ME, your friendly neighborhood podcast host, helping to launch the Legion of Honor’s newest book club, Page Views. In honor of their newest exhibition, Monet: The Early Years, The post 23. Four’s Company – The Scandalous House of Claude Monet appeared first on The Land of Desire.

“Life is the flower for which love is the honey.” – Victor Hugo Spring is in the air! After such a spooky, scary episode last month, I’m keeping the newest episode short and, dare I say it, sweet! This week, we take a detour into the life of French bees to learn more about their surprising history, The post 22. The Sweet Life of French Bees appeared first on The Land of Desire.