ouifranglais – Page 3 – Oui, Oui, Je Speak Franglais

ouifranglais December 23, 2020 Culture

Oui, Oui, Turns 10 Years!

C’est déjà 10 ans ou is it 11 years already?

Moulin Rouge’s Can Can Girls

Well, actually Oui, Oui ‘s Facebook page was launched 10 years ago and Facebook is a great reminder of how far we have come with a community of more than 160, 000.

**Bastille Day NYC with ‘Cat the Mime’**

However, I had launched Oui, Oui, Je Speak Franglais in 2009 after I had applied to le programme d’assistants de langue and ended up in Lille. I literally remember pacing around trying to come up with names, that were witty, fun yet easy to role of one’s tongue et voilà, the name Oui, Oui, Je Speak Franglais came to mind.

Oui, Oui, started off as a campaign because I wanted to inspire my students in Lille, France to speak English because learning a target language has its challenges. Before then, my path was clear just as any university graduate pursuing their life’s dream in tv production and marketing. After two years of working in those sectors back to back I lost my job and that was a catalyst that taught me about life and change. Moreover , deeply understanding that change is the only thing that’s constant.

Now, Oui, Oui, is more than a campaign but a bicultural and bilingual lifestyle company. I have curated many programs, initiatives, met people from all walks of life and shared countless memes on social media… I am looking forward to do more!

So simply put … whatever you want to accomplish in la vie, you can do it whilst afraid; however, you must be consistent and always do it with conviction. If you do get tired on your journey, learn to rest and don’t quit.

Merci mille fois for being a part of The Oui, Oui, Je Speak Franglais Community!

And remember each day is the perfect jour to vivre, être, parler franglais!

p.s: What’s your favorite thing about being bilingual?

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ouifranglais October 31, 2020 Uncategorized

French Words That Are ‘Scary’ for Non-Native Speakers to Pronounce

There are scary things in this world and one is pronouncing French words. We came up with some French words that some non-native speakers have difficulties with?

@ouiouijespeakfranglais
French is such a beautiful language but pronouncing French words, not so much! #french #learningfrench #bilingual #learning
♬ Jus’ Know – BlackMayo

écureuil: squirrel

2. accueil: welcome/reception

3. hors d’oeuvre: starter/finger food

4. pneu: tire

5. Niçoise: classic salad with potatoes, tuna fish, tomatoes, olives, etc.

Et vous? What French word leaves you tongue-tied? Did it make our list?

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ouifranglais August 31, 2020 Culture

Netflix and Voyager

Nowadays, there are very little options to entertain so we tend to binge on Netflix. While others may love the notion of Netflix and Chill , I would like to introduce Netflix and Voyager– oui, oui, –watch and travel. So the film that inspired me to write this article is Netflix’s, The Old Guard.

[Spoiler alert] The Old Guard starring Charlize Theron, Kiki Lane and Chiwetel Ejiofor has a group of immortal mercenaries globe-trot through time and places such as Sudan, Afghanistan and Francophone cities in Morocco and France, while saving humanity.

Although, The Old Guard was only filmed in two locations-England and Morocco– which you would not know just from the pure genius of set designers … we thought , we’d create a bucket list for those who would want to travel to the Francophone cities/towns featured in le film.

✈︎ Marrakesh, Morocco

What to do: Get lost in the Medina- There’s no other way to have a lens through local life than at the Medina, with bustling noises, beautiful colors and eclectic wares.

Medina market/image via :medinamarrakech

Where to stay: El Fenn Hotel ( actually featured in The Old Guard)

✈︎ Goussainville, France

What to do: Goussainville is an abandoned old town in the outskirts of Paris. Since this town is directly in the path of the Charles de Gaulle airport and also a ghost town, there’s not much to do or see.

Facade of a building in Goussainville/image via : tripadvisor

Where to stay: There is a list of hotels; however since this town is not quite touristy… many may book hotels in its environs since it is close to the airport.

✈︎ Val d’Argent, France

What to do: Adventure off into the ancient silver mines of Parc Tellure.

Parc Tellure/image via : val d’argent tourisme

Where to stay: Chambres d’hôtes du Val d’Argent —

Landscape of Chambres d’hotes/image via booking.com

✈︎ Paris, France

What to do: It takes more than days, months, years to discover Paris— it takes a lifetime. But we’d recommend you to explore the off beaten path of the architectural gem of the Gare de Lyon’s Le Train Bleu.

Le Train Bleu Restauart at Gare de Lyon/image via le train bleu

Where to stay: Hotel Splendid Etoile

So get your Netflix and Bon voyage!

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ouifranglais July 18, 2020 Culture

How to Make Crème Brûlée with Mon Petit Four

Crème brûlée, which literally means burnt cream, is a dessert of custard–topped with caramelized sugar. My first time ever ordering this dessert was about 15 years. It was at a bistro in le quartier de la Bastille and ever since then, Oui, Oui — you guessed it, crème brûlée is usually my first choice when ordering dessert in a resto. I mean , pourquoi pas? This creamy custard leaves me craving for more.

Thanks to Mon Petit Four’s, Beeta Hashempour, you too can recreate this decadent recette for yourself or guests. Bon app!

Crème Brûlée

Yield: 5 Prep Time: 25 minutes Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Creamy vanilla custard baked until set, then topped with a caramelized sugar topping.

Ingredients

2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
6 tbsp granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
turbinado sugar, or any kind of coarse sugar granules, for the top

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 320°F. Bring a kettle full of water to a boil. Meanwhile, In a medium saucepan, warm the cream just until it’s beginning to simmer along the edges of the pan. Don’t let the cream boil! Stir in the vanilla bean paste once the cream is warm. Turn the heat off.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the granulated sugar together until thick and pale. Stream in 1/4 cup of the hot cream mixture, whisking vigorously as you do. Continue to stream in another 1/4 cup, again whisking the entire time. Pour in the rest of the hot cream and whisk until everything is blended together.
Use a ladle to distribute the batter among 5 (6 oz.) ramekins. Place the ramekins in a large casserole dish and place the dish in the oven. Use the kettle spout to pour the hot water into the casserole dish, pouring enough water so that the water almost reaches the top of the ramekins. Be careful not to get any water into the ramekins.
Bake the custard for 1 hour just until the centers are slightly wobbly. If needed, after 1 hour, raise the heat to 350°F and bake for another 10 minutes until you’ve achieved the desired doneness. Remove the ramekins from the casserole dish and let them cool to room temperature. Wrap the ramekins tightly in plastic wrap and freeze.
To brulee, sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the turbinado sugar over each frozen creme brulee. Set the ramekins on a baking sheet under the oven broiler (500°F) for about 1 minute, constantly checking it and rotating the pan so that all of them are evenly bruleed. Let the burnt sugar topping set for a few minutes before serving.