More on Frog Fondness

And Why it's the Next Best Thing to Being in Paris

Not just because my given middle name is that popular french name Louise, after the great King/Saint- 'Louis' or because my mother's ancestors are French on one side, ou parce que je suis moitie francaise dans ma coeur et ame, but because it's the next best thing to being in France outside La Maison, French Embassy in Washington, DC or immersing yourself in french movies if you are stuck in DC.

THE PARISH OF SAINT LOUIS DE FRANCE. (see entry below)

One Sunday a month they have a hospitality sunday at the parish of St. Louis de France featuring quiche, brioche, with white wine (where else?) at Epiphany in Georgetown.
Every year they feature a "Kermesse" which is more than a funky fun parisien flea market (great bargains for vintage coolness)- it had some lawn games for kiddies, and a station where they were making crepes, and another with boeuf bollonaise and another with croque monsieurs (fancy grilled ham and cheese) and another with the kind of sandwiches with brie cheese on french bread the vendors sell on the streets of Paris. I could have stayed all day.

Every time I land in Paris I go for my favorite vendors around MontMartre/Sacre Coeur who sell crepes with Grand Marnier. Where in America can you buy on the street crepes with Grand Marnier? (sans sucre svp.) Imagine such an application to the DC office that licenses street vendors. No offense to spicy Doritos, but the street vendors in DC are nothing compared to those in Paris. Someone try it- I dare you. Dear Mayor Gray-I would like to vend crepes with Gran Marnier or Nutella, and at Christmas roasted chestnuts like they do in Italy and New York. I also would like to vend french bread brie sandwhiches with tomato and Flan. The word 'vend' is actually a french word which means 'to sell.' Because of the Norman conquest where Guillome le Conqueror invaded Britain in 1066 and because several British kings thereafter inhabited and reigned over parts of France (notably the Aquitaine region) there is a dictionary full of what we think of as English words that originated in the Gaulist world. My sur-name for instance, a very common one throughout England and Ireland "Butler" is an occupational name which originated
in France as the 'Boutillier'- meaning the person in charge of the winery in the cave-the bottler- the person who poured the wine from the large barrels into the bottles and in charge of the wine cellar- which was a notably esteemed position in the King's household because people tried to poison the King with the wine. Thus the Boutilier became a trusted part of the King's cabinet as wine was used in the Coronation Mass (and if you didn't want that guy inheriting the Kingdom it was thought he would be poisoned at the Coronation Mass)- Anglicized Boutillier became Butler.
When Irish and English landowners moved to colonize America, some had slaveholdings, and when the slaves were freed they took on the names of their landowners in many cases-which is why there are now quite a few African Americans with the name Butler. They may be surprised to know that their names come from the heads of French wine cellars. The Irish Butler family crest has chalices on two corners for reason of its significance in guarding sacramental wine.

There is no better music to my ear than French liturgical music. Any given day of the week you can go to Sacre Coeur and catch the Benedictine Sisters in white sitting in the choir stalls chanting the most hauntingly beautiful music. They even let you stay overnight to do an adoration round the clock signing up at 2 or 3 am. Last I was there I got to do a bit of on the spot translation for the sisters who couldn't tell what the pilgrims from Florida wanted.

France is a place of miracles and mysteries. It's only pure envy (and, dare I say, a touch of ignorance) that has Americans trashing it.
We wouldn't even know how to make yogurt. The French sold us (Napolean) a third of our country. You cannot hit one State in the midwest without running into handfulls of french city names. If you came from the midwest you probably have french ancestors you don't know about from a time when the Louisiana Purchase covered everything west of the Mississippi to the Dakotas.

I want to see this little parish of hearty souls get more funding. How can you help? They need a bit of work on the parish house for basic maintenance, and they need a paid permenant organist and choir director. They could bring the riches of French liturgical music to DC if they had a better organized music department which requires a serious professional paid staff of at least two: an organist and a choir director. The volunteer crowd are sparce but enthusiastic (the organist brilliant but not always on duty and not paid I understand) -

Perhaps they can get a DC Government Grant? ?? Roland, j'espere que tu peux conspirer avec Pere Jean-Marie Vincent pour lui donne une donne grande. Bisous.