71 episodes

From one Emily in Paris to another... just speaking French isn't enough to understand the intricacies of the locals, but it's definitely a good place to start. Famously defended by armed "immortals" of the Académie Française (no, we're not making this up) the French language is filled with clues that show interested outsiders what, exactly, makes the French tick.

Each episode, listen in as Emily Monaco and an expert take a deep dive into a word that helps us gain a keener understanding of the French.

Navigating the French Paris Underground Radio

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.7 • 14 Ratings

From one Emily in Paris to another... just speaking French isn't enough to understand the intricacies of the locals, but it's definitely a good place to start. Famously defended by armed "immortals" of the Académie Française (no, we're not making this up) the French language is filled with clues that show interested outsiders what, exactly, makes the French tick.

Each episode, listen in as Emily Monaco and an expert take a deep dive into a word that helps us gain a keener understanding of the French.

    Navigating “Populaire” with Debra Ollivier

    Navigating “Populaire” with Debra Ollivier

    If you grew up worrying the world was a popularity contest, get yourself to France, where the word populaire is better translated as "working class" or literally, "of the people." Without an apt translation for "popular," French society governs itself by different principles, which author Debra Ollivier is more than ready to unpack.


    https://www.amazon.com/What-French-Women-Know-Matters/dp/042523648X

    Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/parisundergroundradio 

    Find Us Online
    Website: https://www.parisundergroundradio.com/navigatingthefrench
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisundergroundradio
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisundergroundradio/

    Credits 
    Host: Emily Monaco. @Emily_in_France; Website: http://www.tomatokumato.com and http://www.emilymmonaco.com
    Producer: Jennifer Geraghty. @jennyphoria; Website: http://jennyphoria.com

    Music Credits 
    Édith Piaf - La Vie en Rose (DeliFB Lofi Remix) 
    🎵 MSKD Sounds:  https://www.instagram.com/mskd_sounds/  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRql...  https://soundcloud.com/mskd_sounds
    🎵 DeliFB:  https://www.youtube.com/c/DeliFB  https://soundcloud.com/delifb  https://www.instagram.com/cativo.kevin/  a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbWNDaWxaRDQ3MElhMWxrWkFCU1l2Q1VVcG5Kd3xBQ3Jtc0tuRTBmUmJtU2ItVC1rUjdqeHRaREY2RzdWT3Z0aERGOGhUQjFsajIybFg5WXdVc2JKTk5peGptQTFRc1pEUjgwSTlmVlZKSW9IRy1qSWhDeDdRek9RS0JndE5SdWx3dVdRRVJnellpX1NZc2VXZHB2Zw&q=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FDeliciousFB" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer...

    • 31 min
    Navigating “Brûlée” with Marie DeGross

    Navigating “Brûlée” with Marie DeGross

    When we hear the word "brûlée" in English, we're likely thinking about the sweet, shattery topping of a classic French dessert. But when Notre Dame suddenly caught fire in 2019, a whole other meaning of this word came into focus. Marie DeGross is a tour guide specialized as much in pastry as she is in the history of the military and first responders in France. She's here to explore what makes the Paris Fire Brigade stand out on a national – and international – stage.

    https://www.instagram.com/millemercismarie/
    https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Notre-Dame-br%C3%BBle/0HYVXHHF99PUTAEBCSTHOMOU8O


    Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/parisundergroundradio 

    Find Us Online
    Website: https://www.parisundergroundradio.com/navigatingthefrench
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisundergroundradio
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisundergroundradio/

    Credits 
    Host: Emily Monaco. @Emily_in_France; Website: http://www.tomatokumato.com and http://www.emilymmonaco.com Producer: Jennifer Geraghty. @jennyphoria; Website: http://jennyphoria.com

    Music Credits 
    Édith Piaf - La Vie en Rose (DeliFB Lofi Remix)
    🎵 MSKD Sounds:  https://www.instagram.com/mskd_sounds/  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRql...  https://soundcloud.com/mskd_sounds
    🎵 DeliFB:  https://www.youtube.com/c/DeliFB  https://soundcloud.com/delifb  https://www.instagram.com/cativo.kevin/  a...

    • 34 min
    Navigating “Je Ne Sais Quoi” with Debra Ollivier

    Navigating “Je Ne Sais Quoi” with Debra Ollivier

    Je ne sais quoi is a phrase American women love to use to describe their French counterparts, but according to Debra Ollivier, best-selling author of What French Women Know About Love, Sex, and Other Matters of the Heart and Mind, the French don't use it at all. She's here to talk about why – and what this means about the French approach to popularity, likeability, and identity.

    https://www.amazon.com/What-French-Women-Know-Matters/dp/042523648X


    Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/parisundergroundradio

    Find Us Online
    Website: https://www.parisundergroundradio.com/navigatingthefrench
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisundergroundradio
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisundergroundradio/

    Credits
    Host: Emily Monaco. @Emily_in_France; Website: http://www.tomatokumato.com and http://www.emilymmonaco.com
    Producer: Jennifer Geraghty. @jennyphoria; Website: http://jennyphoria.com

    Music Credits
    Édith Piaf - La Vie en Rose (DeliFB Lofi Remix)
    🎵 MSKD Sounds: https://www.instagram.com/mskd_sounds/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRql... https://soundcloud.com/mskd_sounds
    🎵 DeliFB: https://www.youtube.com/c/DeliFB https://soundcloud.com/delifb https://www.instagram.com/cativo.kevin/ a href="https://www.youtube.com/redirect?event=video_description&redir_token=QUFFLUhqbWNDaWxaRDQ3MElhMWxrWkFCU1l2Q1VVcG5Kd3xBQ3Jtc0tuRTBmUmJtU2ItVC1rUjdqeHRaREY2RzdWT3Z0aERGOGhUQjFsajIybFg5WXdVc2JKTk5peGptQTFRc1pEUjgwSTlmVlZKSW9IRy1qSWhDeDdRek9RS0JndE5SdWx3dVdRRVJnellpX1NZc2VXZHB2Zw&q=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FDeliciousFB"...

    • 30 min
    Navigating “à la Mode” with Kasia Dietz

    Navigating “à la Mode” with Kasia Dietz

    In French, à la mode has got nothing to do with ice cream. Rather, it refers to one of the pinnacles of art de vivre: fashion. Here to discuss how Paris became such a fashion capital – and what the cultural expectations of dressing are – is Kasia Dietz, travel journalist, bag designer, and fashion tour guide in Paris.

    kasiadietz.com
    kasiadietztours.com
    https://www.instagram.com/kasiadietz/


    Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/parisundergroundradio

    Find Us Online
    Website: https://www.parisundergroundradio.com/navigatingthefrench
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisundergroundradio
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisundergroundradio/

    Credits
    Host: Emily Monaco. @Emily_in_France; Website: http://www.tomatokumato.com and http://www.emilymmonaco.com
    Producer: Jennifer Geraghty. @jennyphoria; Website: http://jennyphoria.com

    Music Credits
    Édith Piaf - La Vie en Rose (DeliFB Lofi Remix)
    🎵 MSKD Sounds: https://www.instagram.com/mskd_sounds/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRql... https://soundcloud.com/mskd_sounds

    🎵 DeliFB: https://www.youtube.com/c/DeliFB https://soundcloud.com/delifb https://www.instagram.com/cativo.kevin/ a...

    • 34 min
    Navigating “Favorite” with Christine and Tracy Adams

    Navigating “Favorite” with Christine and Tracy Adams

    The word favorite doesn't really mean favorite, in France. Instead, it evokes a centuries-long tradition of sex, power, and gender roles in the French courts, as sisters and academics Christine and Tracy Adams are here to share.

    https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-08597-5.html


    Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/parisundergroundradio

    Find Us Online
    Website: https://www.parisundergroundradio.com/navigatingthefrench
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisundergroundradio
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisundergroundradio/

    Credits
    Host: Emily Monaco. @Emily_in_France; Website: http://www.tomatokumato.com and http://www.emilymmonaco.com
    Producer: Jennifer Geraghty. @jennyphoria; Website: http://jennyphoria.com

    Music Credits
    Édith Piaf - La Vie en Rose (DeliFB Lofi Remix)
    🎵 MSKD Sounds: https://www.instagram.com/mskd_sounds/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRql... https://soundcloud.com/mskd_sounds
    🎵 DeliFB: https://www.youtube.com/c/DeliFB https://soundcloud.com/delifb https://www.instagram.com/cativo.kevin/ https://twitter.com/DeliciousFB

    About Us
    From one Emily in Paris to another... just speaking French isn't...

    • 31 min
    Navigating “Pain de Campagne” with Apollonia Poilâne

    Navigating “Pain de Campagne” with Apollonia Poilâne

    Baguette may seem like France's most emblematic loaf, but pain de campagne or country bread tells the story of France's relationship with bread far more aptly. Here to trace that history is Apollonia Poilâne, the third-generation owner of Paris' Poilâne bakery.

    https://www.poilane.com/



    Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/parisundergroundradio

    Find Us Online
    Website: https://www.parisundergroundradio.com/navigatingthefrench
    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parisundergroundradio
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parisundergroundradio/

    Credits
    Host: Emily Monaco. @Emily_in_France; Website: http://www.tomatokumato.com and http://www.emilymmonaco.com
    Producer: Jennifer Geraghty. @jennyphoria; Website: http://jennyphoria.com

    Music Credits
    Édith Piaf - La Vie en Rose (DeliFB Lofi Remix)
    🎵 MSKD Sounds: https://www.instagram.com/mskd_sounds/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRql... https://soundcloud.com/mskd_sounds
    🎵 DeliFB: https://www.youtube.com/c/DeliFB https://soundcloud.com/delifb https://www.instagram.com/cativo.kevin/ https://twitter.com/DeliciousFB

    About Us
    From one Emily in Paris to another... just speaking French isn't enough to understand the intricacies of...

    • 31 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
14 Ratings

14 Ratings

Bush remove ,

Excellent Podcast

Well Emily I have to tell you that I love this podcast. Why you may ask? Well I have visited France a handful of times and I am also a beginner in the French language. Alas I am in my mid sixties and really enjoy learning about history and culture of France. I also enjoy learning French words here and there but im afraid I’ll always be a beginner as a language student. So whats with your podcast…. I love that you tease us with a word and you do talk of the word but use it as a jumping off point for fascinating discussion about all the ideas that circle around the word and it’s meaning and thankfully for me the podcast is in English but you often have many French words intertwined in the discussion so I learn some then. You do an excellent job Emily and I am trying still to listen to the many past episodes. Anyway a hearty merci beaucoup for all your hard work and great questions and excellent guests! Be encouraged and keep going… great stuff!

Lizi.Pops ,

Spot on

Each episode unpacks something about french culture that, as someone who has lived in France for 5 years, I sense and know is important, yet don’t really understand. I really appreciate the insight the experts on her show bring about french cultural signifiers.
Highly recommended.

Nicknnnnnnnnnn ,

Doesn’t let go of American judgement

It probably is not surprising that this podcast is not spared of the famous American love for moral judgement. In this case, more of a contemporary progressive left type of judgement. The host doesn’t understand some of the fundament reasons why her Anglo-Saxon culture is very different from French (and European as a whole) culture. France is a country with a rich history spending more than a millennium. Its culture is not based on skin color, unlike her home country. Nor does it have a history of importing slaves. France is not a proposition nation, it is not a nation of immigrants and as such the host’s views on what it means to be French and become French are fundamentally uninformed. As someone who has lived in the US, I have seen with my eyes how Americans treat women and the resulting lack of confidence. The host’s comments on the position of French women in society reflects more of her heritage than the reality, and I can say that with the confidence of someone who was not surprise of the recent Supreme Court decision, which reflects American religious fervor, their view of women, and the various divisions of society in identity groups. It is surprising for the host to implicitly refer to herself as French, I feel a much deeper understanding of her own culture and of French culture is needed to understand the differences.
Many of the guests are Americans or from other Anglo-Saxon countries and use that cultural heritage in their views.
It is very troubling that the current Americanization of France can result in the importation of identity politics and moral judgement. A culture based on religion, gender, racial, and other identities, and the many prejudices created by that could only be a giant (about 240 years) step back for France.

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