Tourists to France and chocolate lovers everywhere know this beloved icon:  a little girl in a red and blue pinafore, writing on a

A beloved icon

yellow wall using a piece of chocolate, advertising the brand, Menier chocolate.   This famous little figure turns up on candy tins, mugs, pitchers, posters and other artifacts, is a staple at flea markets and antique stores, and decorates many a wall worldwide.

Founded in 1816 by Antoine Brutus Menier, the Menier chocolate factory initially produced chocolate as a medicinal powder to coat the bitter tasting pills that Menier, a pharmacologist, sold.  Soon, however, the demand for the chocolate outpaced the medicines, so the Menier family purchased a small water mill in the town of Noisiel, twenty kilometers east of Paris, to produce cocoa powder.  The factory was revamped and modernized to facilitate assembly, and became the first factory in France to mass produce the powder by machines.

Menier then introduced blocks of chocolate (les tablettes) wrapped in yellow paper.  To keep up with production, the company began to concentrate on the exclusive production of chocolate products – it had cocoa growing estates in Nicaragua, sugar beet fields and a sugar refinery in the area of Roye, France.  Before long, the Menier Chocolate Company was the largest chocolate manufacturer in France, whose production necessitated a larger factory.

With the Industrial Revolution in full swing, the Menier factory revamped and extended the factory  in Noisiel with the newest materials, reflecting a boldness of design, considered today a National Heritage Site and is “one of the iconic buildings of the Industrial Revolution” (Archtectural Review, February 1997).

Resting on four stone piers that were sunk into the river bed, the chocolate factory is built on square hollow sections that feature an

Menier Chocolate Factory

exposed metal frame and diagonal pillar reinforcements that form a lattice. Yellow bricks filled in the latticework, some glazed to form cocoa flowers for decoration, others, when viewed from afar, formed the letter M.  Another building in the factory complex was designed and built by Gustave Eiffel for the Universal Exposition of 1898, taken apart and reassembled in Noisiel for the purpose of cooling the chocolate.  More additions to the plant were made later, including a major building that used reinforced concrete and was nicknamed “the Cathedral”.  One last innovation was the Pont Hardi, a 142 foot long concrete bridge that spans the Marne River, linking the new building to other parts of the complex.

At peak production around the turn of the 20^th century, the chocolate factory employed over 1500 people, but World Wars I and II hurt production, and the Menier brand declined. Ultimately, the brand was sold to Nestlé S.A.  Nestlé’s French headquarters are housed in the main building of the Menier chocolate factory, while other parts of the original complex house a chocolate museum.   

Last month, after disastrous results for the ruling party, France now has a new Prime Minister.  Manuel Valls, the former interior minister, was elevated to the position

Manual Valls, Prime Minister France

after the resignation of Jean-Marc Ayrault.  How that happened is due to the way the French government is organized, which is semi-presidential.

What is a semi-presidential system?  It is one in which the president is elected by popular, or direct, vote in a two round process.  The President, whose term lasts five years, presides over the Cabinet, is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and settles treaties.  The President names the Prime Minister, who is in charge of running the government.  The PM is also responsible for the implementation of laws, can introduce bills in Parliament, and names the Cabinet.

Because the President is directly elected by popular vote, one can assume that he is supported by at least half of the voting population.  When the President and his political coalition control the Parliament, he names a Prime Minister from his party.  There is an assumption, therefore, that the President can push through his political agenda, although that is not always true.

On the other hand, when political opponents of the President control the Parliament, the President names a Prime Minister who reflects the majority opinion, and who, in theory, promotes the opposition agenda.  When the President and Prime Minister are not of the same political ideaology, that situation is called cohabitation.  After the last set of mayoral elections, the Parti Socialiste lost several key cities to other political parties; change at the top was needed.

François Hollande and Manuel Valls are members of the same party, the Socialist Party & Radical Party of the Left (Parti socialiste – Parti radical de gauche), so there is no cohabitating.  But Manuel Valls is from the right wing of the Parti Socialiste, so he and the President are not quite on the same page.

The new Prime Minister was born in Barcelona, Spain and moved to France as a teenager.  He joined the Parti Socialiste at the age of 17.  After graduating from the University of Paris 1, Valls continued to be very active in the PS.  He has been compared to Great Britain’s Tony Blair in his political opinions, which include a ban on full-face veils in public, evicting Roma from illegal camps, and cracking down on youth crime.  He is often described as courageous, competent, and having deep convictions, and has criticized policies within his own party, characteristics that should serve him well in his new position.

Les Baux in its picturesque setting

Les Baux-de-Provence is a commune, or township, in the Provence region of southern France.  It occupies a dominant position in the Alpilles mountain range.  The ruined remains of a castle sits on top of a rocky outcrop that looks out over the plains to the south.  The word “baux” refers to the prominent cliff of bauxite upon which the commune is located, discovered by geologist Pierre Berthier in 1821.

Historically, its defensive position atop the rocky outcrop encouraged inhabitants in Les Baux as far back as 6000 BC.  In the 2^nd century BC, the village became the seat of one of the major Provençal families, which was subsequently deposed in the 12^th century; Les Baux was  eventually incorporated into the newly-established country of France.  Les Baux was granted to the Grimaldi family of Monaco in 1642.  Although the town is French, the title of Marquis des Baux does remain with the Grimaldi family; Monaco’s Prince Albert II is the current Marquis.

Today, visitors come the Château des Beaux to see the remains of the castle, the medieval walls and the breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside.  The château-fortress also contains real sized medieval-style siege engines, including a catapult, covered battering ram, and a trebuchet, making for a fascinating visit for children and young adults.

After visiting les Baux, why not end the day with a glass of wine from the region?  The commune is also known for its red and rosé

Vineyard: Le Mas de la Dame, at the foot of Les Baux

wines made from grenache, syrah and mourvedre grapes. The predominance of red, and recently white, wines is a rarity in the Provence region, more often reputed for its rosé wines.  The classic Baux de Provence wine is a deeply colored red with aromas of mountain herbs, black olives, violets and stewed blackberries.  Only 25% of the wines made in this area are rosé.  Les Baux earned AOC status in 1995, and was the first AOC to require that all vineyards be farmed organically.  Many of the producers in the area were already using organic methods to cultivate their grapes, which eliminated the use of chemicals that could be spread by the strong Mistral wind that dominates the region. Wineries in the area include Terres Blanches, Mas de la Dame, and Mas Sainte Berthe.

You’re sure to enjoy your visit to this unusual village.

For more information:

On the wineries mentioned:

http://www.masdeladame.com

http://www.massainteberthe.com

http://www.terresblanches.com

Wine of the region:

http://www.lesbauxdeprovence.com

On the Château of les Baux de Provence:

http://www.chateau-baux-provence.com

Mardi Gras, also known as Fat Tuesday, is a custom in many Catholic and Christian countries that marks the day before Ash Wednesday,  the 40-day period before Easter. On Mardi Gras, the tradition is to eat rich, fatty foods before starting the ritual fasting of the Lenten season.  Many cultures start Mardi Gras festivities way before the day itself; the Carnival season can start as early as Epiphany (January 6).

Carnaval (derived from carne levare – away with meat) is this time of celebration.  Historically, during Carnival season there were balls, parties in the streets, and excesses were tolerated.  Revelers wore masks to protect their identities while they participated wild activities in the days before Ash Wednesday.

In Nice, the season of Carnaval dates back to 1294, when the Count of Provence, Charles Anjou, spent the “joyous days of carnival” in the area, but it was in 1830 that the current form of the Nice Carnaval was born, when a parade consisting of about 30 carriages was organized in honor of King Charles-Felix and Queen Marie-Christine of Piedmont-Sardinia.

This year, the Carnaval in Nice started on February 14, and will end on March 4. During that time there are parades and parties.  The

One of many floats in the Carnival

two main parades are the Flower parade and the Carnaval Parade of Lights.  Running down the Promenade des Anglais, the Flower Parade or “flower battle” showcases floats decorated with stunning floral compositions.  Beautifully dressed characters on the floats throw mimosas, gerberas, lilies and other flowers down to the spectators.  This year’s theme is Roi de Gastronomie, and the floats have titles such as Gastronomic Oppression (chefs race to keep Gargantua well fed), Crooks in Booze (a typical Frenchman clings to a bottle of champagne while others drink their favorite beverage) and the Nose (the dictatorship of the wine taster, who can destroy careers in a gulp)

Between the parades, there is plenty to do.  There is a Rock’n’Roll 10 mile run, and a Carnaval dip, where everyone is invited down to the beach to plunge into the Mediterranean.   Of course, since the theme is gastronomy, there are plenty of restaurants offering prix fixe meals that reflect the theme; if you have eaten too much, there is also a Zumba party to help you stay slim.  The Carnaval ends on Tuesday, March 4, with a parade in the afternoon, and the closing program at 9 pm that includes fireworks.  Then all is shut down, the streets are cleaned while the people get ready for Ash Wednesday and the somber period of Lent.

For more information on Nice Caranaval (to get ready for next year perhaps?):

http://www.nicecarnaval.com/

General information on Nice:

http://www.nicetourisme.com