Month: November 2011

  • French Food Culture

    French Food Culture

    Have you ever noticed that in France there is a different store for each food item you want to buy? Need bread? Stop by the boulangerie for a baguette. Going to a party? Pick up a cake at the patisserie. But you will have to go to the fromagerie for cheese. What about honey? Well…

  • Sky Lanterns

    If you’ve seen the new Disney movie, Tangled, you might remember one scene where Rapunzel’s kingdom launches thousands of paper lanterns into the air. What you might not know is that this is actually a real thing… the launching of sky lanterns is part of Chinese New Year celebrations in Taiwan.

  • Russian Drinking Customs

    Russian Drinking Customs

    If there’s one thing Russia is known for, apart from their harsh winters, it’s their vodka and their drinking habits. At first glance it may seem like Russians drink a lot, but– well, there really isn’t a but! However, drinking customs do differ in Russian culture vs American culture.

  • Beijing Nights

    Planning some travel to Beijing, and wondering what to expect? Check out this beautiful video (with equally beautiful music track) from Dan Chung of some of the nightlife in Beijing, which is vibrant even on the coldest nights!

  • Learn French and Avoid Misunderstandings

    Are you serious about learning the French language? Then you’ll get the chance to learn French culture too. Most people endorse stereotypes like “France is a beautiful country, a shame about its people”. But you have decided to go beyond widespread clichés to understand the real culture in France. Congratulations, you are officially… out of…

  • Money in Taiwan

    There is one thing every traveler needs to know about the country they are traveling to: how to handle the issue of money. Unfortunately, this is often one of the more complicated aspects of travel. Even if you know the exchange rate between two countries, actually knowing when people are trying to overcharge you and…

  • China and the European Debt

    One of the questions currently buzzing in Europe in regards to the euro crisis is whether China will participate in the eurozone rescue fund. Although it is in China’s interest to keep the European economy from collapsing (because Europe is one of China’s top markets), Chinese officials have said that they need to see more…

  • What to Bring With You to Russia

    You’ve planned a trip to Russia, but how do you prepare? Do bears and wolves roam the city streets? Does everyone wear fluffy fur hats? Do old men play balalaikas in the metro? While you’ll find almost anything going on in the metro, there are certainly no bears or wolves in the city. The fluffy…

  • The Occupy Movement in France Gets a Rough Start

    If you’ve been following the international Occupy movement, which started with Occupy Dataran in Malaysia, spread to the US with Occupy Wall Street, joined the Spanish 15-M Indignados protests on October 15th, and continues to spread worldwide, then you may be interested to know that the movement has gotten off to a rough start in…

  • The Sounds French Animals Make

    One could have thought that animals speak an international language. Guess what? They don’t! Since you’re learning French you gotta learn how French animals sound too. Because if American ducks go “quack quack”, French ducks prefer to emit a more sophisticate nasal sound that goes “coin coin” (practice those nasal sounds right now please!).