Program 354: The Love of French Cheese; Marrying Into France; West African Homecoming

One of the things you'll discover about the French is how much they love a good cheese. On the next Travel with Rick Steves, we learn about a few of the many traditional cheeses that go with the seasons in France. 

Two authors tell us about the culture shock that comes with marrying a Frenchman and living in Paris. 

And an American clothing designer tells us how he awakened a part of himself, by returning to West Africa, where his parents were born. 

Find out how a trip abroad can change your life, on this week's Travel with Rick Steves. 

• Kathe Lison, author of "The Whole Fromage:  Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese" (Random House)
• Sarah Turnbull, author of "Almost French" and "All Good Things" (Gotham Books)
• Nina Sovich, author of the blog "These Stolen Days" about her life in Paris
• Emeka Alams, proprietor of Gold Coast Trading Company

• The publisher's website for Kathe Lison's book, "The Whole Fromage:  Adventures in the Delectable World of French Cheese."
• Kathe Lison has a cheese interview video on the From Left to Wright Book Club website. 
• Specific cheeses that Kathe mentions today include the wintertime Vacherin Mont D'Or soft cheese, and the Alpine summertime cheese called Beaufort.
• Sarah Turnbull wrote "Almost French" (Gotham) in 2003 about her experiences as a "fish out of water" settling into a marriage in France. 
• The Sydney Morning Herald writes about Sarah Turnbull's home life, from Paris to French Polynesia and back again to Australia.
• Nina Sovich blogs about her married life in Paris on a website called "These Stolen Days." She's also written about some of her solo adventures in "To the Moon And Timbuktu:  A Trek Through the Heart of Africa"  (New Harvest).
• Emeka Alams has launched a clothing company called Gold Coast Trading Company, with a line inspired by his West African travels.

• "In every country we have visited in Europe there is always some special food we eat a lot of.  In France it is cheese.  Whenever we come home we really stock up: My wife likes Roquefort and I like Banon, but the simple cheeses like camembert and Saint Andre are good as well." (e-mail from Patrick in Indiantown, Florida)
• "As an African-American and descendant of West African slaves, I am interested in visiting West Africa with my husband, who is a native French speaker.  Suggest a country that would be a  good jumping-off point for exploring the culture, history, and natural wonders of this region." (Dionne in Cranston, Rhode Island)

• Gotan Project, "Diferente," Lunático / XL Recordings
• Jean Sablon, "Sur le pont d'Avignon,"  (arranged by Wal-Berg),  Paris By Night (collection) / EMI 
• Kate and Anna McGarrigle, Emmylou Harris, "Porte en Arrière,"  The McGarrigle Hour / Hannibal
• * Ingrid Filter, "Waltz No. 7 in C-sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2 (Chopin)," Essential Chopin, disc 1 (collection) / EMI Classics
• Orchestre de l'Association des Concerts Colonne (Georges Tzipine, cond.), "'L'allée des Ha! Ha!'  from the Jean Françaix film 'Si Versaille m'était conté'," Le Film Français:  Honegger, Françaix, Sauguet, Thiriet / EMI Classics
• Rose Rouge, "C'est Presque Ça," Paris Lounge 2  (collection) / Wagram
• Colin Tilney, "Rondeau-La Puce," Fanfarinette:  Music for the French Harpsichord / CBC Records
• Southwest German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Ernet Bour, cond., "Boléro, ballet for orchestra (Ravel),"  The Kiss:  Music for Love and Passion (collection) / Interchord
• Michel Legrand-Claudine Meunier, "La Terrase du Cafe," from the soundtrack to "Les Parapluis de Cherbourg" ("The Umbrellas of Cherbourg") / Sony Music Entertainment (France)
• * Raft, "Femmes du Congo," Madagascar / Universal (France)
• Intuit, "Wewa," Impala Lounge Paris II:  Selected by Fra and Denis Dantas (collection) / Wagram
• Femi Kuti, "Live For Today," Africa Fête 3 (collection) / Mango Records
• Mandinka Musicians, "Kumbusora" (traditional, Gambia), Africa:  Never Stand Still, vol. 1 (collection) / Ellipsis Arts
• Ras, "Do You Dance (Dixless Main CD mix)," Impala Lounge Paris II:  Selected by Fra and Denis Dantas (collection) / Wagram

• At 15:34, Kathe Lison notes that it is illegal to bring a raw milk cheese into the United States that has been aged for less than 60 days. 
• At 41:53, Emeka Alams mentions the "civil unrest" in the Ivory Coast as a reason he had to leave the country.  At 46:06 he adds the road conditions in the Ivory Coast are often very marginal, and cautions against stopping at "unofficial" road checkpoints at 46:26.
• At 50:40, Emeka states there is a movement of African-Americans, and native-born Africans, moving back to Africa. 
• Emeka describes how many West Africans view Nigerians as "flashy" at 52:27.  He then mentions how he observed Nigerian e-mail scammers at work in internet cafes.