Welcome to the 19th edition of French 5, where I share a glimpse of France through language, places, food and drink, arts and culture, as well as a random fun fact.
In this week’s edition, hopeless Francophile and founder of @gofrenchyourself Samantha Ruble shares how she infuses French language and culture in her day-to-day life in the US.
A big thank you to Samantha for participating in this interview and for sharing her photos. If you have any feedback or ideas of what you’d like to see or who should be featured, please leave your comment below.
Featuring || Samantha of @gofrenchyourself
Hello et bonjour! I’m Samantha Ruble, a forty-one-year-old Francophile based in Tulsa, Oklahoma who launched my blog Go French Yourself in 2015 after receiving constant questions like:
“How did you do that?”
“What is that recipe?”
“How did you style that?”
“What was that restaurant in Maine you went to?”
“How does your hair always look so shiny?”
“Where are the best places to find French culture here in the U.S?"
All of a sudden, I was spending hours each day sharing how-to's and life hacks with my best girls! A little encouragement from those same girls and voila! "Go French Yourself" was born.
I spent my professional years dedicated to the beauty and fashion industry as an account executive for many high-end beauty lines including Aveda and Davines and owned my own designer and vintage on-line boutique.
I am a contributing writer for Travel Fashion Girl and have had the pleasure of working with a plethora of brands in many different capacities. And when I am not busy creating content here, you can also find me over at Hampton Haymes, a fabulous boutique agency that develops digital marketing strategies and branded content for any sort of niche.
In my few moments of free time you can find me hanging with my two puppies (Henry + Melvin) and the love of my life Rodge, day-dreaming about being BFFs with Garance Doré, learning French, watching French movies, baking bread, road tripping with my daughter who just started her first year in college, or sipping espresso in a gorgeous coffee shop corner reading French books.
I’M A HOPELESS FRANCOPHILE IN LOVE WITH FRANCE.
Fran·co·phile ˈfraNGkəˌfīl/. noun
plural noun: Francophiles
a person who is fond of or greatly admires France or the French.
OUI, YES THIS IS ME. BONJOUR.
"Paris is always a good idea," Audrey Hepburn once said, and I'm sure any Francophile would agree. When they're not café hopping in the City of Lights or playing pétanque in Provence, any lover of France can still enjoy the je ne sais quoi of the country, no matter where they are in the universe. Explore Go French Yourself Chapitre 2 now. This part of my blog is fully dedicated to everything French.
01 Language || Joie de vivre
Joie de vivre means joy or happiness derived from life. I love this expression so much because it’s the whole heart of my brand and everything I strive for!
02 Place || Versailles
Versailles is my favourite place - just think of all the stories it can share!
03 Food & Drink || Mussels and Éclairs
Les moules-frites: I love mussels. And not just because they are invariably accompanied by French fries in France, but they’re great when you’re traveling in France because you can go to the humblest of places and be assured of getting a good meal since they’re hard to mess up.
Éclairs: I also love eclairs! And my fave place here in the U.S. for them is located in Houston at Cafè Poêtes. I adore this beautiful French Cafe & Wine Club in the Heart of Midtown Montrose. Café Poêtes is the vision of Karine Favre-Massartic and she is lovely. Café Poêtes is a contemporary interpretation of a Parisian café. A landmark of the past and present all at once. The idea of this particular hotel style originates from "The Orangerie" de Bagatelle built in Paris in 1835. Like a Parisian café, Poêtes has a full kitchen and baker offering an inventive menu with delicacies for anytime of day. They have a hand-selected offering of wine. And of course, their signature éclairs. Shelves full of books compliment the light and airy atmosphere where you can escape and forget about time. Not only do they have sweet eclairs but they have savoury éclairs as well. And I am in love with the Violet éclair.
04 Arts & Culture || Lupin
I look to the Alliance Française de Chicago to teach me about arts and culture! But I do think everyone should watch Lupin!
05 Fun Fact || French as a second language
Many people have the perception that the French can be a little tough on you if you don’t use the proper language perfectly but I have not had this experience! I have so many French sponsors and I was so timid to speak French because I am still learning… but the french have been so helpful and patient and I believe they appreciate that I am just trying my best!
Follow Friday || Susan of @fleurishing and @thefrancophiles
Definitely follow Susan Hutchinson - founder of @thefrancophiles! She inspires me greatly and I learn so much about French culture from her as well as fabulous French brands!
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