Looking to join a new club that tries delicious food, views interesting art and learns about the French culture? Come check out the French Club!
The French Club is for all students interested in learning about all aspects of the French culture.
It doesn’t matter if you speak the language or not; all that matters is that you have an appreciation for this diverse and interesting culture.
MJ Diderot, sophomore at Sonoma State, has been president of the French Club since the start of the fall 2013 semester and has been involved with organizing different events and field trips for students to experience some French culture.
Last semester, the club scheduled an official French dinner at the cafeteria on campus.
The club members talked with the chefs who work in the cafeteria to plan a meal with several courses to give students the opportunity to experience an authentic French meal.
The dinner started with a salad nicoise, assorted cheese platter and fresh cut fruits. The soups offered were French onion soup with parmesan crostinis and shrimp bisque.
The main course included steak au poivre, ratatouille, potatoes au gratin, brown rice pilaf, roasted asparagus with fresh garlic and goat cheese and tomatoes au provencal tart.
For dessert, students could choose among an assortment of delicious options including: chocolate drizzled croissants, crepes suzette, nutella crepes and frozen yogurts.
“The dinner gave students an opportunity to not only try French foods, but to also experience how courses are served in a typical French meal,” said Diderot.
The French Club also took a trip to the Theatre du Lycee in San Francisco to see “Marie Antoinette in Her Own Words,” which was an opportunity to discover the personal struggle of one of the most famous queens in French history.
The play, directed by Katherine Adamov and written by French historian Evelyne Lever, was a bit unusual in the fact that there was only one actress performing.
The solo actress Barbara Shulz read aloud a series of personal letters actually written by Marie Antoinette that walked the audience through the life of the queen from teenage bride up to the final hours of her life before her execution.
The play was performed in French, however there were English subtitles on screens placed in front of each seat for those who did not speak French fluently.
Milan Morales, a senior at SSU who attended the play with other club members, thoroughly enjoyed the show.
“It was awesome to see a French play among a French audience and it was also a bonding experience for all of us club members,” said Morales.
Another event the French club organized last year was a trip to the Legion of Honor museum in San Francisco.
There was an art show named Royal Treasures of the Louvre: Louis XIV to Marie-Antoinette, which presented a collection of decorative arts directly from France.
One of the main pieces included the Gemmes de la Couronne, which was Louis XIV’s collection of stone vases decorated with gold and gemstones.
The Louvre does not lend these kind of pieces often to other museums, so it was great for club members to see authentic art straight from France without the pricey airline ticket one might typically need to see these pieces.
The French Club meets every Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. at Stevenson Hall in room 1028. Diderot and other club members would like to continue to organize trips to French museums and plays, as well as another authentic French dinner this semester.
Students in the club have also discussed hosting a French movie night where students could come relax for a night and watch a contemporary French movie such as “Les Intouchables,” which tells the comedic yet dramatic story of a quadriplegic and his caregiver.
Whether you want to taste some French food, go visit a French art museum, see a French play or just relax and watch some French cinema, French Club has something for everyone.
