Tea at Trianon: French Laundry Tips

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

French Laundry Tips

From Real Simple:

Writer Danielle Postel-Vinay may live in New York City and the Hudson River Valley—but she knows a thing or two about French culture. As a teenager, she met her first mentor in the French way of life, Jacqueline Manon, an antique shop owner in her Midwestern hometown, who took her under her wing and invited her into her home. After spending time in France, Postel-Vinay married a Parisian man, and her new French family and mother-in-law continued her education in the French way of keeping a home. Now, the writer's sharing all of the secrets she's gleaned from her French family and friends in her new book, Home Sweet Maison: The French Art of Making a Home.

The book is full of tiny tips and tricks learned from observing her French relatives and spending time in France. Moving through the home room by room, the book covers everything from the right way to set a table, to how to use home fragrances to evoke a mood. Woven with personal anecdotes, the guided tour of the French home is fascinating, but perhaps the most interesting and practical tips can be found in the chapter on the French way of doing laundry.

While Americans may throw giant piles of clothing haphazardly into oversized washing machines, and then dryers, Postel-Vinay describes the French way of doing laundry as more thoughtful. Will using the proper stain pre-treatments and air-drying your clothing really turn your most dreaded household chore into an art form? Perhaps not. But your white shirts will be brighter, your delicates will last longer, and your fitted sheets will always be properly folded. Here are five things the French know about doing laundry, according to Postel-Vinay. (Read more.)