as far as France's "contributions," a resounding yes on Philosophy.

everything else other than US independence is a wash.

Sartre? Voltaire?

as for science, Pasteur? The Curies (je me rappelle qu'elle et Pole? C'est possible que je suis en erreur)

I'm no apologist (Hell, I still order Freedom Fries, even if its outta irony) but does any of this help the victims of DAT WAVE? or any other issue affecting the entire world? That's right, it doesn't.

Did France (or England, for that matter) ever officially endorse the CSA in the American Civil War? They certainly had emissaries and envoys on the ground in the Dirty, but I think they held off recognition of the CSA as a sovereign state, so didn't export so much (if any)nto its military, 'til such time as Gettysburg. Then, all bets were off. The South did not rise then. Nor has it since. (the ONION photo side-bar, c. late '96: South delays rising for another year, read the captain under a photo of some (white) yard apes brandishing rifles and raising bottles of whiskey.)

As to French contributions to letters and sciences: Rabelais, Balzac, Baudalaire, Diderot, Lavoisier, Rousseau. Plus, Chopin (Polish Jew, resident in Paris), Marc Chagal (Ukrainian (?) Jew, also resident in France), Eugen Ionescu (Romanian, in exile in France following WWII and Communist ascent in Romania).

Nah, the runner up would have been Rousseau, but only a very distant second.

I thought the Curies were residents en france, if they don't count, then you get Pasteur...a very long time ago.

As for Rabelais, the stuff is unreadable, in french or in translation. Ionesco is a waste, Hugo and Dumas...meh. Camus bored me to tears. Simenon is painfully dry. Moliere you can take or leave, some moments, but really pales in comparison to Billy S/Marlowe (depending on whether you consider them to be different folk).

I won't argue "art", David and Monet are pretty much untouchable, and Berlioz' Symph. Fant. remains one of my fave pieces of music.

"Henri Bergson?"
"Is the correct answer!"
"I've never even heard of him!"

french champagne is thee best.

Huh? The French invented many, if not most, of the modern cooking methods we use today. Even if you're not into snails and pig snouts just about everything you eat is based on a French creation.

Debussy, Ravel, Faure, Saint-Saens, Satie, Poulenc, Milhaud, Widor.

There's gold in them thar hills.

seriously, french food beats anything else if not for the dishes (which i love) specifically then at least for its ubiquity. the only thing that touches it in it's universality (especially in the states) is maybe italian.

c.

I love champagne... (I know, you're an alcoholic, you should check into rehab)
I love champagne
I drink champagne in the rain, I drink champagne when I'm in Spain
I drink champagne in the tub, I drink champagne when I make love
I drink champagne when I hustle, I drink champagne with Nipsy Russell

you are totally right on that one smafty; my point was that k.l. said "food" and i disagreed but as far as methodology and whatnot; yeah man. the french have it goin on. I just dont dig on french food.

OH, AND CALM DOWN EVERYBODY. THE FRENCH ARE PRICKS BUT SO WHAT? AMERICANS ARE BOORISH AND REGGIE WHITE AND GOD AND ETCETERA......

np: Beulah - The Coast is Never Clear

And Reggie still has not reimbursed me for the money I donated to rebuild his parish, money which proceeded up the nose of the head minister.

I hope I am named in his estate, somewhere.