An Exploration of French Culture, Food Systems and Economics
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Le Potager du Roi
On our last day in France, we visited Le Potager du Roi, the little-known technical gardens within the larger decorative gar dens at the Palace of Versailles. Created for Louis XIV’s own kitchens by the lawyer Jean-Baptiste de la Quintinie, they have been used to perfect tree and vegetable gardening techniques for centuries. The gardens,…
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Le Ferme Urbaine de Saint Denis
Today we had the privilege of visiting Le Ferme Urbaine de Saint Denis located within the limestone streets of urban Pairs. This particular farm has been an agricultural site for hundreds of years and was bought by the municipality of Paris recently after the passing of its fourth generational farmer. Aiming to preserve the…
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Rooftop Gardens at the Opéra Bastille
Hidden on the rooftop terraces of Opéra Bastille, 2,500 m2 of gardens provide hyperlocal fruits, vegetables, and edible flowers to the restaurants, grocery stores, and producers of Paris. Spread across four terraces, these gardens are part of a citywide effort to add green spaces to the built environment. There are several benefits to doing this,…
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La Recylcerie
On our first full-day in Paris we ventured to La Recyclerie in the northern suburb of Saint-Denis, a low-income area with a large immigrant population. It’s located within the remnants of an old railway station that was built in the 1870’s and closed in the 1950’s. La Recyclerie was founded in 2014, and it…
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Coffee with Dickinson Alumni Paul Bouvet
Alumni of Dickinson College are everywhere you go, and lucky for us, Paul Bouvet (class of 2014) was right around the corner in Paris, France. Paul has been in the restaurant industry most of his life but most recently, he is the director of Laduree – an upscale patisserie specializing in macarons. Having a conversation…
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La Fabriue Solidaire des Minimes 3/20/25
On our last full day in Toulouse, we traveled to La Fabrique Solidaire des Minimes where we spent the day working together with the community to make a warm and comforting shared meal! It was energizing to converse with people from the Toulouse community (even through language barriers) and hear their stories. La Fabrique Solidaire…
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La Glanerie
Established in 2003 by the Metropolis of Toulouse, La Glanerie is a non-profit reuse center that aims to reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfills while also fostering social inclusion. Unlike thrift stores in the United States like Goodwill and the Salvation Army, La Glanerie features ten workshops alongside its collection centers where…
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EDENN Iniatives
Link to EDENN website EDENN (Espace de coopération et d’expérimentation à la nature urbaine) in Northern Toulouse stands as a significant initiative fostering urban agriculture, responsible food practices, and the circular economy. EDENN is a collective of 14 different organizations that work as a unit, including, businesses, market gardeners, and associations that build on EDENN’s…
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Lycée des métiers de l’hôtellerie et du tourisme d’Occitane and Cartoucherie Neighborhood Tour
One of the places we visited in Toulouse was the Lycée des métiers de l’hôtellerie et du tourisme d’Occitane. This school is public and free to anyone who is above the B2 level in French. Since the beginning of the semester, we have been communicating by email with some of the students that are currently…
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Domaine de Candie
Domaine de Candie On our second day in Toulouse, we got the chance to visit Domaine de Candie, a municipal farm and education center. This land was purchased in the early 1970’s by the city of Toulouse, and consists of 25 hectares in the domaine. Of these 25, the vineyard takes up 12, the…